When Boris Johnson came to power he brought with him the power of the punditocracy. Many members of his team were current or former journalists and all of them knew how to string a sentence together.
Which makes these comments from Boris's housing advisor and former journo Richard Blakeway all the more surprising:
"London mayor Boris Johnson’s housing director has branded quality of life on social housing estates a ‘joke’.Nearly half of social tenants love their dogs more than their neighbours, Richard Blakeway told yesterday’s British Property Federation conference."
Come now Inside Housing, you're exaggerating. Surely he didn't say that?
"Quality of life is a joke. 46 percent of social tenants on estates love their dog more than their neighbour. Why? Largely because of the total absence of the market."
Okay he did say it. He's an idiot.
15 comments:
It's no great surprise is it? He did his training at Westminster Council after all.
As did his boss Simon Milton. They train them up well there I hear.
I wonder how many of the aristocracy love their dogs more than their neighbours, and whether this is on Mr. Blakeway's hit list?
Well exactly, and come to think of it, who wouldn't love their dog more than their neighbours?
I don't. My dog's a nob.
Of course I love my dogs (3) and I like my neighbours. But what more can you expect from someone who has never lived on a council housing estate.
tulip
How about that woman who lives up Windsor? Corgis in the bed and babies in the nursery with Nanny.
It's the "largely because of the total absence of the market" bit that worries me. What is he thinking?
Ah yes, I was hoping somebody would pick up on that. Apparently he wants to extend the right to buy. He also wants to decrease the percentage of social rented housing built.
Decrease the percentage of social rented housing built?
Isn't it errr, 0% at the minute.
Decrease the target I should say.
I hate my cat.
When it looks at me I can tell it's thinking "If I was half the size of you you'd be dead by now".
I DO like my neighbours though.
There is a third way.
It does go to show that the real nuts in the Johnson regime are in the policy areas, rather than executive power.
On the bright side, that means it'll take several years for them to get anywhere, so we might get away with just treading water until the grown ups arrive. Hasn't Blakeway noticed what's happened as the result of years of exorting the poor to buy their own houses? The main thing being that the poor now can't afford to buy their own houses.
An idiot amongst idiots I'm afraid.
Thatcher's right to buy has ensured that the cut-throat approach to housing has been part of the council estate.
The remaining tenants rather than owners have been the worst off by and large, with the more lucrative properties being sold off.
But Tory advisors wouldn't appreciate this as they can only see nice little earners rather than homes.
Presumably the dogs are responsible for the fall in house prices, too.
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