Thatcher and the Grammar schools

[sasguru]

Them people wot work rather than post all day on the Internet. Them ones.

Ah - I always knew I wasn't working class .

[Bagpuss]

Dim brings up a good point about t'class system. Maybe this is now more appropriate:


Shyster class, Working class, Internet shirking class, Toffs

[SallyAnne]

Britain needs reliable (ie long tenancy), low cost (subsidised) housing for the working classes. Period.

The general feeling in Newcastle for the last 20 years or so was that the only people in council houses were pensioners (who were too old to start on the property ladder) and scroungers (people who plain can't be arsed).

Everyone else who worked (even for the lowest paid jobs) got mortgages with the Northern Rock.

That's how the housing ladder has worked up here for ages: -

Council House
100% Mortgage
Proper Mortagge (say 20% deposit paid)
Retired - house paid off.


And most people assumed that was the way it would always continue - the Northern Rock was pretty much a "helping hand". Ask most peopel in Newcastle 5 or 10 years ago and they'd probably think the Northern Rock was a council run social fund!

I'm not saying this is right or wrong....but it's just been "reliable, low cost housing for the working classes." - like you said we needed. We had it!

[sasguru]

The general feeling in Newcastle for the last 20 years or so was that the only people in council houses were pensioners (who were too old to start on the property ladder) and scroungers (people who plain can't be arsed).

Everyone else who worked (even for the lowest paid jobs) got mortgages with the Northern Rock.

That's how the housing ladder has worked up here for ages: -

Council House
100% Mortgage
Proper Mortagge (say 20% deposit paid)
Retired - house paid off.


And most people assumed that was the way it would always continue - the Northern Rock was pretty much a "helping hand". Ask most peopel in Newcastle 5 or 10 years ago and they'd probably think the Northern Rock was a council run social fund!

I'm not saying this is right or wrong....but it's just been "reliable, low cost housing for the working classes." - like you said we needed. We had it!

But what jobs were people doing to pay off mortgages?

[Bagpuss]

There's only one thing you can say to that...





Oh. my old man's a Dustman, he wears a Dustman's hat
He wears Gorblimey trousers,
and he lives in a Council flat!

[BrowneIssue]

Oh. my old man's a Dustman, he wears a Dustman's hat
He wears Gorblimey trousers,
and he lives in a Council flat!

My old man's a dustman.
He wears a high-visibility jacket
He wears ISO standard EU approved toecap boots
And he lives in a 4 bed semi on the outskirts of the town and is looking forward to his index linked pension thankyouverymuch.

[DimPrawn]

There's only one thing you can say to that...





Oh. my old man's a Dustman, he wears a Dustman's hat
He wears Gorblimey trousers,
and he lives in a Council flat!

Senior Refuse Consultant.

[SallyAnne]

But what jobs were people doing to pay off mortgages?

Just normal jobs. 25 year mortgages. Averager house price in the North East over the last 10 years is about....£100k maybe?

We had a very sustainable model. It's you southern lot who screwed it all up for everyone!!

[DimPrawn]

Sorry, I just had to have that bedsit above the kebab shop in Hackney for £450K.

[Bagpuss]

Was reading an article by Surallan in the paper today. He was bemoaning the ridiculous housing boom where the banks were lending to "any Tom Dick an' 'arry" who were artificially inflating prices to riddiculous levels, and "should never have had the money in the first place". Now sensible money is back in fashion again and he's scooping up land at knock down prices.

Can't really argue with that.