There's a tiger in my think tank

[Walsingham]

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-23273448

 

 

A third of Britain is effectively off-limits to lower-income working families because private rents are unaffordable, a new report claims.

The report comes from the Resolution Foundation, which campaigns on behalf of low to middle-income families.

It says most of southern England is now beyond the reach of less affluent households.

 

 

The BBC (may peace be upon them) frontline with this report this morning. If I ate cornflakes I would be spitting them.

 

The implication o the writers seems to be the Something Must Be Done, probably by government, to let low income families buy in the Southeast of England.

 

My own view is that there are quite correct, house prices are too high in the Southeast of England. My answer is that people in the Home Counties have to abandon their snobbish disdain for moving North. As do businesses.

 

However, my over-arching interest was piqued in the extent to which think tank research can move the media. Is this true in other members' countries?

[Rosbjerg]

Well I only really read newspapers here, but think tanks are a huge influence on media here - but mostly as an inspiration to debate. I think English media in general is very Pathos, so to speak.. I'm guessing that's due to the history of your media?

[Gorth]

Situation is similar down under. Housing is something that divides the country into have several properties and never being able to own your own home. Here the problem (IMHO) is the urbanisation, which mean a country the size of Europe has 80% of it's population living in 5 cities or some such (not sure about the exact figures but I think people get the point). Everything else is effectively empty country. Not because the land is infertile, but because people seem to have this driving urge to congregate towards each other physically.

[melkathi]

I remember my trip to Cornwall quite fondly. And not because Noel had a cold and was experimenting with turning snot into superglue by shoving used tissues against walls and willing them not to drop to the ground (the tissues; he'd probably have enjoyed the walls dropping at a mere shove. Not that that would have been impossible, but it is a different story and involves the deplorable construction of housing in Birmingham and a different cast of characters).

Strolling through St Ives on a remarkably sunny, though windy, spring day (and - as a side note to a certain other thread about Wals' shorts - rather warm day for England (I don't think Scotland ever has warm days)), it did strike me as a retreat for the rather well situated. Of course you wouldn't expect to be sold the Big Issue inside the Tate regardless of the region.

[HoonDing]

Does this mean the Essex girl will go extinct?

[Walsingham]

You make an interesting point about Oz. In fact I believe most countries have a tendency to centralise. Capital cities just attract people.

 

Centralisation was predicted to be at an end with the rise of distributed working via the net. However if anything it seems to have got worse.

 

My developed point is that it hardly seems efficient to have people spending vast sums living in one small area rather than spreading out. I mean for the price of a house in Kent people could be living a fancy sustainable green house in Yorkshire.

[PK htiw klaw eriF]

Does employment have anything to do with their desire to stay?

 

On Wals' point about TTs: Here in the US they definitely impact the news, seeing how their members are often interviewed by or work for news channels.

[Raithe]

 

 

My developed point is that it hardly seems efficient to have people spending vast sums living in one small area rather than spreading out. I mean for the price of a house in Kent people could be living a fancy sustainable green house in Yorkshire.

 

Yes, but think of the neighbours you'd have to deal with there?

[Walsingham]

 

 

 

My developed point is that it hardly seems efficient to have people spending vast sums living in one small area rather than spreading out. I mean for the price of a house in Kent people could be living a fancy sustainable green house in Yorkshire.

 

Yes, but think of the neighbours you'd have to deal with there?

 

 

Not you, for starters.

[Raithe]

 

 

 

 

Not you, for starters.

 

 

We all know most civilised life stops half an hour past the Watford Gap...