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Apartheid arrives in Britain

I thought I had seen it all in politics. But I was clearly wrong. For I had never witnessed a 'Labour' government minister advocating prioritising "natives" over dirty foreigners when allocating affordable housing.

And Margaret Hodge has done just that.

Never mind that the move is quite probably illegal as well as morally repugnant. All these years of lies, smearing and thinly-veiled racism by the right wing press as well as the bullshit the BNP is allowed to peddle have had an effect on people who should know better.

What next? Denying hospital treatment to Johnny Foreigner until all good British people are seen? :rolleyes:
Beep boop. I'm a bot.

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    Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    I saw something about this on the news yesterday and didn't fully understand it. Aren't EU immigrants not entitled to council housing anyway? All the Poles/Latvians etc that I know live in private rented places.

    I'd quite like a council place but know that as a single person who works, I pretty much have no chance of having one. I think there should be more affordable/social housing for all sorts of people.
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    Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    I cant really see the problem in allocation on homes based on length of residence and national insurance payment, i mean why should people that have paided into the service be waiting longer then those that havent?
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    Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Unless it's changed asylum seekers aren't entitled to local authority housing (though they can get social housing through NASS - which tends to be LA housing that local authorities can't get rid off eg its poor quality, in places no-one wants to live etc). Once you have asylum or a right to stay you get local authority housing on the same basis as anyone else (based on need).

    In places such as London that basically means that only people with real deprivation issues are likely to get a house. In places up North with plenty of social housing stock empty, its generally easier (though of course popular houses and areas might have a waiting list)
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    Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    It goes two ways though. Being in the EU means we have the right to travel and work in another country such as France etc. Otherwise all the people going to Spain would have to become Spanish citizens.

    There is a shortage of social and private housing though. I dont think it should be allocated according to ethnic background or length of time spent in the UK though. The way it already is allocated - by need and then by length of time waiting - is fair enough. Unless she would prefer single british people to have homes over a roma family (I believe that was one of the groups she was pointing the finger at on telly)
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    Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    what i love is that she gives no indication to what she means by immigrant, someone who has just come here financially, normally from a commonwealth country or the EU, or someone who is a refugee or someone is waiting for a decision on their status to be made?

    until then im not saying as much as to say she does technically want apartheid, noone has more rights in this country to apply based on their nationality, but as long as they are legitimately here and their place in the queue is determined by need not want
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    Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    The most under-researched deprived group, relative to population demographics are the caucasian/white working-class in Council Estate accommodation.

    One of the main reasons the BNP are so successful in this regard is that a lot of people in this group don't feel they have a voice, or access to information about what is actually going on, I would argue.
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    Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    In a related story the Home Office (as was, whats it called now?) has been trying to deport some British nationals who look like they might be from somewhere else.

    http://www.channel4.com/news/articles/society/law_order/home+office+payout+to+uk+citizens/524347

    As for the homes issue, surely the better approach would be to just build or renovate more housing?
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    Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    I'm sorry, what? In Tyne and Wear at least, the housing provided for immigrants and asylum seekers is the housing that is rejected as being unsuitable for the homeless and residence-seeking citizens of the UK.

    It is unobjectionable in my view. They aren't seeking our "luxury" Bellview estates, they are happy to have any home... unlike your average council-house-seeker who is a UK citizen. I feel ill when confronted with the idea that they are being begrudged those hovels that no one else actually wants. Oh please.
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    Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    What's wrong with housing people according to their need?
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    Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Territt wrote: »
    I cant really see the problem in allocation on homes based on length of residence and national insurance payment, i mean why should people that have paided into the service be waiting longer then those that havent?

    Which rules out 16/17 y-o and the long-term unemployed I guess...

    How about we allocate housing on the basis of need?
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    Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    The problem is social housing in itself. It should be provided by private charity.
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    Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    toth8 wrote: »
    The problem is social housing in itself. It should be provided by private charity.

