tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1141932539860553199.post1052954978280191962..comments2024-03-05T10:52:24.691+00:00Comments on Mark Wadsworth: If only Corbyn talked about RENTS instead of waffling on about PROFITSMark Wadsworthhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07733511175178098449noreply@blogger.comBlogger10125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1141932539860553199.post-23601887794735029332017-05-17T10:27:11.409+01:002017-05-17T10:27:11.409+01:00Dave Wetzel of Labour land Campaign, who was all o...Dave Wetzel of Labour land Campaign, who was all over the Independent website yesterday explaining LVT, (instead of MW who once was a go-to expert on the subject) was Vice chairman of TfL until chucked out for partisan political reasons by Boris Johnson, the national embarrassment. Dave's vision of LVT was that all public transport should be run on the proceeds of LVT, since without the Tube etc, London house prices and land value would slump: public transport(sans LVT) was causing house price inflation which could be tapped for good purposes.<br />I would have thought it is entirely reasonable and non-partisan to tax inflated land values and use the proceeds to finance the local railways instead of housowners keeping the proceeds as untaxed, unearned capital gains: a massive subsidy for doing fuck-all ie a bribe.<br />In the ideal situation,the train etc running companies, would be publicly owned as subsidising private companies just leads to favours, back handers and yet more corruption,DBC Reedhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17891849727783879145noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1141932539860553199.post-54316764067810733692017-05-17T08:02:38.461+01:002017-05-17T08:02:38.461+01:00Striebs, only 3 people are standing for YPP and no...Striebs, only 3 people are standing for YPP and none of them is in Wokingham.<br /><br />As to railways, some are fine* (south west, the ones to the east of London), some are OK (Virgin) and some are bastards (north east and clearly southern).<br /><br />* i.e. the cost of taking the train is roughly the same as the cost of petrol for taking the car.Mark Wadsworthhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07733511175178098449noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1141932539860553199.post-32675043745039717412017-05-17T07:27:21.507+01:002017-05-17T07:27:21.507+01:00"You might care to consider that renationalis..."You might care to consider that renationalisation of the railways is popular with commuters."<br /><br />That's probably because they think they will get the current or better service at a lower cost. However, you and I both know that any savings in commuter fares will flow straight into increased housing costs. Also, people who don't remember BR are looking at railways on the continent and thinking our railways could be like that, whereas they are much more likely to be like BR of old. As Streibs points out, it is a matter of attitude as much as funding. I well remember from my railway enthusiast days that such enthusiasm was strictly frowned upon in BR management, being something that only the workers were allowed to indulge in. For the bosses, it had to be simply another boring job.Bayardhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15211150959757982948noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1141932539860553199.post-21441336537004963242017-05-17T00:59:24.766+01:002017-05-17T00:59:24.766+01:00DBCR ,
I commuted to work for many years under Br...DBCR ,<br /><br />I commuted to work for many years under British Rail and following than many more under South West Trains .<br /><br />The service is far better under South West Trains . The station staff are helpful which was hardly ever the case under B.R. which I suppose as a nationalised industry was compelled by HMGovt to employ the unemployable .<br /><br />There wouldn't be many SWT commuters who would swap the current situation for nationalisation but long suffering Virgin Trains commuters might .<br /><br />I agree with Mark Wadsworth that it was a pity Mr Corbyn couldn't have taken to opportunity to advance the debate .<br /><br />Don't think I can vote for any of the major parties or UKIP this time . Will look for an independent or YPP standing in Wokingham .Striebshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04981262569146184293noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1141932539860553199.post-76167306237279572392017-05-16T20:54:11.014+01:002017-05-16T20:54:11.014+01:00DBC Reed,
