Tories

[badgerx16]

It is a shame that an organisation like the NHS could not employ those who are "able to work" but won't in this current climate

Over 20,000 lower grade NHS staff are from the Philippines, and approx 35,000 are from the eastern EU states, probably all doing the 'dirty' jobs that the "workshy" think are beneath their dignity, or paid less than they are willing / able to accept.

[Fuengirola Saint]

Voting Tory is not a choice I take lightly, but I do feel we need change and we've gone too far with the benefits system to the point where some people choose not to work. I guess I should have a look at the Lib Dems to see where they're going with social policies.

 

I did chuckle the other day at Cameron's speech questioning Labour's record on poverty. I've no doubt that the mimimum wage would've never been implemented under a Tory government and millions more kids would still be living in poverty.

 

Don't ever vote Tory, you will hate yourself three years down the line.

[badgerx16]

Don't ever vote Tory, you will hate yourself three years down the line.

The taint is always with you, it can never be expunged.

[Johnny Bognor]

But what would happen to all those offenders who are being sentenced to 'community service' by the courts, particularly now as there is a recommendation that anybody whose offence carries a tariff of less than 12 months should be kept out of our overcrowded jails ?

 

 

Public flogging?

The stocks?

Public Shaming?

[aintforever]

Over 20,000 lower grade NHS staff are from the Philippines, and approx 35,000 are from the eastern EU states, probably all doing the 'dirty' jobs that the "workshy" think are beneath their dignity, or paid less than they are willing / able to accept.

 

To be fair, there will always be people from ****ty countries willing to do ****ty jobs for less money.

[EastleighSoulBoy]

It is a shame that an organisation like the NHS could not employ those who are "able to work" but won't in this current climate

 

A serious question. Of those who are able to work, but will not, what percentage do you think would make a complete mess of working and become unemployable? Also, what percentage would never get a job in the first place through being sifted out at interview as unsuitable (either through indolence or plain unemployable e.g. a waste of the employers time and effort)?

 

I'm not asking how we'd make them work by the way!

[dune]

Public flogging?

The stocks?

Public Shaming?

 

The answer is to build more prisons and turn prisons into profit making businesses.

 

One idea i have is to build treadmills and make convicts produce electricity.

[Johnny Bognor]

One idea i have is to build treadmills and make convicts produce electricity.

 

That'll be a shock to the system.

[GenevaSaint]

Don't ever vote Tory, you will hate yourself three years down the line.

 

Hey I agree, but I feel despair at the benefits systems in the UK that makes it better to stay on benefits rather than get a job. I work hard, pay taxes and all I see if people sponging off society, at the same time before my dad passed away he really was disabled but had to justify his DLA regularly. All that said, if my dad thought I was voting Tory he'd have never spoken to me again.

 

I personally know someone on DLA who rides a bloody moto cross bike and painted his house in 2 days, but gets about £3000 per month in benefits and housing costs for his family. That's the equivalent of about 50k per year for Joe Public, that's **** and he's just had another kid taking the total to 4. That's **** and totally wrong. His wife had her first kid at 15 and had never worked (officially) in her life.

 

So for every Labour policy I applaud such as bringing people out of poverty, working tax credits , minimum wage etc there are the leeches on society who bleed us all dry.

[GenevaSaint]

To be fair, there will always be people from ****ty countries willing to do ****ty jobs for less money.

 

But the workshy tossers should be made to take these jobs. Nothing should be below anyone on JSA.

[benjii]

Hey I agree, but I feel despair at the benefits systems in the UK that makes it better to stay on benefits rather than get a job. I work hard, pay taxes and all I see if people sponging off society, at the same time before my dad passed away he really was disabled but had to justify his DLA regularly. All that said, if my dad thought I was voting Tory he'd have never spoken to me again.

 

I personally know someone on DLA who rides a bloody moto cross bike and painted his house in 2 days, but gets about £3000 per month in benefits and housing costs for his family. That's the equivalent of about 50k per year for Joe Public, that's **** and he's just had another kid taking the total to 4. That's **** and totally wrong. His wife had her first kid at 15 and had never worked (officially) in her life.

 

So for every Labour policy I applaud such as bringing people out of poverty, working tax credits , minimum wage etc there are the leeches on society who bleed us all dry.

 

Please shop them.

[dubai_phil]

To be fair, there will always be people from ****ty countries willing to do ****ty jobs for less money.

