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An Object Lesson In Why Not To Outsource In National Security.


Chris Werb

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Its not immigration thats the problem. We had mass migration in the 1950's from the Commonwealth, and we had a council house building boom at the same time. We never ran out of Council housing stock to the degree we now have.

They were commonwealth however and saw themselves as British subjects didn't they? What do the new immigrants see themselves as?

 

 

I think, and its just a personal view, that many of the problems we have is the private sector look at the Government and say 'You should do that', and the Government look at the private sector and say 'No, thats a private sector job' and consequently it falls through the cracks.

Well if there's money to be made doing in the private sector someone will do it. But if your regulations make it so difficult to do that they can't make money. Don't expect someone business man to outlay millions of £ for zero gain.

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As I said in other topic, if you want affordable housing that will not put people in heavy debt for 25 years - only solution are brutalist concrete monstrosities.

 

Concrete can be used without brutalism: The key is the proper amount of ornamentation and humanizing structural design. I can't quantify this exactly, since its based on feeling, but I'm certain its something that can be done with imagination.

Edited by Dark_Falcon
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Ornamentation - more money.

I would rather live in the bare concrete affordable and well made tower than in good looking shit that is gonna get wracked in the first natural disaster.

Edited by bojan
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As I said in other topic, if you want affordable housing that will not put people in heavy debt for 25 years - only solution are brutalist concrete monstrosities.

Or you can go tiny pre-fab:

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We have "park homes" - as per "Trailer Park". In the South East, these are cheaper than normal houses... but they can still be above 4x the national average family income.

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As I said in other topic, if you want affordable housing that will not put people in heavy debt for 25 years - only solution are brutalist concrete monstrosities.

 

Concrete can be used without brutalism: The key is the proper amount of ornamentation and humanizing structural design. I can't quantify this exactly, since its based on feeling, but I'm certain its something that can be done with imagination.

 

fallingwater-831x624.jpg

 

 

Edited by rmgill
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I believe they have only just clear the last prefabs on the outskirts of Bristol, which would have been thrown up fairly soon after WW2 to cover the houses lost in the Blitz. For temporary housing that is incredibly good value, and actually exceeded some of the council houses built at the time. My Grandfathers council house, erected in the 1950's, was demolished a good 25 years ago.

 

They have one erected at Duxford museum, and I had a look around one. I can see why my father so well regarded the one his aunt had, they were incredibly well designed for the time.

Edited by Stuart Galbraith
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If you need housing for Hundreds of thousands then make more prefabs. It beats having them live 5 to a room in a shed behind someone's Edwardian home.

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They build bricks and mortar quickly enough - they're mostly timber-framed and brick-clad now, with plasterboard interior walls. A problem is getting to the point where they can lay the first stone, as it were. And as I noted above, once they've gone to the effort, the return on premium properties is better, so they don't build the ticky-tacky boxes the way you suggest.

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Or you can go tiny pre-fab:

Not in the Europe where every plot of land in the decent distance around center costs soo much that unless you build towers it is never going to pay off at any sort of afordable pricing.

Edited by bojan
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As I said in other topic, if you want affordable housing that will not put people in heavy debt for 25 years - only solution are brutalist concrete monstrosities.

 

Concrete can be used without brutalism: The key is the proper amount of ornamentation and humanizing structural design. I can't quantify this exactly, since its based on feeling, but I'm certain its something that can be done with imagination.

 

fallingwater-831x624.jpg

 

 

 

 

That first photo of Fallingwater is quite on topic, since one of Frank Lloyd Wright's early projects in the Chicago area was a plan to build large-scale production-capable, but still decent home for average (white) Americans after World War I. The plan didn't succeed but the two Wright-designed prototype homes that were built are still standing today and have in fact been designated as historic landmarks.

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Can't speak for everywhere, but in the UK there is a local "Council Tax" which is banded depending on a notional home value, but isn't a direct percentage of that value. It is subject to modifiers depending on whether the home is in single occupancy or not. For me, with a 25% single occupancy discount that's about £1200 per year. My home is mid-tier. Central government sets limits on the amount that can be collected, or at least sanctions councils that increase the rate too much in a year.

 

Services like gas, electricity and water are taxed through Value Added Tax, but at a reduced rate compared to other goods and services. That goes to central government.

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And most local Council funding comes from central government. I have always been dubious about the fairness of Council Tax, but, when they tried to replace it, they did so with something even worse. That didn't last long.

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Is there a tax on your home, ie "property tax" in Europe? Is there also a sales tax on basic services such as gas, electric, sewer and water?

 

In Sopron, Hungary yes, there is a "property tax" called "communal tax" based on the area of house, land, holiday house (compared to what DB is paying, it is a tiny fraction for 53 m2 flat in a block, 26 £ / year). Yes, basic services taxed with various VAT tax keys.

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