Prices of the electricity we use to charge

[Ghost1951]

Primarily a planning problem when you compare us with other countries

Four million UK homes missing due to outdated planning laws - Centre for Cities

Compared to other European countries, Britain has a backlog of millions of homes that are missing from the housing market. Building these homes is key to solving the nation's housing crisis.

www.centreforcities.org

I think there is something else which also impacts the reluctance to build massive numbers of affordable houses.

Any government which builds at the rate required to house the population at costs people can afford would need to create an over abundance of housing. This would for certain reduce the average price of a house and reduce rents. Where there is a surplus of housing, prices are much lower. It is caused by basic economics. Here's the thing that all politicans facing this problem know. VOTERS would NEVER forgive any party which caused their prize asset to decline in value. Therefore - NO government will do it.

Long ago - elsewhere I was writing that government should never have invested all the vast money they did in a railway line between London and Birmingham. I can't even remember how many billions has been spent on that massive white elephant. ALL of that money should have been spent on a Macmillan style massive house building boom. Not big expensive villas, but nicely built, sensibly priced houses for sale and rent. The rental part of the portfolio ought to be bound up in trusts that mean they can NEVER EVER be sold off into the owner occupier market as happened to the ex-council houses. The so called right to buy should be repealed.

Doing as I have said here would have transformed the lives of the young.

 

[Peter.Bridge]

I think there is something else which also impacts the reluctance to build massive numbers of affordable houses.

Any government which builds at the rate required to house the population at costs people can afford would need to create an over abundance of housing. This would for certain reduce the average price of a house and reduce rents. Where there is a surplus of housing, prices are much lower. It is caused by basic economics. Here's the thing that all politicans facing this problem know. VOTERS would NEVER forgive any party which caused their prize asset to decline in value. Therefore - NO government will do it.

Long ago - elsewhere I was writing that government should never have invested all the vast money they did in a railway line between London and Birmingham. I can't even remember how many billions has been spent on that massive white elephant. ALL of that money should have been spent on a Macmillan style massive house building boom. Not big expensive villas, but nicely built, sensibly priced houses for sale and rent. The rental part of the portfolio ought to be bound up in trusts that mean they can NEVER EVER be sold off into the owner occupier market as happened to the ex-council houses. The so called right to buy should be repealed.

Doing as I have said here would have transformed the lives of the young.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-68849078 - we shall see !

 

[flecc]

You are also making the understandable but fatal mistake of thinking that Reform voters would have voted Tory - that is not borne out by the facts - they are as likely to vote Labour (as has been pointed out ad infinitum by pollsters but nobody listens)

But PR would obviate that in this election:

Conservative plus Reform UK, 246 seats.

Labour, 221 seats.

Nor would Lib Dem voters necessarilyvote for Labour, most Lib Dem gains came from the Conservatives.
.

 

[Nealh]

Baby boomers/gen z and the previous generations worked for what they have , it is th later generations who think the world owes them a living.

I'm a boomer started work at 11 with a paper round 7 days a week until I was 15, whilst still 15 I started my adult work life in the buildings trades and was never out of work. 34 years later I was made redundant so retitred form the buildings trade and entered in to retail and a part time driving job until now. Soon I shall retire from that due to a hereditary condition I have and am due major surgery next month, I have another p/t job lined up with much lighter duties and shall fully reitre likely in four years time.

Younger gens of today don't know what it is like to go without, they haven't grown up with the fuel shortages of the 70's or the various industry strikes that crippled communities and led folks to the loan sharks.
Today youth fritter away all their money like theirs no tomorrow and expect the world to owe them a living or can't wait for their inheritance.

 

[Ghost1951]

Baby boomers/gen z and the previous generations worked for what they have , it is th later generations who think the world owes them a living.

I'm a boomer started work at 11 with a paper round 7 days a week until I was 15, whilst still 15 I started my adult work life in the buildings trades and was never out of work. 34 years later I was made redundant so retitred form the buildings trade and entered in to retail and a part time driving job until now. Soon I shall retire from that due to a hereditary condition I have and am due major surgery next month, I have another p/t job lined up with much lighter duties and shall fully reitre likely in four years time.

Younger gens of today don't know what it is like to go without, they haven't grown up with the fuel shortages of the 70's or the various industry strikes that crippled communities and led folks to the loan sharks.
Today youth fritter away all their money like theirs no tomorrow and expect the world to owe them a living or can't wait for their inheritance.

Well said Nielh. You took the hand that was dealt you, and you held onto it come what may and made the best of it. I wish you all the best with your surgery and hope for a full restoration of your well-being. I know this though - whatever comes - you will do the best with it and you won't be whining or complaining someone else had it easier and should give you what is theirs.

 

[esuark]

Can agree with a lot of that, and even I and some of my contemporaries had to put up with criticism from some others for working/doing too much in their eyes, i.e. getting the job done. Needless to say reaping the benefits now.