 

That would be correct and a touch humourous except for one critical issue...

 

"Less well off" countries spend a lot of time and money training their health care professionals only to lose them to Europe for what are actually far higher salaries than they coudl get at home.

 

4 pound an hour is a lot of money compared to the salaries a Filipono nurse could earn at home, even IF she is just cleaning the place.

 

Down here we had real problems a few years back with staff shortages at hospitals especially in critical care units. They'd all gone over there.... which rather screwed the tourists up when they used to all come over here....

[Arizona]

I have never said I should pay less tax. I have been talking about the poorest in society, those living on the minimum wage, who earn about £11,000 a year. Those are the tax levels that need reducing. We should do it by raising the allowance on which people don't pay tax from the current £6,700, to about £10,000. This would take millions of our lowest earners (not me!), out of tax altogether, putting £700 back in their pockets.

 

We should close some of the tax loopholes that the super-rich enjoy, and we should change Council tax to a Local Income Tax, so that it is a fair not arbitrary taxation. I don't believe that is communist, I believe that is fair. In no way would it mean the rich end up taking home the same amount of money as the poorest - that is far from fair either.

 

There are 28.9m million workers in the UK, as of July 2009. Of which only 2.6m earn less thatn £7k a year.

 

20% of £3,300 (The difference between £6,700 and £10,000) for 26.3 million people (Those earning more than the current tax free threshold) gives the UK a net tax deficite of £17.4bn

 

Under your scheme, those "super-rich" (1.1 million people earning over £200k) would have to fork out, on average £15.8m each per year to make up for the deficite alone. Out of those, only 6 thousand earn over £1m a year. Closing the tax loop holes used by less than 2% (earners over £200k) of the population wont even scratch the surface of £17.4bn.

 

And to cap it off, the 2.6 lowest earners in the UK get no benefit what-so-ever.

[Saint George]

A serious question. Of those who are able to work, but will not, what percentage do you think would make a complete mess of working and become unemployable? Also, what percentage would never get a job in the first place through being sifted out at interview as unsuitable (either through indolence or plain unemployable e.g. a waste of the employers time and effort)?

 

I'm not asking how we'd make them work by the way!

 

That's easy....just do as we do here...Limit unemployment benefit to 78 weeks...When its gone its gone. After that you're going to have to start selling what you own and cashing in your pension etc......The idle wasters will be more than happy to make the most of the first job they can at that point...problem solved.

 

The British Nanny system is laughable that so many peeps are better off on 'Long Term' unemployment benefit, paid for by the ever shrinking tax base....than they are working.......Its so ingrained into the Nanny State culture that its now just completely accepted as the norm...amazing......

 

Is there anyone left over there capable of living their life without the aid of Government bed pans and crutches?

[EastleighSoulBoy]

That's easy....just do as we do here...Limit unemployment benefit to 78 weeks...When its gone its gone. After that you're going to have to start selling what you own and cashing in your pension etc......The idle wasters will be more than happy to make the most of the first job they can at that point...problem solved.

 

The British Nanny system is laughable that so many peeps are better off on 'Long Term' unemployment benefit, paid for by the ever shrinking tax base....than they are working.......Its so ingrained into the Nanny State culture that its now just completely accepted as the norm...amazing......

 

Is there anyone left over there capable of living their life without the aid of Government bed pans and crutches?

 

Are you a politician? You didn't answer my question but did answer the one I clearly stated I wasn't asking.

 

Surely, discounting any sick or DLA claimants, there must be figures for those claiming long term?

[bug187]

How depressing. I don't like Brown really but I'll be voting labour to try keep the Tories out. Thats a simplistic representation of my views lol. I dont think theres a party left wing liberal enough for me to vote for.

[Verbal]

How depressing. I don't like Brown really but I'll be voting labour to try keep the Tories out. Thats a simplistic representation of my views lol. I dont think theres a party left wing liberal enough for me to vote for.

 

Unfortunately you won't be able to stop the Tories from winning, but the next election will see the end of Brown.

[bungle]

I personally know someone on DLA who rides a bloody moto cross bike and painted his house in 2 days, but gets about £3000 per month in benefits and housing costs for his family. That's the equivalent of about 50k per year for Joe Public, that's **** and he's just had another kid taking the total to 4. That's **** and totally wrong. His wife had her first kid at 15 and had never worked (officially) in her life.

