Record Recession figures are finally in -20.4%
- Thread starter Chris F
- Start date
Get rid of the need for planning permission to build houses, its only a government subsidy after all
- Location
- Cheltenham
It could well be they’ve “edited” it a bit!
Planning permission is needed as it in theory ensures that the local infrastructure, water supply, environment, ammenties etc.. can support it.
Stops shanty towns.
With all due respects, you aren’t falling for this “green plot”, so oft highlighted on here by @wanton dwarf . His proposal I’m sure meets with widespread acclaim and approval, where he proposes shutting down most third level colleges and universities. Then his theory goes, the coal mines should be reopened, and the strapping young men of Britain who would otherwise be in college, would don their miners hat and stuff a ham sarnie in their pockets, and go down the hole for their daily fourteen hour shift.
The masses of coal produced would then be used to fire up the reopened steel mills, and the sound of industry would ring cheerily over the hills and dales of the Black Country and beyond.
The redoubtable @wanton dwarf never did get around to saying what exactly the young ladies of Britain now displaced from college would be doing. Perhaps he had picking veggies in the early morning light, to feed the virile men in the coal mines and steel mills.
JD 6610
Member
- Location
- North Herts
Last winter I carried out the research for a book which discussed our (UK) negative legacies of the economy, climate change, loss of biodiversity and wellbeing. All are linked. It went right back to base data - not anyone’s spin or view. What it revealed did not make comfortable reading (I did lighten it up a lot with plenty of self deprecating and viewing things from a farmer’s perspective). It was clear that the across the board levels of debt meant that things were going to go bang soon. Covid 19 just determined the timing. There were lots of findings but as far as housing is concerned we don’t need new planning permission for any new houses - we just need to better utilise the underused properties we already have and bring more up to a decent standard. There are thousands of approved consents that the builders are just sitting on. The greenfield ones should be ditched and town centre ones progressed if needed. We also need to take a look at the occasional holiday homes that contribute little socially and economically. Our kids need those homes.
Whatever we were doing pre-Covid didn’t really work other than for the fact that social unrest was minimal. The rest we have pretty well messed up. I won’t bore any further but the conclusions included, we need to waste less, stop abusing the NHS by abusing ourselves and therefore put less money into it, stop road building except for safety schemes and cut down being busy fools. Improve our shocking productivity and stop trying convince ourselves and others that because we are busy we are productive. Crack on and go home to spend quality time with our kids, family and friends - the mental health savings to the country are enormous. Electric cars don’t stack up - yet. Driving less does. Looking at the four issues together we need to be really careful about how infrastructure money is spent. As I say a lot doesn’t make easy reading but some people’s gut tells them that if we carry on doing what we did we will get what we always got and the truth is we have milked it at the expense of those that follow. I’ll stop - I have bored you now.
Whatever we were doing pre-Covid didn’t really work other than for the fact that social unrest was minimal. The rest we have pretty well messed up. I won’t bore any further but the conclusions included, we need to waste less, stop abusing the NHS by abusing ourselves and therefore put less money into it, stop road building except for safety schemes and cut down being busy fools. Improve our shocking productivity and stop trying convince ourselves and others that because we are busy we are productive. Crack on and go home to spend quality time with our kids, family and friends - the mental health savings to the country are enormous. Electric cars don’t stack up - yet. Driving less does. Looking at the four issues together we need to be really careful about how infrastructure money is spent. As I say a lot doesn’t make easy reading but some people’s gut tells them that if we carry on doing what we did we will get what we always got and the truth is we have milked it at the expense of those that follow. I’ll stop - I have bored you now.
We might need more concrete roads if there are more consistent 40c weather in the UK as tarmac will start to melt. that'll cost a lot
oil barron
Member
- Location
- Aberdeenshire
45deg here, and the Tarmac is fine.
Hindsight
Member
- Location
- Lincolnshire
The third quarter data and figures is the more important. The second quarter was always bound to be disastrous. But if the third quarter is not good then that may well indicate the die is cast. Time will tell.
Thank you. My daughter is a freelance self employed stage manager who has not worked since early March when her show was stopped overnight - and is unlikely to be back working properly until sometime next year.
Cheap labour for me though
Remainers are beside themselves. The next recession was all going to be the fault of Brexit. They had their carefully crafted I told you so posts all ready to go and everything. Damn you Covid !!!
wanton dwarf
Member
Doesn't this reduction in economic activity fit very nicely with HMG's policies on "Climate Change" ?
A complete reduction in CO2 output ... funny though how HMG has just realised that a lack of car, train and lorry movements leads to a lack of tax revenue.
Still I doubt very much that "Climate Change" policy will change .. we're in for a very, very long recession until people realise those in power are still being paid their wages at full rate.
wanton dwarf
Member
But the commute isn't needed ?!?
Cities are not sustainable .. the UK needs a massive internet upgrade, local working and local manufacture.
ollie989898
Member
Yeah, companies will love remote working. The sooner they get jobs organised to operate like that, they can use people sat at home to do the work- in India.
Just means all brexit related damage will just be excused as covid.
From my experience, not so much - companies in the IT software engineering sector tried that, realised it produced worse quality products and ended up being more expensive than if they stayed here.
I live in an area where 50% or more of houses in some villages are holiday homes or lets. The locals moan like hell because they cannot afford to get on the ladder, the schools are dying through lack of numbers but apart from a bit of fishing tourism is the only industry. I deliberately missed off agriculture but sadly it now employs very few compared with only a very few years ago. Most of the Norfolk winter vegetable growers are now gone, there are few livestock other than flying flocks of sheep, sugar beet harvest is mainly contracted out and the rest is cereals and rape.
Therefore housing is an essential input in the tourist industry, the only industry that supports a dwindling local population.
ollie989898
Member
Second homes as holiday lets need to be taxed to fudge. It's a bloody con that did the council out of a lot of tax.
What about that big juicy turkey that could be plucked? I'm talking about internet usage, video gaming, hd movie streaming etc. Get some of the population off the couch at the same time. Surely that's a low hanging fruit!
- Location
- Limousin
I take it we are not taking Aberdeen. Last yer we had a number of days at around 40 deg C I had to stop leading straw on one of them as the tractor was lifting the road surface on one section of the road.