John Prescott is in charge

[stackpole]

Mr Blair is on holiday. (He even refuses to come back for Robin Cook's funeral and, as a final insult to the ginger gnome, he is sending John Prescott instead.)

So Johnny Two-Jags is running the country. That's enough to scare off any terrorists.

[sunnysan]

John P

I know, he looks like a caucasian Idi Amin. Probably about as bright as well.

[zathras]

Mr Blair is on holiday. (He even refuses to come back for Robin Cook's funeral and, as a final insult to the ginger gnome, he is sending John Prescott instead.)

So Johnny Two-Jags is running the country. That's enough to scare off any terrorists.

This is the person who said he would produce low cost housing at #60,000 and then forget to add the cost of the land the building sits on.

I dunno about the lunatics having taken over the asylum - they might be an improvement

[sunnysan]

60K houses

Its pathetic feelgood massaging.

What it sounds like is shared ownership schemes. Market value of said property is probably about 120k

The sites are all abandondened and waste brownfield sites so essentially what it amounts to is the Govt building tulipty flats in crap areas, selling half to the buyer for 60K and then leasing the other half so the buyer is paying a mix of mortgage to a lender and rent to the council.

So govt gets a lump sum for the land and building costs and the local council gets monthly rents from the buyers who have "bought" the flat.

So what you could to is take a loan from the bank and put down 12k deposit instead of 6 k and own the house outright and pay the loan of every month, instead of paying rent to the council.

Thats the way I understand it. In a nutshell, its just nicely dressed up shared ownership, in order for the government to generate revenue from unused brownfield sites.

[sasguru]

John Prescott fulfils a useful function. By giving a sinecure post to a potential leading rabble-rouser trade-unionist, Blair keeps him out of trouble and can keep an eye on him, as well as placating other trade-unionists. JP seems to have abandoned any principles he has and is wallowing in the heart of the establishment (which he would otherwise want to overthrow) like a pig in tulip.

[SupremeSpod]

John Prescott fulfils a useful function. By giving a sinecure post to a potential leading rabble-rouser trade-unionist, Blair keeps him out of trouble and can keep an eye on him, as well as placating other trade-unionists. JP seems to have abandoned any principles he has and is wallowing in the heart of the establishment (which he would otherwise want to overthrow) like a pig in tulip.

Rather like most politicians...

[OwlHoot]

This is the person who said he would produce low cost housing at #60,000 and then forget to add the cost of the land the building sits on.

and, presumably, the cost of the new roads needed, and water supplies, sewers, cables, etc.

[stackpole]

Hey, JP's not so bad. Think of all he has achieved.