 

While obviously this is wrong (if true), the money spent by the state her is a mere drop in the ocean compared to the tax loopholes exploited by big business and the super-rich.

[Clapham Saint]

While obviously this is wrong (if true), the money spent by the state her is a mere drop in the ocean compared to the tax loopholes exploited by big business and the super-rich.

 

Not wishing to condone anything here, however as I have said before the number of people using tax schemes to reduce their tax burden is very very small.

 

There are also rules to ensure that all "tax schemes" have to be pre-approved by HMRC and so the implication that all "better off" people are seeking to screw the system really isn't true.

 

Corporations... are harder to defend.

 

Comparing the figures for the cost of funding those who are on long term benefit and will never pay into the system at all to the tax revenue lost to people "expoiting loopholes" (both of which are obviously wrong) would be interesting.

[Fuengirola Saint]

Hey I agree, but I feel despair at the benefits systems in the UK that makes it better to stay on benefits rather than get a job. I work hard, pay taxes and all I see if people sponging off society, at the same time before my dad passed away he really was disabled but had to justify his DLA regularly. All that said, if my dad thought I was voting Tory he'd have never spoken to me again.

 

I personally know someone on DLA who rides a bloody moto cross bike and painted his house in 2 days, but gets about £3000 per month in benefits and housing costs for his family. That's the equivalent of about 50k per year for Joe Public, that's **** and he's just had another kid taking the total to 4. That's **** and totally wrong. His wife had her first kid at 15 and had never worked (officially) in her life.

 

So for every Labour policy I applaud such as bringing people out of poverty, working tax credits , minimum wage etc there are the leeches on society who bleed us all dry.

 

 

I agree about the people taking the ****, over here i think you get a years benefit then thats it!I suppose that would focus the mind on getting a job but what really gets to me is that we are here debating the people on unemployment pay when the real cause of the problems that we have now are the bankers and this wonderful capitalist system. The same capitalist system that doesn't work without government bailouts.

[benjii]

I agree about the people taking the ****, over here i think you get a years benefit then thats it!I suppose that would focus the mind on getting a job but what really gets to me is that we are here debating the people on unemployment pay when the real cause of the problems that we have now are the bankers and this wonderful capitalist system. The same capitalist system that doesn't work without government bailouts.

 

It's a separate issue though.

 

I disapprove of state-spongers whether we are in a recession or a period of prosperity. Nothing to do with the merits or otherwise of global financial institutions or capitalism.

[bungle]

It's a separate issue though.

 

I disapprove of state-spongers whether we are in a recession or a period of prosperity. Nothing to do with the merits or otherwise of global financial institutions or capitalism.

 

It's not totally seperate. Mao Cap's post was spot on.

 

It is quite something that during a recession caused by laissez-faire capitalism, which the Tories would support, where the government had to bail out the banks due to the greed and arrogance of the bankers (most of whom still have loads of money), that the political debate now has been to try test everyone on incapacity benefit to make sure they shouldn't be on JSA (something Labour have already announced by the way), and forcing those on JSA into jobs which clearly don't exist at the moment.

[GenevaSaint]

While obviously this is wrong (if true), the money spent by the state her is a mere drop in the ocean compared to the tax loopholes exploited by big business and the super-rich.

 

Unfortunately very true. I've no reason to lie, I personally know this fella and am god parent (hey, I couldn't say no!) to one of his children.

 

I don't deny that there are tax loopholes, but the rot has to stop somewhere. It's far easier to control the individual slackers rather than large businesses or mega rich individuals. Maybe if our corporate/personal tax system wasn't so expensive some of these companies wouldn't feel the need to offshore.

 

These tax loopholes will never be closed IMO.

[Johnny Bognor]

the real cause of the problems that we have now are the bankers and this wonderful capitalist system. The same capitalist system that doesn't work without government bailouts.

 

It is quite something that during a recession caused by laissez-faire capitalism, which the Tories would support, where the government had to bail out the banks due to the greed and arrogance of the bankers

 

Listening to you two, it sounds as if Gordon gets off scott free.

 

Capitalism is not perfect....never has been. However, at the end of the day there is no better alternative. It creates more wealth than any other system and therefore makes more available for distribution.

 

As for picking up the peices, had Clown not blown his economic legacy, he could have bailed out the banks with the money he kept for a rainy day.....but instead he has had to borrow the money to bail them out which makes matters even worse. Brown is/was part of the problem and is guilty as the bankers as far as I am concerned.

