Or at least after last week’s tsunami of housing cases, it is quiet. This is good because I am a) perversely very busy, what with everyone else being on holiday, and b) behind the serene exterior of the blog, there is intense plotting and organising going on, of which much more in a few weeks days.
However my eye was caught by a news story. It appears that the great housing crash of ’08 might have yet another unexpected benefit, as buried towards the bottom of a Guardian story on stamp duty holidays was this little nugget about our own dear housing minister:
The housing minister, Caroline Flint, has also signalled she is willing to take a “totally pragmatic” view on whether councils should be allowed to build homes and keep the rental revenue.
This would be a long overdue Good Thing and at least mitigate one of the great policy disasters of the Thatcher era. Note though, they would only keep the rental revenue from new homes, so not actually putting right the wrong. But local authorities, go on and press your advantage while the government is flailing about over housing.