"Benefit Cleansing" in London. Boris & Dave disagree

[Gromit]

// This morning the Mayor of London, Boris Johnson, has condemned planned cuts in housing benefit as leading to "Kosovo style social cleansing". He told the BBC that:

"You are not going to see, on my watch...thousands of families being evicted from the place where they've been living and where they have put down roots. That is not what Londoners want to see. It's not what we're going to accept." //

Are the Conservatives in disarray? Is Boris making a noise to save his Mayorship? We will see a U-Turn and the idea scrapped (in London)?

[Gromit]

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-11640219

[anotheoldgit]

What makes Londoners any different from the rest of Britain?

Why should some live in hugely expensive houses subsidised by the tax payer, that hard working taxpayers could never dream of being able to afford?

[Gromit]

// What makes Londoners any different from the rest of Britain? //

AOG,

Rents are higher in London, so the Cap will affect disproportionally more people there. And if thousands are displaced, they might not vote for Boris next time.

[Kromovaracun]

Why do you assume there's a cynical electoral reason for it?

[mike11111]

I agree with Krom. The very suggestion that our principled politicians would contemplate doing anything for mere electoral advantage is a gross slur on their utmost integrity.

[Bobbisox]

you beat to that AOG

[123everton]

It is politicising, Boris is appealing to his electorate, that in a nutshell is democracy.
Fair play to B.J, dunno what it'll achieve though, he'll beat his gums for a bit and say he tried.
There are lots low paid crappy jobs in London, travelling long distances to them isn't viable.
London's always been separate (almost) from the rest of Britain, they didn't deregulate the buses there for many years and then when they did they opted for a zoning system.
I hate London, I think it's a horrible place.

[R1Geezer]

I doubt the sorts of people BoJo is referring to vote Tory anyway gromit so I can't explain this politically. Perhaps he's using his own thoughts rather than the party line, it does happen, no doubt even in Red Labour!

You will not see a U turn, the idea is sound regardless of location.

[craft1948]

They should ship all the long-term unemployed with several children to Dewsbury....I hear housing prices there are quite reasonable.

[Zeuhl]

There must be large numbers of empty housing in the frozen wasteland of northern britain. Its hardly going to reduce property values in Liverpool, Bradford, Glasgow or Birmingham if a few more 'untermensch' are settled there.

I'm sure there are entire Council Estates or even New Towns that could easily be brought up to a reasonable standard and used for this purpose.

Most of the northerners with anything about them have already relocated to London (one of the greatest and most beautiful cities on the planet) or to southern england with its more attractive landscape, superior coastline, beautiful towns and economic opportunities.

Market forces should be allowed to take their course in London so that properties are restricted to those of us who have made successes of our careers in Media, Advertising, Law or Finance.

Office cleaners and Baristas are mostly from overseas anyway and happy to live 10 to a room so life in the capital will go on.
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[modeller]

Boris has always been a bit of a weirdo . I can only assume he is courting the do-gooders because those living on the state wont vote for him anyway or maybe he hopes to get the landlords vote. It could be that the most people affected are living in Labour areas and he's hoping to pick up a few votes that he didn't get last time.

[sandyRoe]

Will councils in London reduce rents for tenants on benefits? If they don't where are they going to get people to occupy the vacated properties?

[Zeuhl]

sandy

there's no shortage of tenants in London who are gainfully employed.

The high value of property means it's difficult to raise a deposit for purchase even for a young professional or a BBC Production Assistant.
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[chrissa1]

You Must be joking zeuhl. I wouldn't locate to London or the namby pamby South if you paid me! Give me my beautiful, majestic Northumberland with its spectacular coastline and castles any day.
You can keep your concrete jungle.

[Bobbisox]

hear hear Chrissa
where in Northumberland are you?

[Zeuhl]

quite correct chrissa

northumberland does have fantastic beaches - and added bonus - they are always empty because of the arctic wind blowing off the grey north sea.

castles? of course we don't have any of those in the south, the concrete jungles of Bath, Lyme Regis, Canterbury; not forgetting Chelsea and Hampstead - don't leave much room.

Seriously, good on you for sticking up for your region especially as it's so remote and ignored and probably deprived etc Never mind all this Foreign Aid that is given away to the Third World, you plucky Northumberlandians probably could do with it, so good luck to you.
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[Bobbisox]

it's Northumbrians dear

[Zeuhl]

What is?

Is it a type of thick sausage?
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