 

He was happy to let the debt fuelled boom continue as long as there was a feel good factor that kept the electorate happy. If anything, Labour bought the last election through turning a blind eye and allowing the **** to hit the fan. Yes it has affected everybody, but the UK is feeling it the most. Thanks Gordon, you moron.

[Clapham Saint]

Listening to you two, it sounds as if Gordon gets off scott free.

 

Capitalism is not perfect....never has been. However, at the end of the day there is no better alternative. It creates more wealth than any other system and therefore makes more available for distribution.

 

As for picking up the peices, had Clown not blown his economic legacy, he could have bailed out the banks with the money he kept for a rainy day.....but instead he has had to borrow the money to bail them out which makes matters even worse. Brown is/was part of the problem and is guilty as the bankers as far as I am concerned.

 

He was happy to let the debt fuelled boom continue as long as there was a feel good factor that kept the electorate happy. If anything, Labour bought the last election through turning a blind eye and allowing the **** to hit the fan. Yes it has affected everybody, but the UK is feeling it the most. Thanks Gordon, you moron.

 

Not only did he not put money aside for the inevitable rainy day he continued to borrow during the boom years leaving us even more fooked now.

 

I'm not claiming that this or that person would have prevented the recession but "Iron chancellor", "prudent investment" and "no more boom and bust" my hairy a rse!

[Gingeletiss]

Not only did he not put money aside for the inevitable rainy day he continued to borrow during the boom years leaving us even more fooked now.

 

I'm not claiming that this or that person would have prevented the recession but "Iron chancellor", "prudent investment" and "no more boom and bust" my hairy a rse!

 

 

Gold prices are at an all time high............ask Gord where our gold reserves are??, at the same time, ask him what his plans are, regarding our ever dwindling pension fund, is it true that Europe has it's eye on it Gord???

[Clapham Saint]

Gold prices are at an all time high............ask Gord where our gold reserves are??, at the same time, ask him what his plans are, regarding our ever dwindling pension fund, is it true that Europe has it's eye on it Gord???

 

If we had the gold to sell we wouldn't need to sell of the student loans etc...

 

Rock f**king bottom prices.

 

He truely does have the financial knowledge to lead us out of this mess.

[badgerx16]

He truely does have the financial knowledge to lead us out of this mess.

Problem is, does George Osborne have it ?

[Clapham Saint]

Problem is, does George Osborne have it ?

 

A very good question. I have no idea.

[Fuengirola Saint]

Gold prices are at an all time high............ask Gord where our gold reserves are??, at the same time, ask him what his plans are, regarding our ever dwindling pension fund, is it true that Europe has it's eye on it Gord???

 

Didn't he buy Euro's with the money from the gold? I think the rate was around 1.50 to the pound then, now it's about 1.08 so he hasn't lost all the money then. Not sure what the amounts were though

[benjii]

It's not totally seperate. Mao Cap's post was spot on.

 

It is quite something that during a recession caused by laissez-faire capitalism, which the Tories would support, where the government had to bail out the banks due to the greed and arrogance of the bankers (most of whom still have loads of money), that the political debate now has been to try test everyone on incapacity benefit to make sure they shouldn't be on JSA (something Labour have already announced by the way), and forcing those on JSA into jobs which clearly don't exist at the moment.

 

Well that is a question of political "science" or political movement, Realpolitik, if you will. But the substantive point I made is quite true.

 

Getting spongers off the sponge is as valid in a downturn as it is in an upturn.

 

Now, you may call a focus on that issue to be maneouvering or whetever but as far as the two major parties are concerned there is no debate to be had about capitalism at large. No one, apart from some raving loonies, accepts that there is a debate to be had on this point in the Western World. As far as the Western World is concerned, there is no battle of ideas any more. It's over. Capitalism won.

 

Well done for summing up a complex problem with the extremely illuminating and pithy, "greed and arrogance" as well, by the way. Clearly greed and arrogance could never flourish in Cuba or Russia and is only the preserve of uber-capitalist bankers. No?

[Gingeletiss]

Didn't he buy Euro's with the money from the gold? I think the rate was around 1.50 to the pound then, now it's about 1.08 so he hasn't lost all the money then. Not sure what the amounts were though

 

Lol.........there's a good plan, increase the value of the Euro, a monetry unit that had zilch future, until Gord, Blair, and their Euro pals, forced it to live, and haven't they done a good job!!!!!..........has it benifited us, or Europe???

