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George Potter @georgepotter.bsky.social · 8h

I mean the graph literally shows that right to buy sales have never recovered to their levels under New Labour, but sure, the Conservatives were the only ones implementing it in a way that Labour (who have retained it) totally aren't.

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George Potter @georgepotter.bsky.social · 8h

Do you think that maybe the fall in 09/10 was something to do with the financial crisis and that right to buy returning to near, but slightly lower than, pre-crisis levels was less to do with policy than to do with the availability of borrowing? 🤔

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George Potter @georgepotter.bsky.social · 9h

Do you think that maybe the fall in 09/10 was something to do with the financial crisis and that right to buy returning to near, but slightly lower than, pre-crisis levels was less to do with policy than to do with the availability of borrowing? 🤔

George Potter @georgepotter.bsky.social · 10h

It's insane how supposedly "serious" Labour party apologists will come out with claims like this that are factually untrue.

Cameron didn't bring back right to buy! He softened it (in the end)! The coalition built more council houses than New Labour did, *because* they'd softened it!

ironeconomist.bsky.social @ironeconomist.bsky.social · 10h

Well what David Cameron actually did on housing was to bring back right to buy, which all the left wing coverage said was a right wing plot to help landlords. He also promised to sweep away affordable mandates but never got around to it I think see eg www.theguardian.com/society/2015...

David Cameron vows to scrap requirement to build affordable homes for rent

In his conference speech the PM will promise to tear up planning rules in effort to encourage developers to build more housing for first-time buyers

www.theguardian.com

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George Potter @georgepotter.bsky.social · 10h

For instance, by allowing us more time to spend right to buy receipts and allowing us to spend a greater proportion of them on building new housing.

George Potter @georgepotter.bsky.social · 10h

Fun fact: the last government did more to soften right to buy for local authorities than the previous 13 years of New Labour.

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George Potter @georgepotter.bsky.social · 10h

If you're going to get the facts wrong on something as basic as this then I really don't think your judgement is reliable on everything else you're talking about.

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George Potter @georgepotter.bsky.social · 10h

He didn't bring back right to buy, he maintained it as left by Labour. He *talked* about extending it to housing associations, but didn't.

Meanwhile Labour is currently proposing to reduce affordable housing requirements to get London building.

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George Potter @georgepotter.bsky.social · 10h

And, of course, pursuing sustainable public sector finances through spending reduction and only through tax rises that don't impact the majority of people.

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George Potter @georgepotter.bsky.social · 10h

Building houses via the private sector, cutting NHS waiting times, increasing economic growth, pursuing market-led solutions, being tough on immigration, appeasing transphobia, being tough on crime, and just generally dealing with the issues of the day.

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George Potter @georgepotter.bsky.social · 10h

Barring school fees, please tell me which of this government's policies would have been implausible under David Cameron.

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George Potter @georgepotter.bsky.social · 10h

My point is that ideologically there is no difference between the parties on those issues. They're saying they want the same things, they're advocating the same methods, it's just that one of them is being more competent in implementation.

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George Potter @georgepotter.bsky.social · 10h

Planning reform: Adopting carte blanche the policy prescriptions of the developer lobby and relying on the private sector.

NHS: Increasing funding but cutting back on administrative structures.

Etc, etc.

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George Potter @georgepotter.bsky.social · 10h

They're things they didn't do because a) they lurched to the right, and b) they were a revolving door of changing ministers and infighting.

However, the actual goals the Tories set and the ones set by Labour are functionally identical.

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George Potter @georgepotter.bsky.social · 10h

Labour is a *competent* centre right government. The Tories were an *incompetent* right-wing government. Yet the actual objectives remain broadly the same.

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George Potter @georgepotter.bsky.social · 10h

I'm talking about their record*in* government, not the pre-election promises they made and then ditched.

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George Potter @georgepotter.bsky.social · 10h

Barring school fees literally everything on that list is stuff the Tories had previously proposed.

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Reposted by George Potter

Russ Jones @russincheshire.bsky.social · 11h

It's now 9 years since I saw this pinned to the wall in a local hospital, and not a week has gone by when I haven't thought about it.

Who loses one shoe?
Or did Diane only have one leg?
If they know it's Diane's, why make a poster at all?
Is it some kind of sinister threat?

Home made poster showing a photo of a shoe, and the caption "SHOE FOUND. IS THIS YOUR SHOE DIANE"

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Reposted by George Potter

Dr Eleanor Janega @goingmedieval.bsky.social · 11h

The maple cocain tweet that reads "when someone uses this emoji 🤣 they are more mad than they have ever been in their entire life."

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George Potter @georgepotter.bsky.social · 11h

The problem with this assessment is that there *is* a viable"centre right" party in the UK. It's called the Labour party.

Nothing it is doing would have been out of place for David Cameron or Michael Howard.

Which has created the space for the right to go even further right.

ironeconomist.bsky.social @ironeconomist.bsky.social · 11h

What we are seeing is that uk politics without a viable center right party is a shit show.

only way to save the British right is for 500,000 broadly normal professionals and homeowners to join the Tory party.

Calling on all utilitarians and consequentialists: your duty is clear.

Chris Terry-Enescu @cjterry.bsky.social · 12h

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Alasdair Beckett-King @misterabk.bsky.social · 11h

It seems pointless to fact check someone saying "curry isn't proper British food like fish and chips", just like it's futile to correct someone saying "there are no pronouns in the Bible". They haven't made a mistake. What they're saying is, "Britain is a white country".

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Brendel @brendelbored.bsky.social · 12h

Shoutout to when Oppenheimer was morally conflicted because he was going to cause so many problems for Batman

OPPENHEIMER Ending Explained, Deeper Meaning, and Nolan Connections ScreenCrush

And then it’s Oppenheimer with an arrow pointing at Two Face

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Reposted by George Potter

Marie Le Conte @youngvulgarian.marieleconte.com · 15h

this is obviously appalling - and he should lose his job - but it's also really quite shocking; I first met Calgie when he was a baby reporter in his early twenties and sure, he was always a Tory, but he was....fine and normal? right-wing radicalisation is out of control in SW1

Zarah Sultana MP @zarahsultana.bsky.social · 1d

A mainstream “journalist” calling for a British MP to be deported. Is it because I’m Muslim? Next time, just say it with your chest.

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Reposted by George Potter

Steph Paton @stephpaton.bsky.social · 13h

Feel like I'm losing my mind watching the media universally paint Maccabi Tel Aviv fans being banned as antisemitism - when its really about protecting the folk of Birmingham from a group of racist ultras.

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Reposted by George Potter

Lee Hurley @hleehurley.com · 13h

At the start of this year, I spoke with some Observer journalists about an article they said was a going to be a huge critical piece about the likes of Sex Matters etc.

Wonder if we will ever get to see it...

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