I agree with you on this. More. It is a...DBC Reed,<br /><br />I agree with you on this. More. It is an amazing moment in my opinion. I suspect Mark had already written the above before the 'news'. We have to make LVT stick with Labour now and in the future. Is it nearing the 1910 moment? Never thought we would get that far. As you know, I had given up hope that Labour would even go down fighting. Now we have LVT lite, Tobin tax and LVT. My wife came to meet me at the station as I got back from work tonight, which was a little odd. She simply said 'its happened'! <br /><br />DBS Reed above. I assume the 'MW' is Mark above. Just in case. I am getting a new MP this time, no matter what; who will not be so close to the leadership. I knew my old MP would get me my three minutes with Corbyn when he came to our city. As you know, I asked, when my chance came, would he consider a LVT in a Labour Manifesto? It turns out Corbyn told me the plain and simple truth:'Yes, we are considering the submissions on it'. God bless him. As I assumed he was bullshitting me. Shame on me.<br /><br />I do not know who did the work, and handed in those LVT submisssions to Corbyn's team. But I would say we all owe him/her a huge debt of gratitude. And look forward to reading about it in the future. Heartfelt, thanks, whoever you are. <br /><br />DBC Reed, final thought, I notice some folks, (BJ?) here are already fighting the antis in the comments section of the Indie. We are not all kippers here :)MikeWhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15455583313857077618noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1141932539860553199.post-58925630560871797212017-05-16T19:58:38.296+01:002017-05-16T19:58:38.296+01:00Oh dear oh dear. The Labour Manifesto says "W...Oh dear oh dear. The Labour Manifesto says "We will initiate a review into reforming council tax and business rates and consider new options such as a land value tax to ensure local government funding for the long term". This is a bit of a breakthrough and not to be sniffed at: the Labour Party can hardly stick LVT straight in to the manifesto when there is such little knowledge of it generally. A review is the opportunity for the likes of MW to use his close contacts with the Labour Land Campaign of which he and John McDonnell are members to come up with a non-partisan version of LVT that will a) work b)keep the Homey voters quiet.<br />Instead we get a lot of amateurish, sub UKIP ranting , sans full-stops ,that will keep him off the invite list.<br />(You might care to consider that renationalisation of the railways is popular with commuters. Many people remember, with something like affection, the old pre-Thatcher days, when Conservative governments could successfully run mixed economies with unions, collective bargaining and nationalisation of the natural monopolies and could maintain full employment and build a motorway network and new towns.But the new right aims much lower- and still fails).<br />DBC Reedhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17891849727783879145noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1141932539860553199.post-50740677007448374072017-05-16T18:59:38.913+01:002017-05-16T18:59:38.913+01:00"The National Grid on the other hand really d..."The National Grid on the other hand really does have a monopoly as between power stations and end users, it only exists because the UK government set it up back in the 1920s and 1930s,"<br /><br />Not just the National Grid, but all the pipes, wires and aerials that make up the telephone system, the mobile phone networks and the local electricity, gas and water distribution systems. They are all much more monopolies than public transport. With public transport at least there is private transport as an option. If you want to be connected to the telephone network it's BT Openreach or nothing.<br /><br />Lola, it's better than NuLab, anyway.Bayardhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15211150959757982948noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1141932539860553199.post-6242294607879303872017-05-16T17:15:56.387+01:002017-05-16T17:15:56.387+01:00Yes yes. I know I know.
But You Know What I Mean...Yes yes. I know I know.<br /><br />But You Know What I Mean.Lolahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04586735342675041312noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1141932539860553199.post-19957949956206121392017-05-16T17:10:07.067+01:002017-05-16T17:10:07.067+01:00L, where is the party of liberty? You are part of ...L, where is the party of liberty? You are part of it.Mark Wadsworthhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07733511175178098449noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1141932539860553199.post-58973270090193334282017-05-16T16:51:39.582+01:002017-05-16T16:51:39.582+01:00A buffoon blinded by his own bigotry.
FWIW I th...A buffoon blinded by his own bigotry. <br /><br />FWIW I think it is tragic that the Labour Party has sunk to this. And the 'Progressive Alliance' is no better.<br /><br />Where is the lefty 'Party of Liberty' to challenge what looks like being the rent seeking nannying interventionist tax mad authoritarianism of Mayism?<br /><br />If only he knew it he has an open goal to hold her feet to the fire - and that is not, repeat not, by using deceitful Blairism.Lolahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04586735342675041312noreply@blogger.com