General News Thread

[leicsmac]

3 minutes ago, Zear0 said:

Nailing my colours to the mast, I inherited properties which I converted into rental properties and can assure you we're not creaming it on monthly cash flow in via rents either.  For a long long time I was also embittered thinking I was "only" making money from the properties value increasing over time.  As you've experienced, it is a faff, but in the decade we've had them, it's increased by 80% or something daft.  Since the early 2000s, this is the position of most landlords and you probably need to make peace with that one.

And given the house prices increase in the last couple of decades, I would say that increase alone should be enough to be satisfactory as an investment, right?

[leicsmac]

7 minutes ago, st albans fox said:

Anyone pretending that asylum seekers coming here by boat isn’t a problem that needs to be sorted is adding to the mess. We need a proper functioning fair system - we have a massive advantage of a sea border so the vast majority of those arriving are easily identified.  These people have often travelled long distances and risked their lives to get here.  Are they economic refugees or genuine asylum seekers?  The current system is overloaded and not fit for purpose.  The system for legal migration is also not fit for purpose. 

 

Simple solutions such as putting these people in local hotels is such an easy win for those that wish to make capital from it.  the money could surely be better spent creating more inventive solutions for their residence here until such time that they can be assessed properly.  Of course the backlog is a huge problem for now but I think as we move forwards with an ever warming climate,  our geographical position will make us an even more attractive place to try and come to.  This problem isn’t going to disappear. 

Yes.

 

So the choice will have to be to actually address the root causes of the matter, or abandon a great many people to their fate. 

[JonnyBoy]

8 minutes ago, st albans fox said:

Anyone pretending that asylum seekers coming here by boat isn’t a problem that needs to be sorted is adding to the mess. We need a proper functioning fair system - we have a massive advantage of a sea border so the vast majority of those arriving are easily identified.  These people have often travelled long distances and risked their lives to get here.  Are they economic refugees or genuine asylum seekers?  The current system is overloaded and not fit for purpose.  The system for legal migration is also not fit for purpose. 

 

Simple solutions such as putting these people in local hotels is such an easy win for those that wish to make capital from it.  the money could surely be better spent creating more inventive solutions for their residence here until such time that they can be assessed properly.  Of course the backlog is a huge problem for now but I think as we move forwards with an ever warming climate,  our geographical position will make us an even more attractive place to try and come to.  This problem isn’t going to disappear. 

 

I actually think Rylan summed it up really well, of all people i didn't expect him to articulate the situation so well 

[CosbehFox]

7 minutes ago, JonnyBoy said:

 

I actually think Rylan summed it up really well, of all people i didn't expect him to articulate the situation so well 

His opinion came from the right place but he waffled untrue bollocks as well. 

[CosbehFox]

50 minutes ago, Tommy G said:

I'd imagine it will be worse, suspect the govt and police are bricking it. 

Think a lot of folk would be surprised how intelligence Police have on it all. Be a fair few arrests mind as they will execute all available powers in the same way they did with Palestine Action protest. 

[CornwallFox]

58 minutes ago, JonnyBoy said:

 

we make about £90 a month after mortgage (interest only), landlord insurance, paying the estate agent to oversee the property, then tax. We have had the house left in a horrific state that took us about a weeks worth of labour that we won't be paid for, their deposit only just about covered the cost. There isn't any money to be made apart from the property going up in value over time. 

 

Maybe the landlords who have 3/4/5 properties+ can really cream it 

The property value going up over time is the money. 

The fact somebody else has been paying your mortgage costs so you now own x% of a property you haven't had to pay for yourself is the money. 

Complaining you can't make a monthly income on top of unbelievable really.

[Dr The Singh]

1 hour ago, StanSP said:

In what sense? 

 

As in similar to a protest? Not sure what criteria they have to meet but you and I both know there'll be incidents galore up and down the country aside from anything 'official'. 

 

Definitely agree it has to be neutralise but what that looks like I've got no idea. 

 

 

Agreed. 

Ok, so I assume they will officially be able to protest in London and where ever they get approval.

 

We've had BNP marches etc for years, where i lived.  Let them, its there democratic right.  

 

The police will be on ready should they mis behave.  I don't agree on agitation or counter protesting.  If yoy want to counter hold ur own protest another day

 

[CornwallFox]

42 minutes ago, st albans fox said:

Anyone pretending that asylum seekers coming here by boat isn’t a problem that needs to be sorted is adding to the mess. We need a proper functioning fair system - we have a massive advantage of a sea border so the vast majority of those arriving are easily identified.  These people have often travelled long distances and risked their lives to get here.  Are they economic refugees or genuine asylum seekers?  The current system is overloaded and not fit for purpose.  The system for legal migration is also not fit for purpose. 

