Election Politics – Useful Guide

The BBC has published a really useful guide on part policiesread it here.

BBC Policy guide: where the parties stand.

It is interesting to compare the English parties, for example, on housing.
The first pledge for each is:

Conservative  200,000 homes built for first-time buyers aged under 40, at 20% discount

Labour  Get 200,000 homes built a year by 2020

Lib Dems  Increase housebuilding to 300,000 a year

UKIP   Prioritise social housing for people with parents born locally

Green Build  500,000 social rental homes by 2020

Respect  Start a comprehensive programme of council house building

How do the Greens get 500,000 built if we don’t abandon planning restrictions and force houses on communities?
The UKIP promise sounds noble but this responds to perception simply because we aren’t building any in the first place?

And, Respect, where does the public money come from for all those homes?

There’s a lot to wade through but if we are serious about getting the government we want and one that makes sense and can deliver – then we should, perhaps, do our homework?

 http://oliff.uk/?p=732