Jeremy

Why should they put a politician in against someone who specialises in manipulating the media?

Brendan Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > I go though my life ripping my hair out on a daily basis at the disgusting way people treat one another You'll have no hair left by the age of 35. But anyway, this is supposed to be a political thread. Do you have any ideas for how to tackle the problem? It should be up your street, it's a perfect example of when a free market works against the interests of the common man.

Brendan, I am more or less in agreement with the thrust of your argument. I don't like property investment either, we have all been impacted my the huge "artificial" inflation in property prices. You're not the only one worrying how you can afford to raise a family in a reasonable home. The difference is, you villainize the investors, whereas I think it's more constructive to look at how the laws can be changed to make BTL less attractive (while still retaining some landlords to satisfy the genuine rental market). People will always grab opportunities to make money, as far as the law allows. We won't get anywhere by trying to appeal to people's better nature with sentimental arguments.

Sure, the agent will manage day-to-day stuff. Major stuff (refurbishments, redecoration, major repairs, new boilers/appliances/furniture) will need to be handled by the landlord. I know plenty of people who have rented out properties, and I would never bother doing it myself because I know what a hassle it can be. Also the rent isn't determined by the landlord's costs, it's determined by the market - i.e. what people are prepared to pay.

Obviously the BTL bandwagon has been harmful to our housing situation... property speculation has essentially lowered the average standard of living, and this is very wrong. So I agree with the capital gains tax, and I also agree with Huguenot regarding tax on interest payments (something I had never realised). However - the idea that a BTL landlord just sits there while the money rolls in is not accurate. They will need to spend time and money maintaining the property. There will be periods of time when the house is empty and no rent is coming in. There is the danger of squatters (either breaking in or tenants refusing to leave). They are also exposed to interest rate risk. It is not a license to print money. Some people do want to rent. In fact, it suits lots of people. Students. Young professionals in house shares. People living somewhere temporarily for work. People living abroad for a while. Or people who want to spend a while living in an area which they couldn't afford to buy in. I have been in most of these situations myself, and renting has suited me well. Yes, there are too many rental properties in London, but we need some of them. Not everyone in a rented property is a young family. No single person on this forum speaks for everybody.

Sue Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > Why was that Jeremy? The last meal I had there a > month or so back was absolutely amazing so I hope > they haven't deteriorated! :-S The meat was rather tough (both my duck and my g/f's lamb), and I expected more flavour. My friends also seemd underwhelmed by theirs (squid, and the thali thing). I think it should have been better considering the price. The first time I went there I liked it. Maybe we were a little unlucky this time.

Definitely don't keep it on the street. If they don't steal it, they'll trash it.

There are a couple of large bicycle lockers outside ED station which you can hire, but I expect they're all taken. The bike won't last long if you keep it on the street.

I know it's tantamount to sacrilege round these parts, but... we were a bit disappointed with our latest visit to Ganapati.

Am I the only one thinking that it's a bit cheeky to ask the guy to produce timetables for other stations? I mean... why not just knock up your own one in Word or something, then share on here?

Talking on the phone Searching the glove box for half of a mars bar you left in there Changing tracks on the ipod Watching your in-car DVD

I've also experienced several delays this week, both to and from London Bridge. I'm assuming there's teething problems with the new timetable.

Neither Thai corner or Sema are anything special IMO, just run-of-the-mill suburban Thai restaurants. Something to soak up the beer, that tastes OK. I really don't understand why restaurants settle for mediocrity when they could do so much better. The staff are Thai, they must know that the food they're serving isn't the real deal.

This argument has been raging on for years (as a matter of fact I was working in patent publishing 10 years ago, when the human genome was first sequenced). I've always thought that this was abuse of the patent system... patents should protect innovation and ideas, not discoveries. But on the other hand - to play devil's advocate - if companies didn't have the incentive of locking in ownership of their work, would this kind of project by financially viable for them? It's an interesting subject, but not sure it counters my previous post...

Traffic wardens won't meet their targets by advising people to move on.

No trains on Sundays... replacement bus doesn't turn up... and people wonder why there are so many car owners in the area?

notepad++ maybe? Any unix editor, if that's an option...

You can definitely get a 2 bed flat for under 300k. I'm not saying it's cheap, but... doable on the kind of cash Brendan's talking about.

Loz - I think Brendan's "superior bargaining position" comes from the assumption that the investor is likely to be cash rich. Buy-to-let doesn't really add up unless you have a large deposit.

Brendan, I think you're making a fundemental error by assuming that everybody wants to own their property. Renting actually suits some people's lifestyles much better. Yes it's a big problem that housing is so expensive, but even 10-15 years ago when property was much more affordable, there was still a strong rental market. It wasn't created by property investors.

It is quite amazing that people would object to capital gains tax on property, when speculation has driven up prices to the point when the average house costs 10 times the average salary. However, private landlords are not quite the scum-bags we're making them out to be, they do provide a necessary service and it seems fair that they get a modest month-by-month profit in return.

I'm a great believer in biological and genetic engineering. I think the potential benefits could be huge, and it frustrates me enormously when doom mongers and the religious right-wing try to stand in the way.

That's what I was hoping.

Nothing wrong with it. It's an opportunity to show some patriotism (if you're that way inclined) without it being confused for nationalism, and all the nasty stuff that can come with it. And as quids suggests, it could potentially (ironically) bring English people together, regardless of background. Personally I wouldn't dream of putting up an England flag, but I've no problem with others doing so in this context.

citizenED Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > Last time they met nearly ended up in a stand-up fist fight. Nearly?? Me and my brother knock lumps out of each other regularly. I think it's quite normal.