It won’t work! The housing price problem will only be solved by supply-side measures, not demand-side policies. Increase the supply of affordable housing and prices will stabilise or fall. And I happen to know a good chunk of land that would be ideal for the purpose.
Incidentally, there was a sensible piece in Deborah Orr‘s column in the Indy on Saturday (lamentably not archived online) in which Ms Orr highlighted how increasing the right to buy would help some people, but would also lead to increased "ghettoisation" of those without the means to purchase property – as if the ghettoes we have already are not bad enough.
Month: January 2005
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Nooooo!
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Flycatching
So far, they’ve been chasing this fly for about twenty minutes. Nothing has been broken. Yet. -
The unkindest cut
The kittens went to the vet this morning for a jab. £41 – hurts me more than them.
Monty is going back on Tuesday morning. I almost feel like a traitor to the gender by taking him there. Poor thing.
Still, when he is "done", he’ll be able to go outside! Yay! -
Seagulls Ska
The CD has arrived. Truly awful. But worth it. I think.
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Good news and bad
Well, the good news is that I’ve completed my tax return in time and will post it today. I was getting into a bit of a pickle, but a quick call to my accountant sorted out the problem I had and put my mind at rest – that’s what I pay him for, I guess.
The bad news is that I owe the Inland Revenue some money. Bah! If I’d got my finger out and done my return earlier, I could have had it taken from my tax code and paid in small amounts through the year. Instead, I’ll have to pay it all now. That’ll teach me.
Thankfully, PFE owes me some money, so I can jiggle funds around and cover the bill.Anyway, the moral of the story is that if you haven’t done your tax return, DROP EVERYTHING AND DO IT NOW!
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Mower update
The replacement filler cap arrived yesterday.
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Big cat story
As Hels put it before she left for work this morning, there is only one big news story today – the Invasion of the Tabby Cat.
As I was brushing my teeth before coming downstairs this morning, I could hear meowing coming from somewhere and thought that it was our neighbour’s cat outside (it certainly wasn’t Monty’s meow and Treacle isn’t terribly talkative). When I came down to the kitchen to give them their breakfast, I found two kittens hiding under the dresser and our neighbour’s very large tabby cat on the conservatory windowsill! He or she seemed more concerned with how to get out than anything else, so I opened the door and he scurried off. Monty and Treacle then set about sniffing everything in the conservatory to make sure that he had gone, whilst Hels and I cleared up the few things that had been knocked over.
Which leaves a mystery – how the hell did he get in? No windows or doors were open during the night. We have a catflap but it was and still is locked. I tried to force it but felt that it was more likely to break than yield, and I couldn’t see how such a big cat could get through it without forcing it open. Perhaps there is some secret cat portal that we have yet to discover in this house.
Either way, Monty and Treacle don’t seem too bothered by their ordeal. Monty has resumed birdwatching duties from the windowsill and Treacle is chewing my slippers. -
Waving around your fire hose
Firefighter game. I actually have waved a firehose around. Insert your own smutty remarks here.