[Gingeletiss]

Bungle......you have an issue with Capitalism, so name a system that you see as haven worked.......because sure as sh1t smells, Socialisum didn't/doesn't!!!!

[bungle]

Well that is a question of political "science" or political movement, Realpolitik, if you will. But the substantive point I made is quite true.

 

Getting spongers off the sponge is as valid in a downturn as it is in an upturn.

 

Now, you may call a focus on that issue to be maneouvering or whetever but as far as the two major parties are concerned there is no debate to be had about capitalism at large. No one, apart from some raving loonies, accepts that there is a debate to be had on this point in the Western World. As far as the Western World is concerned, there is no battle of ideas any more. It's over. Capitalism won.

 

Well done for summing up a complex problem with the extremely illuminating and pithy, "greed and arrogance" as well, by the way. Clearly greed and arrogance could never flourish in Cuba or Russia and is only the preserve of uber-capitalist bankers. No?

 

I'm glad that you feel our bankers should be let off scot free. Let's let them get on with risking all our money all over again, then we'll just bail them out and blame the poor. Believe it or not, you can have regulation of the financial industry in a capitalist system. You and gingeletiss may think everything is black and white, but it isn't. You can have a largely capitalist society with appropriate government intervention. I don't think the banks should be allowed to go back to behaving how they were.

[Special K]

I'm glad that you feel our bankers should be let off scot free. Let's let them get on with risking all our money all over again, then we'll just bail them out and blame the poor. Believe it or not, you can have regulation of the financial industry in a capitalist system. You and gingeletiss may think everything is black and white, but it isn't. You can have a largely capitalist society with appropriate government intervention. I don't think the banks should be allowed to go back to behaving how they were.

 

You sure you're a Lib Dem and not one of those scallies flogging the Socialist Worker outside West Quay on a saturday?

[Deppo]

You sure you're a Lib Dem and not one of those scallies flogging the Socialist Worker outside West Quay on a saturday?

 

Don't try that old trick of painting common sense as loony leftie socialism.

[Mao Cap]

Listening to you two, it sounds as if Gordon gets off scott free.

 

Capitalism is not perfect....never has been. However, at the end of the day there is no better alternative. It creates more wealth than any other system and therefore makes more available for distribution.

 

As for picking up the peices, had Clown not blown his economic legacy, he could have bailed out the banks with the money he kept for a rainy day.....but instead he has had to borrow the money to bail them out which makes matters even worse. Brown is/was part of the problem and is guilty as the bankers as far as I am concerned.

 

He was happy to let the debt fuelled boom continue as long as there was a feel good factor that kept the electorate happy. If anything, Labour bought the last election through turning a blind eye and allowing the **** to hit the fan. Yes it has affected everybody, but the UK is feeling it the most. Thanks Gordon, you moron.

 

What about Iceland? Ireland? Spain? the US itself?

 

Also, the main concern of right-wing commentators when the whole crisis started with the Bear Stearns hedge funds back in 2007 (I know, because I read most of their articles for work) was ridiculing any suggestion that more stringent regulation should be imposed on these dodgy financial innovations which were messing everything up.

 

Later, their main concern was that Northern Rock, Bradford & Bingley, RBS, Lloyds et. al. did not receive government assistance, even if it meant the entire economic system collapsing, huge numbers of completely blameless people losing their savings, etc.

 

Right-wing monetarists have been completely in the wrong at every stage of the financial crisis. The government may have f*cked up in the first place (although, of course, they have lasted in government as long as they have done by keeping the over-mighty finance industry sweet so really had no choice but to let them do what they wanted), but if the Conservatives had won the 2005 election then, well, God knows. We certainly wouldn't be arguing about it on the internet, we'd be on a hunger march or some sh*t. Well, I would

[Mao Cap]

Bugger, I bolded the wrong thing.

[Johnny Bognor]

Bugger, I bolded the wrong thing.

 

If you like to tell me which bit you were supposed to bold, I could then read your reply in the right context and then perhaps provide a response.

[benjii]

I'm glad that you feel our bankers should be let off scot free. Let's let them get on with risking all our money all over again, then we'll just bail them out and blame the poor. Believe it or not, you can have regulation of the financial industry in a capitalist system. You and gingeletiss may think everything is black and white, but it isn't. You can have a largely capitalist society with appropriate government intervention. I don't think the banks should be allowed to go back to behaving how they were.

