Poll Stafford Forum exit poll - General Election 2015

[biccies]

What has created the "fear" of more people coming "over here"? Our economy is based on growth. If more people come to this country we will need to build more homes, more infrastructure, more everything... Surely that would then create more jobs? We've only built on something silly like 4% of the land in the UK. There's plenty more space, it just needs building.
It's been quite depressing how all the political conversation has been on the emotive topic of immigration.

 

[andy w]

What has created the "fear" of more people coming "over here"? Our economy is based on growth. If more people come to this country we will need to build more homes, more infrastructure, more everything... Surely that would then create more jobs? We've only built on something silly like 4% of the land in the UK. There's plenty more space, it just needs building.
It's been quite depressing how all the political conversation has been on the emotive topic of immigration.

But isn't that a Ponsi style scheme with an ever increasing population needing more housing, public services, infrastructure etc. that will need to built/staffed by more migrant labour.
If truth be known we haven't been building enough houses since 1979 when Thatcher's Government stopped building council houses and did so much damage to the apprenticeship system of training craftsmen. Subsequent governments have failed to rebuild the housing industry to be large enough to cope with domestic demand let alone provide for the sustained rise in population over the past 20 years because of net migration. Whilst Labour pledged that 200,000 homes would be built a year if they had won the election, I suspect that the figure of 300,000 pledged by the Lib Dems would be a more true figure to start to tackle the housing problem. That figure is double what we are currently building. Can you honestly see that figure being built? It's just not going to happen.

 

[John Marwood]

Marks & Spencer making a profit is not a good news story because it sells suede skirts that nobody needs, stripping jungles of families of skirts the like that can never reproduce again and the world population of skirts diminishes beyond survival

So

In essence

We should be not building anything, except efficient farms

Consuming is killing

Stay indoors

And knit that fog

Dudes

 

[John Marwood]

 

[John Marwood]

Joy to the world. All the boys and girls, now. Joy to the fishes in the deep blue sea. Joy to you and me.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/pol...every-government-department-to-find-cuts.html

 

[ATJ]

You can't blame immigrants for the population crisis. We have an aging population. People just aren't dying at 65 any more. When you have people living 30 years post retirement, you need an army of carers and a huge chunk of the welfare state to look after them. They clog up social services, medical care and houses. And because they bloc vote blue, they will be the last to feel the cuts.

Unless, that is, were daft enough to vote to leave the EU. In which case, that army of carers will disappear.

 

[biccies]

But isn't that a Ponsi style scheme with an ever increasing population needing more housing, public services, infrastructure etc. that will need to built/staffed by more migrant labour.

No, it's not a Ponzi Scheme.

If truth be known we haven't been building enough houses since 1979 when Thatcher's Government stopped building council houses and did so much damage to the apprenticeship system of training craftsmen. Subsequent governments have failed to rebuild the housing industry to be large enough to cope with domestic demand let alone provide for the sustained rise in population over the past 20 years because of net migration. Whilst Labour pledged that 200,000 homes would be built a year if they had won the election, I suspect that the figure of 300,000 pledged by the Lib Dems would be a more true figure to start to tackle the housing problem. That figure is double what we are currently building. Can you honestly see that figure being built? It's just not going to happen.

Ok then, let's start to talk about these issues. Why are we not building enough houses? Is it because of all the red-tape in planning laws? Is it due to local opposition? It's surely not "the immigrants" fault that we're not building enough houses.... is it?

 

[tek-monkey]

'We' aren't building enough houses because they has been a slump, and developers want to wait for another boom before building more to maximise profits. The best way to create a boom is a shortage of houses.

 

[andy w]

We are not building houses for a number of reasons. The construction industry was hammered during the recession and has been neglected for a number of years with not enough craftspersons coming through. The same with the associated supply industries. I heard on 5 Live that we are having to import bricks because of lack of capacity due to closures. Also over time small family builders have become a thing of the past with the big builders building virtually all the houses and the problem that we have with a few big companies who dominate the market and they buy up designated housing sites then sit on them as assets and wait until prices rise further.
I've tried to find a link to David Smith's (Sunday Times Business Editor) article a few months ago which shown the sudden drop in house building when Thatcher stopped Councils building houses in the 80's. Even in the cash strapped 1970's Councils were still building over 50,000 each year. The graph shown the link between reducing supply and the increase in house prices.
Yes, it isn't the immigrants fault that we aren't building enough houses, and where did I say it was? But my point is that we haven't got the capability to build anywhere near enough houses to cope with the rise in population we are seeing. If we can't increase the supply we have to reduce the demand.

 

[tek-monkey]

If we can't increase the supply we have to reduce the demand.

Done my bit by not having kids!

 

[ATJ]

Euthanasia?

 

[andy w]

Euthanasia?

Are you volunteering?

 

[Gramaisc]

I know people that bought houses build by "craftspersons" before the recession bit - the care taken and the quality of the work produced is rather less than perfect.

If we do start building loads of houses, a significant part of the workforce will, very likely, be immigrants.

 

[John Marwood]

Build spec on a lot of new homes is fifty years

Pathetic

 

[andy w]

I know people that bought houses build by "craftspersons" before the recession bit - the care taken and the quality of the work produced is rather less than perfect.

If we do start building loads of houses, a significant part of the workforce will, very likely, be immigrants.

Pretty sure that would be the case. To double our house building I wonder how many more workers would be needed both directly within the building industry and also within the supply chain? I wouldn't be surprised if that figure was around half a million and least we forget that other branches of the construction industry are getting busy to meet the increased demand from economic activity and catch up projects such as the riverside development in the town.

 

[John Marwood]

Pods in the ground
It's the future

 

[Trumpet]

Done my bit by not having kids!

We should apply for a reduction in our council tax.

 

[Floss]

We are not building houses for a number of reasons. The construction industry was hammered during the recession and has been neglected for a number of years with not enough craftspersons coming through. The same with the associated supply industries. I heard on 5 Live that we are having to import bricks because of lack of capacity due to closures. Also over time small family builders have become a thing of the past with the big builders building virtually all the houses and the problem that we have with a few big companies who dominate the market and they buy up designated housing sites then sit on them as assets and wait until prices rise further.
I've tried to find a link to David Smith's (Sunday Times Business Editor) article a few months ago which shown the sudden drop in house building when Thatcher stopped Councils building houses in the 80's. Even in the cash strapped 1970's Councils were still building over 50,000 each year. The graph shown the link between reducing supply and the increase in house prices.
Yes, it isn't the immigrants fault that we aren't building enough houses, and where did I say it was? But my point is that we haven't got the capability to build anywhere near enough houses to cope with the rise in population we are seeing. If we can't increase the supply we have to reduce the demand.

I was only thinking Saturday whilst in town and watching the crowd of people arriving in the town centre from north side (that looked like Romanians who had just arrived ) where are they all living? Couldn't move in pound land in the guildhall, then went to tescos and there were a load more in there too all looked they had money to spend so probably working, I was just wondering if they would be given local authority houses or would they be privately renting.

 

[Gramaisc]

I was only thinking Saturday whilst in town and watching the crowd of people arriving in the town centre from north side (that looked like Romanians who had just arrived ) where are they all living? Couldn't move in pound land in the guildhall, then went to tescos and there were a load more in there too all looked they had money to spend so probably working, I was just wondering if they would be given local authority houses or would they be privately renting.

There are often crowds of foreigners to be seen on a Saturday - they are bussed in from their caravans in the "countryside", which they are "renting privately".

 

[joshua]

There are often crowds of foreigners to be seen on a Saturday - they are bussed in from their caravans in the "countryside", which they are "renting privately".

Ah, the fruity folk.