spindoc & mhaze

You are exactly the sort of people Karl Popper was referring to!

The Forum chorus: "Karl who?"

mhaze,

No-one is claiming that the parlous state of Britain's economy didn't need addressing when Thatcher came to power.

But let's not pretend that the "turnaround" was all realised by throwing people out of work (have you got a figure for Britain's modern day coal imports?)and making it easier for council tenants to become "house owners".

Thatcherism rode on the back of the North Sea Oil boom, which allowed her to implement her neo-liberal agenda with such gusto.

http://www.insidehousing.co.uk/tenancies/social-landlords-reflect-on-thatcher%E2%80%99s-legacy/6526486.article

Interesting graph on Thatcher's housing record and its wash-up in the modern era....housing crisis anyone?

Notwithstanding the pic at the top of the article - (which I don't necessarily support) - here's an article about the call for compassion and respect for the "conviction" of a woman (and her government) who made a habit of not practicing that particular virtue when at the height their powers.

http://www.independent.co.uk/voices/comment/mark-steel-you-cant-just-shut-us-up-now-that-margaret-thatchers-dead-8568785.html

Poirot,

But who the *bleep* is 'socialhousing.uk'? Could be anyone.

You need not go to the UK to find an example of the privatisation of welfare housing when Australia is arguably one of the world's best examples.

Both sides of government are responsible but the Hawke and Keating Labor government kicked it off and Gillard's Labor government continues merrily on the path of expecting the private sector to provide welfare housing. Some do well though, an example being those who arrive are paying a people smuggler. They get priority. As do indigenous, who can afford to trash theirs. Plenty more millions where those came from, Bro.

What adds a very sharp edge to housing in Australia are two things:

first, there has been unrelenting pressure on home prices from the demand caused by over-exuberant immigration. Australia has had record immigration numbers for decades and federal governments boast of it as though it is a virtue! A 'Big Australia' anyone?

second, because the demand for housing constantly outstrips the supply of properly trained building trades and building supplies, the costs of building (and the corner-cutting producing defective buildings) escalate even more; and

thirdly, prime small crops and dairy lands on creek and river floodplains are being drained and used for housing for the overflow from cities, decreasing the availability of food and requiring irrigation elsewhere.

Since the victim industries and multiculturalism got going under Whitlam, the federal government never has enough money for those services it used to supply.

However it is also true that government finds welfare housing too awkward and expensive for it to manage, so government is intent of passing the buck anyhow.

Make that three things...

Back to organising subbies. Only women can multi-task. Or at least only women make no errors while multi-tasking. LOL

"If you want something said, ask a man;
if you want something done,
ask a woman."
(Margaret Thatcher).