 

Why have you replied to my post by countering a bunch of views I didn't express in it?

[Wilko]

I think the main point here is to emphasise that arguing for greater regulation of the capitalist system does not make you a communist, nor even a socialist.

 

Even Hayek, a philosopher often held up as one of the right's greatest thinkers, admitted in The Road to Serfdom that a 'certain amount of socialism' was needed. Does that make him a communist? I would think not.

 

Finally, to those who that capitalism provides us all with endless amounts of wealth, you need to understand that unregulated markets do not lead to a better society, they lead to a greater division between the rich and the poor.

 

Aside from all this, money and stuff will not make people more happy. The chances are that all the stuff and your quest to get it will make you stressed. Once you get the stuff you want, something else will come along and you'll want that instead. Capitalism is based on this human weakness, which is why it will always be flawed.

[Fuengirola Saint]

Lol.........there's a good plan, increase the value of the Euro, a monetry unit that had zilch future, until Gord, Blair, and their Euro pals, forced it to live, and haven't they done a good job!!!!!..........has it benifited us, or Europe???

 

What the hell has that diatribe got to do with what i was talking about, he/they obviously thought the Euro had a future as do a lot of countries that are thinking of using it as the reserve currency instead of the dollar. Before anybody calls me for defending the Euro, i couldn't give a T o s s about the £ v € debate.

[Mao Cap]

If you like to tell me which bit you were supposed to bold, I could then read your reply in the right context and then perhaps provide a response.

 

The bit about Britain having the worst of the financial crisis.

 

I will have to go quiet though, as this is my third post...I would pay the fiver but you know, I can't afford unsustainable spending programmes aimed at sponging internet forums, etc.

[AndyNorthernSaints]

What have the Tories ever done solely for the working class?

[Arizona]

If the govt (whichever one) wants to make a bit of cash, all they need to do is legalise drug (the lot of them) and then stick the mother of taxes on that. Would solve a whole world of problems.

[Johnny Bognor]

The bit about Britain having the worst of the financial crisis.

 

I will have to go quiet though, as this is my third post...I would pay the fiver but you know, I can't afford unsustainable spending programmes aimed at sponging internet forums, etc.

 

 

Sorry, I meant worst prepared and as such we will be feeling the pain a lot longer. Ireland, Iceland and Spain aren't in the G20 so are not really comparable. France and Germany, who are the most realistic comparable economies are already out of recession whilst there is no guarantee that Q3 showed any growth in UK GDP.

[badgerx16]

I think the main point here is to emphasise that arguing for greater regulation of the capitalist system does not make you a communist, nor even a socialist.

 

Even Hayek, a philosopher often held up as one of the right's greatest thinkers, admitted in The Road to Serfdom that a 'certain amount of socialism' was needed. Does that make him a communist? I would think not.

 

Finally, to those who that capitalism provides us all with endless amounts of wealth, you need to understand that unregulated markets do not lead to a better society, they lead to a greater division between the rich and the poor.

 

Aside from all this, money and stuff will not make people more happy. The chances are that all the stuff and your quest to get it will make you stressed. Once you get the stuff you want, something else will come along and you'll want that instead. Capitalism is based on this human weakness, which is why it will always be flawed.

 

Now this truly IS a good post !! :smt041:smt041:smt041

[JackanorySFC]

What have the Tories ever done solely for the working class?

 

Made a lot of them very (property) rich via the Right to Buy scheme.

[bungle]

Made a lot of them very (property) rich via the Right to Buy scheme.

 

Pah. That might have helped a few people at the time, but it also helped the government by removing their responsibility to look after housing.

 

It has also had a disasterous long-term effect, as we have a major lack of social/council housing in this country today.

[GenevaSaint]

Pah. That might have helped a few people at the time, but it also helped the government by removing their responsibility to look after housing.

 

It has also had a disasterous long-term effect, as we have a major lack of social/council housing in this country today.

 

It helped thousands (hundeds of thousands probably) of people at the time, unfortunately you're correct Bungle, it's left us with a housing problem going forward. Which then helps those who could afford a buy to let mortgage as the council pay to house people in private houses, which makes "rich" people richer, which drives the housing price boom and we all now painfully know where that leads......

 

PS. I put rich in quotes because I'm not sure what you'd call rich. I don't call myself rich but I could have afford a buy to let mortgage if I'd have fancied the risk.