ETHICS well, the animations may appeal, if not the burbles...?

To show some of the anguishes and thoughts in Ethics, I am seen burbling at the link below.  Those burbles may well er....er....who knows what - but the odd animations after a minute or so could well appeal:

Peter Cave talking about Ethics

Buy to let - so, tie to 'let to buy'?

The British conservative government trumpets the importance of home ownership.  It is so important that charitable housing associations are to be forced to sell their properties at a discount to existing tenants.  Well, let us reflect: 

If property ownership merits such high priority, why does the government not grant a “right to buy” against those who have “bought to let” a second property? 

After all, thousands of people have bought second properties purely as investments to secure rental income and capital growth. Private tenants have little security of tenure, little control over rent increases and have no share of the property value. 

Therefore, if we must think in terms of property ownership as being so important, then if anyone deserves the right to buy at a discount, it is those tenants — or at the very least they deserve the right to a share in the property’s increase in value. 

What is, dare I say, sauce for the social tenant goose should also be sauce for the private tenant gander.

International Finance: 'tis a wonderous thing

Well, I could not resist sending the following to the FT which kindly published it:



For the British economy to grow - and hence for Britain to reduce its debt - corporation tax must be lowered and people must not pay so much income tax. 

For the Greek economy to grow, corporation tax must be raised and the people must pay more income tax. 

We mere mortals can but marvel at the subtleties of our political masters in their understanding of matters financial - for the ways of the 'Market' are mysterious indeed to the unenlightened.