Wednesday 15th April

Yesterday the Tories unveiled their manifesto, and there was a rabbit in the conjurer’s hat.  Imitating Margaret Thatcher’s ‘Council House Right To Buy’ Cameron is extending this opportunity to tenants of Housing Associations.  I have never quite understood the nature of Housing Associations, are they a creeping Privatisation of council housing or a great non-profit making system of providing cheap housing for poorer people?  Whatever your views on them they have been slowly taking over what used to be council housing, often taking over the management of difficult old council blocks.  And on the surface it does seem a popular policy. But actually, just as Maggie’s was before, it is a bribe.  Great for those tenants able to buy their home, but quite honestly if you were living in a run-down flat in an old block, would you want to be living there anyway, let alone pay a mortgage for the privilege.  But it will inevitably make it even more difficult for those at the bottom of society to ever get a decent home.  Almost all of the decent council houses have all been bought years ago.  I know a few people who were lucky enough to buy their council houses, and yes, great for them (though there is a slight resentment as I along with many others never had that discounted start on the housing ladder), but what about those left behind?  Millions now stand no chance of ever getting a council, or soon in the future if the Tories win; a Housing Association property.

The real policy behind the policy, as well as hopefully being an election winner, is to put an end to the whole idea of social housing.  The Tories have always hated any public provision of anything, education, health or housing, despite their paeans to the NHS.  Public provision goes completely against the grain of their thinking.  They are for the individual and against society and always have been.  So, will it be a game-changer?  We will have to wait and see.  To be honest I think most of those in Housing Association homes will not be in a position to buy these homes, even at a huge discount.  Some may vote for them, but it won’t affect the millions renting privately or who already are buying.  So, we will see,