Blairs saved £312k in stamp duty deal.

The huge gulf between renters and house buyers is at the centre of British politics.

Thatcher bought Tory votes with her "right to buy" policy but I believe that something like a quarter of ex-council houses are now private rentals.

I accosted our local Tory candidate in 1979 and asked why the Local Councils were to be prevented from reinvesting the proceeds of council house sales in new council houses. He had no answer. ,There never was an answer.

I accosted our local Tory candidate in 1979 and asked why the Local Councils were to be prevented from reinvesting the proceeds of council house sales in new council houses. He had no answer. ,There never was an answer

I thought the reason was political, in that Thatcher didn't believe that local authorities should be involved in providing housing. She wanted housing associations to provide that function.
It was, and still is, a classic example of what should be the size and roll of the state.

It was, and still is, a classic example of what should be the size and roll of the state.

I'm not sure what you're trying to say here Jane71. It's certainly a classic example of Thatcher's ideology. Are you approving of it?

Germanshepherdsmum

This isn’t as unusual as you might think with valuable London properties, many of which are owned by companies. If a property is already owned by a company you can just buy the company and stamp duty is paid only on the transfer of shares in the company, a much smaller sum than stamp duty on the value of the property. It isn’t something the buyers (in this case the Blairs) arrange. There is no tax avoidance or evasion. No wrongdoing on the part of buyer or seller. No blame attached to either party.

Oh, some people find blame for everything bar the weather,
It can’t be good for their BP.

I'm not sure what you're trying to say here Jane71. It's certainly a classic example of Thatcher's ideology. Are you approving of it?

Not at all MaizieD. Thatcher believed in a small state, and leaving things to the market to resolve. I believe in a larger state, as the market obviously fails in so many respects. Local authorities should have more capacity to build housing: I don't think the houing crisis can be resolved otherwise.

Jane71

*I'm not sure what you're trying to say here Jane71. It's certainly a classic example of Thatcher's ideology. Are you approving of it?*

Not at all MaizieD. Thatcher believed in a small state, and leaving things to the market to resolve. I believe in a larger state, as the market obviously fails in so many respects. Local authorities should have more capacity to build housing: I don't think the houing crisis can be resolved otherwise.

I absolutely agree with you