 

[Ghost1951]

Patrick O'Flyn in the Spectator Magazine


Link: https://www.spectator.co.uk/article/will-the-tories-finally-get-the-message/

 

[Ghost1951]

More from the Spectator Magazine:

Nick Cohen
Why conservatives should get behind Starmer
5 July 2024, 9:29am

Link to source: https://www.spectator.co.uk/article/why-conservatives-should-get-behind-starmer/

 

[Woosh]

Even if you are a Conservative and disagree, I want to suggest that you should hope that our new Labour government succeeds. Because, if by 2029 Labour has failed, you should wonder what rough beast, its hour now come, will slouch towards Westminster to be born.

even if Starmer's government isn't a success, the bar has been set so low by the rightwingers Johnson and Truss that it's unlikely that Labour will be punished in the same way.
Tories lost big because of Farage. The next step is for Farage to own the tories the way he owns reform. Something like that has happened in the USA.

 

[lenny]

"While the letters are destroyed unread when a new prime minister takes office, there are thought to be only four options: retaliate, don’t retaliate, use your own judgment, or put your nuclear weapons under the command of the U.S. or Australia, if possible."

https://www.msn.com/en-gb/news/uknews/british-pm-s-1st-day-at-10-downing-st-will-stretch-from-nuclear-weapons-briefing-to-larry-the-cat/ar-BB1pt4t0?ocid=BingNewsBrowse


"WWIII on brink as Russia advised to 'demonstrate' nuclear explosion to 'scare' West
A prominent Russian security analyst has called for Moscow to consider lighting a "demonstrative" nuclear explosion to deter the West from further involvement in the Ukraine conflict"

WWIII on brink as Russia told to 'demonstrate' nuclear explosion to 'scare' West

A prominent Russian security analyst has called for Moscow to consider lighting a "demonstrative" nuclear explosion to deter the West from further involvement in the Ukraine conflict

www.irishstar.com

 

[lenny]

 

[lenny]

"UK housebuilder stocks rally after Labour election landslide
Keir Starmer’s party has promised to deliver 1.5mn new homes over five years"

https://www.ft.com/content/19e717c5-eceb-44b1-87a1-aee089039346

"Housebuilders rally as investors bet on Starmer’s new homes pledge"

https://www.theguardian.com/business/article/2024/jul/05/pound-stable-as-investors-digest-decisive-election-win-for-labour

 

[lenny]

"Giant international fusion project is in big trouble
ITER operations delayed to 2034, with energy-producing reactions expected 5 years later"

https://www.science.org/content/article/giant-international-fusion-project-big-trouble

 

[Woosh]

ITER may be overtaken by other technologies by the time it is switched on. It may also be best to mothball the project until after we get thorium reactor perfected.

 

[lenny]

One moment, please...

"Ants can carry out life-saving amputations on injured nest mates, study shows"

https://www.theguardian.com/science/article/2024/jul/02/ants-emergency-amputations-injured-nest-mates-study

YouTube's updated eraser tool removes copyrighted music without impacting other audio | TechCrunch

On July 4, YouTube released an updated eraser tool for creators so they can easily remove any copyrighted music from their videos without affecting any

techcrunch.com

"Volcanoes Can Affect Climate"

https://www.usgs.gov/programs/VHP/volcanoes-can-affect-climate

"Over $170 billion wiped off cryptocurrencies as market tanks on Mt. Gox bitcoin payout fears"

https://www.cnbc.com/2024/07/05/crypto-market-bloodbath-as-mt-gox-bitcoin-btc-payout-approaches.html

 

[Ghost1951]

"Giant international fusion project is in big trouble
ITER operations delayed to 2034, with energy-producing reactions expected 5 years later"

https://www.science.org/content/article/giant-international-fusion-project-big-trouble

Fusion energy is already available and easily extracted. The source of it is widely available. It works right now. It is called the sun.

 

[Ghost1951]

Last year only 30% of the total electric power generated in the uk used fossil fuel technology. Wind, solar, nuclear and wood pellets generated the rest - about 70%.

The uk for most of the year is not an ideal solar powerhouse, but southern Europe and North Africa could become the new Saudi Arabia if they could sort out the political issues which hold them back. Very high voltage DC transmission could be delivering vast amounts of electric power across the Med with only 10% losses.

It is surprising that more has not been done to utilise the vast amount of sunlight that just heats up sand in N Africa.

 

[lenny]

"International scheme to tax billionaires’ wealth technically feasible, study finds

Proposal could net up to $250bn a year in extra revenue, says report commissioned by Brazil for G20 "

https://www.theguardian.com/news/article/2024/jun/25/international-scheme-to-tax-billionaires-wealth-technically-feasible-study-finds

 

[lenny]

Climate change: Arctic 'dirty oil' ban comes into force for ships

There are many loopholes to the ban, but environmentalists see it as a crucial first step.

www.bbc.co.uk

 

[lenny]

"Scientists find desert moss ‘that can survive on Mars’"

https://www.theguardian.com/science/article/2024/jun/30/scientists-find-desert-moss-that-can-survive-on-mars