[Youngian]

Rental market is a mixed bag according to Zoopla but the tumbling price of flats is a big story. Greedy service charges and leaseholding is to blame. I got lucky buying and selling my flat but no way would I risk purchasing a leasehold property ever again.

Behind this figure are two distinct markets, with rents rising 5% or more in affordable areas and at or below the UK average in pricier places

https://www.zoopla.co.uk/discover/prope ... et-report/

[Tubby Isaacs]

One thing he could do is take council estate management back in house. I've paid shit loads over the years in service charges to people who take forever to answer the phone and can't even be bothered to pull up the weeds.

[Yug]

Gaza. Gaza. It's always fucking Gaza.

Andy Burnham has apologised for Labour’s initial response to Israel’s military action in Gaza, saying the party “didn’t get it right” and needs to “do better” under his leadership signalling a significant shift in the UK’s approach to the Middle East.

The prime minister-in-waiting told the Guardian he would put more pressure on the Israeli government, including through further sanctions on individuals and entities, as well as a potential ban on the trade of goods with illegal settlements...

https://www.theguardian.com/politics/20 ... e-gaza-war

Let's woo the tankies back.

Not a good idea Andy.

Burnham’s intervention starts to address concerns among voters on Labour’s progressive flank, many of whom have abandoned the party over its position on Israel and Palestine.

“I know many people feel that at the start of Israel’s military action in Gaza my party didn’

t get it right and I am sorry about that. The response has too often not been good enough. We need to do better,” he said.

"Labour’s progressive flank", or swivel-eyed antisemitic single-issue morons as I prefer to call them. Most of whom left the Party because its new leader wasn't going to pander to their lunacy.

...Burnham’s apology may irritate Keir Starmer...

Starmer’s not the one to worry about. If he's sucking up to the single-issue Student Union types he's going to piss off a lot of Labour voters, and hand live ammunition to our Noble Free Press (tm).

I know I said I'd give him 6 months to prove he can do the job, but I'm becoming sceptical before he's even got the job.

[Boiler]

Said it before, will say it again: he's nothing more than a populist who'll say anything he thinks will make him popular.

All style, no substance.

[Tubby Isaacs]

I think this is a reasonable statement overall. Slightly muddled- obviously there have been war crimes, and he hasn’t leant too heavily into the more questionable genocide. The tankies won’t be happy about that, he’s not bothered about them.

What’s he going to do in terms of sanctions? Trump can flatten us if he doesn’t like that. Don’t watch this space,