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> Migration is not a new phenomenon; citing it as an excuse for the utter failure of modern housing policy is disingenuous. You say it's a failure but for thos

> Migration is not a new phenomenon; citing it as an excuse for the utter failure of modern housing policy is disingenuous. You say it's a failure but for those who own land or have tenants - including the average homeowner, it's a success. It's also a success for house builders, of course. From [1]: > In total 115 MPs across all parties are landlords, accounting for 18 per cent of the House of Commons. This compares to around three per cent of the UK adult population who are landlords. It's in their interests. On top of that, the supply is dwarfed by demand even before all that migration, which drives the "success" I outlined above, the high inward migration has kept wages low and reduced the need for the kind of large capital investment that would be needed to replace cheap labour. Again, the kind of wealthy people who are landowners benefit from this, perhaps in this instance not the average homeowner, though there was that woman on Question Time who wondered where they'd find people to make her Pret coffee[2]. The real failures here are the failure to understand the interests of all the parties involved: those with land (high migration drives demand, increases wealth and suppresses outgoings like wages and R&D), and the interests of those without (stronger negotiating position in labour market, lower demand for housing). The average Joe should oppose large scale unskilled migration with all their might, if they want a home, enough doctors, better working conditions etc. Strangely enough, the media, largely owned by very rich people or run by government aligned interests, seem to be against that. It's a mystery how so many people are called racists for being against migration levels unparalleled in history with so many deleterious effects. A total mystery. [1] https://www.landlordtoday.co.uk/breaking-news/2021/7/revealed--how-many-mps-are-landlords https://www.landlordtoday.co.uk/breaking-news/2021/7/reveale... [2] https://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/entry/bbc-question-time-pret-coffee-brexit_uk_58b91536e4b0d2821b4d0d8c https://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/entry/bbc-question-time-pre...

okeuro49 3y ago
> It's in their interests. More complicated than that. You should try reading Isabel Hardman's book "Why we get the politicians we deserve". Running for MP can bankrupt you if you haven't got a passive source of income.
- brigandish 3y ago
  > More complicated than that. You should try reading Isabel Hardman's book "Why we get the politicians we deserve". I'm left thinking "why?"
  - okeuro49 3y ago
    The book covers what is necessary economically to run to be an MP. > Running for MP can bankrupt you if you haven't got a passive source of income. MPs become landlords for the passive income that is necessary given that running to be an MP can leave you destitute. Landlords aren't (usually) becoming MPs in order to vote for more favourable conditions for landlords. Indeed, there have been many policies detrimental to landlords e.g. removal of mortgage interest income tax relief.
    - brigandish 3y ago
      Landlords don't need to become MPs in order for MPs to become landlords or for their interests to emerge as it would with any other contingent with shared interests making up 18% of sitting MPs. > Indeed, there have been many policies detrimental to landlords e.g. removal of mortgage interest income tax relief. For all we know there would have been more legislation of this kind if they hadn't been there. Aside from that, why is it that, since the majority of MPs are aligned with major parties and major parties pay for prospective MPs to run, and since MPs are remunerated well above average and have lavish expenses compared to the rest of us, that they would become bankrupt? On top of that, they can earn big money if they get into cabinet[1], and they don't even lose that much when they leave[2]: > For MPs defeated at the 2019 election, the average loss-of-office payment was £5,250 – equivalent to just under one month of their £84,000 salary. The average UK salary for that year (2019): > The Office of National Statistics has released its provisional update of the UK Average Salary 2019, showing that the average full-time salary is £36,611 and average part-time salary is £12,495. [1] https://news.sky.com/story/mps-second-jobs-why-it-pays-to-leave-the-cabinet-12484727 https://news.sky.com/story/mps-second-jobs-why-it-pays-to-le... [2] https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/mps-medals-pay-parliament-election-b2277961.html https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/mps-medals-pa... [3] https://www.findcourses.co.uk/inspiration/average-salaries-uk/average-uk-salary-2019-15395 https://www.findcourses.co.uk/inspiration/average-salaries-u...

okeuro49 3y ago

> It's in their interests. More complicated than that. You should try reading Isabel Hardman's book "Why we get the politicians we deserve". Running for MP can bankrupt you if you haven't got a passive source of income.

brigandish 3y ago
> More complicated than that. You should try reading Isabel Hardman's book "Why we get the politicians we deserve". I'm left thinking "why?"
- okeuro49 3y ago
  The book covers what is necessary economically to run to be an MP. > Running for MP can bankrupt you if you haven't got a passive source of income. MPs become landlords for the passive income that is necessary given that running to be an MP can leave you destitute. Landlords aren't (usually) becoming MPs in order to vote for more favourable conditions for landlords. Indeed, there have been many policies detrimental to landlords e.g. removal of mortgage interest income tax relief.
  - brigandish 3y ago
    Landlords don't need to become MPs in order for MPs to become landlords or for their interests to emerge as it would with any other contingent with shared interests making up 18% of sitting MPs. > Indeed, there have been many policies detrimental to landlords e.g. removal of mortgage interest income tax relief. For all we know there would have been more legislation of this kind if they hadn't been there. Aside from that, why is it that, since the majority of MPs are aligned with major parties and major parties pay for prospective MPs to run, and since MPs are remunerated well above average and have lavish expenses compared to the rest of us, that they would become bankrupt? On top of that, they can earn big money if they get into cabinet[1], and they don't even lose that much when they leave[2]: > For MPs defeated at the 2019 election, the average loss-of-office payment was £5,250 – equivalent to just under one month of their £84,000 salary. The average UK salary for that year (2019): > The Office of National Statistics has released its provisional update of the UK Average Salary 2019, showing that the average full-time salary is £36,611 and average part-time salary is £12,495. [1] https://news.sky.com/story/mps-second-jobs-why-it-pays-to-leave-the-cabinet-12484727 https://news.sky.com/story/mps-second-jobs-why-it-pays-to-le... [2] https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/mps-medals-pay-parliament-election-b2277961.html https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/mps-medals-pa... [3] https://www.findcourses.co.uk/inspiration/average-salaries-uk/average-uk-salary-2019-15395 https://www.findcourses.co.uk/inspiration/average-salaries-u...