Sam Bowman, research director at the Adam Smith Institute, says that “rent control is a stunningly bad idea that could devastate Britain’s cities and clobber renters. To paraphrase the socialist economist Assar Lindbeck: the only thing worse for cities than rent control is bombing them.”
Labour bombing the poor?
Labour have been trawling their box of good ideas and come up with yet another wizard wheeze to lessen the dreadful impact of the ‘cost of living crisis’….no not improving the economy, or getting you a job, or spurring on exports….as usual just more ‘poverty porn’ policies that unexamined sound great for the working man…but examined the gloss soon rubs off and the grubby underbelly is exposed….and the spin…but not by the BBC.
The BBC is reporting on Labour’s rent control policy…and reports that:
The threshold would be based on an industry benchmark of average rent rises. The Royal Institute of Chartered Surveyors is currently considering what an appropriate figure would be.
This seems to be the first RICS have heard of this. A spokesperson for RICS tells Guido that rent caps “were not part of our recommendations”, that “we are not working on rent caps” and that they are not helping Labour come up with a rent cap “benchmark”. Guido understands that RICS is “looking into” what happened and has contacted Labour to ask them why this was included in the press release.
Labour ‘rent controls’ policy begins to unravel
Ed Miliband’s rent controls policy is in turmoil after an organisation that Labour claimed was helping with the plans said that it does not support the measures.
Labour claimed that the Royal Institute of Chartered Surveyors (RICS) was working to establish what the “appropriate benchmark might be”.
However, the organisation has now said that it is “not developing proposals on rent benchmarks for the private rented sector”.
“We do not recommend that a government introduce a ceiling on rent increases,” a spokesman added.
Nothing from the BBC…oh except this:
Emily Maitlis: Predatory landlords targeted
The policy hasn’t even been spoken aloud yet, but already it’s been hailed by the Tories as “Venezuelan-style rent controls”.
Interesting, that. They’d love to paint Ed Miliband as a Hugo Chavez-style communist.
But Labour knows – I suspect – that the 9m people in England living in 3.8m rented homes will probably be hanging the bunting out
Sounds like a bit of pro-Labour glee there……and ‘predatory landlords’? Or just landlords?
So the Tories are spinning against Miliband purely as an ideological, dogmatic reaction according to the BBC.
Nothing to do with the fact that most commentators say the policy just won’t work…Polly Toynbee, I’m sure, excepted.
Can’t help wondering at Maitliss’s ‘surprise’ at the Tories saying Miliband is a Commie stooge….‘Red’ Ed didn’t get his nick name for nothing, and he’s had it a long time.
The BBC seems to have a growing enthusiasm for all things Marxist and Commie recently:
The curious survival of the US Communist Party
At least one thing in that tale is the familiar sounding reluctance to mention the word ‘Communism’ by the people in the US CP whilst still practising its doctrines…..
“We try to let our work speak for us, and not make it so much about the ‘C’ word.”
Other ideologies have a similar policy……for example practising Islam but denying anything they practise actually relates to Islam….a policy defended by the BBC and the Establishment.
Should you wish to get the two parties together and ask them about this in person you have the opportunity soon:
Tour of BBC Media City
Seminar Salford, 3 Jul 2014
RICS North West Facilities Management Professional Group are hosting an evening event at the BBC in Salford Quays to hear from the BBC team on how they delivered the vision whilst retaining a consistent and quality service.
Following the presentations from both BBC and the event sponsor Whittle Programmed Painting, a tour of the amazing building at Media City will be taking place explaining what daily challenges the BBC face, and ideas the BBC Facilities Management team created when Media City was being completed.
Followed by a buffet and a chance to network with other FM professionals in the region, come and join the North West Facilities Management Professional Group on this interesting and informative tour event.
Open to members, non members and students.
Price EXcl. VAT
£6.67 for RICS members
£6.67 for non-members
If we don’t teach our children about the evils of communism/socialism/fascism/nazism/environmentalism and all the other terms used by these followers of the doctrines of hatred for mankind then we are condemning those who inhabit the world after us to learn again what it is to let defective man-made ideals determine how they live their lives.
Milibean announced this rent control ‘policy’ while apparently launching Labour’s European Election campaign. I know the EU controls everything, but I cannot see what such a policy could conceivably have to do with Europe.