    So we should sell off all the government social housing and wait till charities pick up the slack?
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    Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Yes. And get rid of government too....
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    Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Nah... far better and easier to put all rich people against a wall, take their houses and money and distribute them amongst the less well off in our society.
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    Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    What is the competition for the most lunatic and repulsive views? you're both winners...
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    Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    I fear, Flashman, that you are taking my post more seriously than it deserves. ;)
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    Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    more social housing would be a good start, the housing sold off rightfully as right to buy, the money raised, wasn't allowed to be used to replace the housing sold, so housing developers of the past 20 years have been reluctant to increase house building as it increases their profits per house
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    Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Also very strict planning laws are now in place.

    With a greenfield site - that is, something that is forest / grassland or 'undeveloped' (agriculture counts as a development), it is the law to leave these undeveloped, because there has to be so much non developed land for developed land.

    With a brownfield site, you can obtain lanning permission subject to the councils permission and loads of other legal loopholes to jump through, but even then it is more costly than it once was. Rather than knock a dilapidated building down, compress the earth, lay some hardcore on top and use that as your foundation, you now have to remove every last inch of the rubble and lay completely new foundations. This increases the cost substantially.

    Not to mention the increase in the price of skilled labour - through a work agency I signed up for manual labour jobs get paid at £7-£8 an hour. When I was in there, there were plenty of Polish migrants signing up as they've got plenty of experience in this field. These days often (at least in my family, and others I know) going into something like carpenting etc. would be seen as not filling my potential.

    On top of that, houses now need to be built to not only the usual safety standards, but also environmental standards. What is the carbon footprint of the house? At the end of the day it all costs money, which is why in the 12 or so years I've lived where I have, in the past 5 years only two new very small but expensive housing developments have gone up. Whereas previously There would be large developments with 100+ houses all nicely priced.

    And with the uncertainty in the housing market at the moment, its not surprising most in the industry are opting either to do easy jobs for clients (extensions etc.) or getting contracts, rather than building houses from scratch.
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    Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    toth8 wrote: »
    voluntaryist

    "Voluntaryists are advocates of non-political, non-violent strategies to achieve a free society. We reject electoral politics, in theory and in practice, as incompatible with libertarian principles. Governments must cloak their actions in an aura of moral legitimacy in order to sustain their power, and political methods invariably strengthen that legitimacy. Voluntaryists seek instead to delegitimize the State through education, and we advocate withdrawal of the cooperation and tacit consent on which State power ultimately depends."

    Klintock? :)
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    Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    I wouldn't expect a free house if i left Britain, penniless and unemployed and arrived in Spain and other people shouldn't either.

    Basing allocation on length of wait AND need is a much fairer way of doing it.
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    Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Whowhere wrote: »
    I wouldn't expect a free house if i left Britain, penniless and unemployed and arrived in Spain and other people shouldn't either.

    Basing allocation on length of wait AND need is a much fairer way of doing it.

    thats current system you are put in a banding according to need ie families 1st, and with time you can move up


    and of the economic migrants ie mainly EU people, i believe since january there have only 300 people put into 'social' housing ie housing association or council
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    Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Nick Griffin: "Hodge is echoing BNP Policy"

    http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/6694191.stm

    Charming isnt it.:yeees:

    "But he added that she should also speak about the impact of immigration on health, education and unemployment"

    I hate Nick Griffin so much.
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    Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    was a thing in the evenign standard where they ask the leader of the BNP in barking&dagenham council for people who have been disadvanted by immigrants....

    1st one is a black cab driver, who owns a a brand new flatscreen TV with new leather sofas paying £160/week in private renting, the only reason they want council is cause it's cheaper than that.......

    2nd is a family where the 23 year old son cant afford to move out for the sake of his indepenence, but there simply isnt enough housing as the government hasnt built allowed more council homes to be built whilst lowering the stock from right to buy........

    3rd is a family with 5 children, who have been given a 3 bedroom house, honestly expecintg something bigger...
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    Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    To be honest, this idea doesn't actually change very much, it just sounds good to the right-wing racist loonies. Immigrants are already subject to immigration restrictions, many have "no recourse to public funds" stamped all other their documetns, and asylum seekers have few rights under homelessness legislation.

    Housing should be allocated according to need, and for the most part it already is. Most people who whinge are the ones who want a council house, but only a brand new one, and only one in the best area.
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