Ex Lion Tamer

Why is it a crap idea?

Rents will be allowed to increase with inflation within the three years, and students will be able to agree one year contacts. See the link I posted earlier

Clearly that will need to be worked out and regulated. It's not that hard - we already have the tenancy deposit scheme which ensures that landlords can't deduct from deposits unless they have a good reason to (an excellent labour policy that has made a massive difference to tenant rights)

The default tenancy would be three years. These would start with a six month probation period. Tenants would be able to terminate contracts with at least one month notice as they can now while landlords would be able to terminate contracts with two months’ notice only if they can have good reason – not simply to put rents up. There would also be provision for new tenants like students or business people on temporary contracts to request shorter-term tenancies subject to the landlord’s agreement. http://press.labour.org.uk/post/117361995039/labours-plan-to-give-generation-rent-a-better-and

OK, well I think landlords probably will up the rent from the off to make up for not being able to do so later on. But at least the tenant has the security of knowing what they'll be paying for the next three years

This is the thing, it's not really about bringing rents down, it's just giving people security for three years without being priced out of their own homes

Yeah , I was making a point really. It was Marr saying that which annoyed me the most today actually, him making out that because economists are against full on rent control, they are against this quite moderate policy. Tim Montgomerie was also teaming up with the tory press office on twitter to make this deception

Do you have a link? If true if be interested to have a read

I'm pretty disappointed that it's being portrayed as some draconian price freeze. Rents levels will still be decided by the market, it's just that each property rent amount will be set every three years rather than every one year. It's not exactly hard for landlords to average their costs over three years is it? Anyone who rents in London will be saying yes yes yes to this policy, it's so grim bring forced to move every year at the landlord's say so

I was surprised to discover that a couple of my friends are planning to vote lib dem. I don't understand it, but the libs seem to retain a support base

'Most damaging of all are the insiders openly talking on social media about how Cameron wants out. Andrew Neil tweeted: “Spoke to major Tory donor tonight. ‘Tory campaign useless. Cameron’s heart not in it. Not looking good’” – to which the Conservative writer and activist Tim Montgomerie replied: “DC has wanted out for a while. He has just wanted to go out on some sort of high and hasn’t been able to find that high.”' http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2015/apr/22/tories-panicking-david-cameron-election

Funny how Ed Miliband was supposed to be the buffoon of this election

Oops http://blogs.spectator.co.uk/coffeehouse/2015/04/watch-david-cameron-bizarrely-switches-his-football-allegiance-to-west-ham/

It's this they're referring to: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-30794472

Well the coalition has made a good start in cracking down on payday loan companies, next we need to bring down house prices in London and the south East

It does feel though like a bit of a generalisation to suggest that everyone in debt considers themselves a victim, and I do personally feel that the government has a responsibility to protect people from themselves (including myself). It's also better for the economy as a whole if we keep people out of debt

Yet for some reason the public is behind public spending cuts, that's why the tories have a lead on the economy and Labour had to include a 'fiscal responsibility' statement in its manifesto?

OK I see what you mean. I agree that private debt is bad and should be discouraged, although I have some sympathy for people who don't have wealth like Mr Portillo and who make bad decisions in moments of weakness. Plus with house prices nowadays we don't really have much option but to get in loads of debt. So what is your solution to the private debt problem? How can we change the culture?

http://blogs.reuters.com/great-debate/2013/01/14/why-public-debt-is-not-like-credit-card-debt/

But national debt and personal debt are completely different things. That is your blind spot.

I remember when McGoldrick was banging them in for the reserves and was the answer to all our problems

I'm ready for the election now, bored of this campaign

Recessions apparently come in 7-10 year cycles which is pretty worrying, means we'll be due one in 2017/18 http://www.independent.co.uk/news/business/comment/hamish-mcrae/a-study-of-past-economic-cycles-suggests-that-we-arent-far-away-from-the-next-downturn-9653011.html

Fair enough to make that argument, but pretending that he wasn't invited when he actually engineered the whole situation by refusing from the outset to take part is just blatantly misleading the public

Seriously mate, don't fall for their spin. We can disagree on policy but there's no doubt that the Tories are being utterly devious on this one, as CB says