 

Simple solutions such as putting these people in local hotels is such an easy win for those that wish to make capital from it.  the money could surely be better spent creating more inventive solutions for their residence here until such time that they can be assessed properly.  Of course the backlog is a huge problem for now but I think as we move forwards with an ever warming climate,  our geographical position will make us an even more attractive place to try and come to.  This problem isn’t going to disappear. 

Absolutely the system needs fixing. But it needs honest and open debate and discussion, then agreement and cooperation. Instead what we have is attempts to divide and stoke hatred. 

While I think the Tories and reform are a blight on the nation on this issue, the left also needs to allow genuine debate on this issue and not pretend there's no issues. Labour actually are taking it very seriously but being drowned out right now by Farage.

[Tommy G]

23 minutes ago, CosbehFox said:

Think a lot of folk would be surprised how intelligence Police have on it all. Be a fair few arrests mind as they will execute all available powers in the same way they did with Palestine Action protest. 

I'm just going on the mood music in the country over the past 12 months, the government opinion rating is at an all time low, people are struggling, the ''middle class'' are being squeezed beyond belief - there is a lot of pent up frustration.

 

I think the way it comes out at these protests are misaligned and not something I align myself to, but it's naive to think this country is not a melting pot that's about to explode. We are not far away from people storming migrant hotels and battering them to death - you might think that's an exaggeration but it won't take much to tilt it in that direction - as horrible as that would be.

[JonnyBoy]

6 minutes ago, CornwallFox said:

The property value going up over time is the money. 

The fact somebody else has been paying your mortgage costs so you now own x% of a property you haven't had to pay for yourself is the money. 

Complaining you can't make a monthly income on top of unbelievable really.

Interest only so not putting money into the house 

[StanSP]

10 minutes ago, Dr The Singh said:

Ok, so I assume they will officially be able to protest in London and where ever they get approval.

 

We've had BNP marches etc for years, where i lived.  Let them, its there democratic right.  

 

The police will be on ready should they mis behave.  I don't agree on agitation or counter protesting.  If yoy want to counter hold ur own protest another day

 

Yeah I believe in the democratic right too. But it's where some (not even a minority any more based on last summer) take it too far and overstep the boundary and go over the accepted line on protests. 

[leicsmac]

8 minutes ago, Tommy G said:

I'm just going on the mood music in the country over the past 12 months, the government opinion rating is at an all time low, people are struggling, the ''middle class'' are being squeezed beyond belief - there is a lot of pent up frustration.

 

I think the way it comes out at these protests are misaligned and not something I align myself to, but it's naive to think this country is not a melting pot that's about to explode. We are not far away from people storming migrant hotels and battering them to death - you might think that's an exaggeration but it won't take much to tilt it in that direction - as horrible as that would be.

I don't think it's an exaggeration at all - it's a significant nonzero possibility. 

 

I fear, however, that terrible outcome is what it might take for the apathetic and/or "legitimate concerns" crowd to realise just how far some people are willing to go in their name and perhaps speak out and act out against it rather than enabling it. 

[leicsmac]

On the general topic, the whole immigration debate can be boiled down to the age-old problem of insufficient/badly distributed resources and how much they matter when it comes to the value of a human life - no matter their demographic. 

[CosbehFox]

25 minutes ago, Tommy G said:

I'm just going on the mood music in the country over the past 12 months, the government opinion rating is at an all time low, people are struggling, the ''middle class'' are being squeezed beyond belief - there is a lot of pent up frustration.

 

I think the way it comes out at these protests are misaligned and not something I align myself to, but it's naive to think this country is not a melting pot that's about to explode. We are not far away from people storming migrant hotels and battering them to death - you might think that's an exaggeration but it won't take much to tilt it in that direction - as horrible as that would be.

I don't think it's exaggeration.  What you've described has already happened people were setting alight hotels last year and in Northern Ireland, this year, there has been real disorder to the point migrants were putting signs on their houses to clarify they worked for the NHS.  

 

My point was the underestimation of the Police's ability to understand that and when events are organised, they police it pretty well. They will have undercover officers in all of the groups and huge amounts of intelligence. They struggle when rioting is spontaneous but any planned event they are well on top of. As illustrated by the near 500 arrests at the recent Palestine Action protest. They won't be 'bricking it'. 

Edited 28 August 2025 by CosbehFox

[CornwallFox]

36 minutes ago, JonnyBoy said:

Interest only so not putting money into the house 

Fair enough, I'm not looking to argue with you on a personal level. Just in general think landlordism hasn't been good for society, accepting that individual landlords got into it legally and to try to do right by their families. Think you've just got to accept whatever money you have made from property value increases and that it was a temporary part of your life.

[Lionator]

We are at war. Wake up people. Living our cushty lives while they destroy us bit by bit. 

 

 

[Dr The Singh]

47 minutes ago, StanSP said:

Yeah I believe in the democratic right too. But it's where some (not even a minority any more based on last summer) take it too far and overstep the boundary and go over the accepted line on protests. 

If that happens, I hope they get arrested and prosecuted.

[kenny]

6 hours ago, CornwallFox said:

Fair enough, I'm not looking to argue with you on a personal level. Just in general think landlordism hasn't been good for society, accepting that individual landlords got into it legally and to try to do right by their families. Think you've just got to accept whatever money you have made from property value increases and that it was a temporary part of your life.

I know someone that owns over 1000 properties and he is delighted with the changes the current government has made. As he puts it, its hits him hard in the pocket but creates massive opportunity for growth as small landlords leave the market.

 

Its nice to see Labour are on the side of the larger corporate landlords.

[CornwallFox]

6 minutes ago, kenny said:

I know someone that owns over 1000 properties and he is delighted with the changes the current government has made. As he puts it, its hits him hard in the pocket but creates massive opportunity for growth as small landlords leave the market.

 

Its nice to see Labour are on the side of the larger corporate landlords.

Lol nice try

Even if your story is true the idea it's a move to side with corporate landlords is laughable.

[kenny]

2 minutes ago, CornwallFox said:

Lol nice try

Even if your story is true the idea it's a move to side with corporate landlords is laughable.

Its very true. Its creating big opportunities for the larger landlords. The ones upset are the smaller ones, particularly those that rely on mortgages.

 

In the case of Labour, we can we add to the ever increasing list of 'unintended consequences' of the current parliament?

[CornwallFox]

Just now, kenny said:

Its very true. Its creating big opportunities for the larger landlords. The ones upset are the smaller ones, particularly those that rely on mortgages.

 

In the case of Labour, we can we add to the ever increasing list of 'unintended consequences' of the current parliament?

Most the supposed unintended consequences are made up. 

None of the good things they're doing are even being reported. 

And yes they're getting some things wrong, particularly in presentation. 

But any move to make landlordism harder is a good move. They can move on to the corporate landlords next if need be. 

[kenny]

1 minute ago, CornwallFox said:

Most the supposed unintended consequences are made up. 

None of the good things they're doing are even being reported. 

And yes they're getting some things wrong, particularly in presentation. 

But any move to make landlordism harder is a good move. They can move on to the corporate landlords next if need be. 

They are making landlordism easier for some, harder for others.

 

It won't reduce rents or make housing more affordable.

[leicsmac]

Reform in Nottinghamshire taking a leaf out of books of their counterparts Stateside and only agreeing to engage with media outlets they approve of. 

 

Clearly, the idea of "freedom" actually means "freedom to have enough power to inhibit the freedom of other people and enjoy it".

[MaidstoneFox]

10 hours ago, JonnyBoy said:

RR looking to tax landlords NI to help fill the black hole, is she that thick that she doesn't realise that cost is going to get passed down to the renters? The whole revenue being taxed and the renters rights bill means there are less houses in the market driving up prices for renters as well 

 

Absolute stupidity 

It's just another idea that is being floated and drip fed to the media, to gauge reaction. They are boxed in by their own fiscal rules and manifesto pledges, which is foolhardy. However, underpinning all of this is that they don't want the economy to crash, which would deliver the next election on a plate to Reform. 

[MaidstoneFox]

2 hours ago, leicsmac said:

Reform in Nottinghamshire taking a leaf out of books of their counterparts Stateside and only agreeing to engage with media outlets they approve of. 

 

Clearly, the idea of "freedom" actually means "freedom to have enough power to inhibit the freedom of other people and enjoy it".

It's essential we have a free and active press and media to hold politicians and those in power to account, otherwise we start to enter post-Weimar Republic territory and Hitler's Enabling act of 1933.