Thursday, May 17, 2007

Yvette Cooper Threatened to Resign

Ben Brogan reckons Yvette Cooper threatened to resign over HIPS. She got her way. The latest proof that power has already shifted to Gordon Brown.

31 comments:

Andrew said...

HIPS are going to be a big flop - once the public realises that the alternative to paying £400-600 for a HIP is a 'mere' £200 fixed penalty, who the hell's going to bother with an expensive booklet that doesn't even come near answering the original problem - specifically, how to take the misery out of house sales falling through... time to adopt the Scottish system - once an offer is made and accepted that's it, deal done - no gazumping or gazundering, no chains falling through, etc. etc. Anything else is just tinkering around the edges.

Anonymous said...

The fine will be £200 PER DAY.

Anonymous said...

I think you'll find that the fine is £200 per day that the house is being marketed for. This government is never shy of raising money from fines.

Anonymous said...

Most people are saying £200 is the fine, I believe it is actually £200 per day see http://notasheepmaybeagoat.blogspot.com/ . Another stealth tax?

Anonymous said...

The Treasury will surely see HIPS as a means to infiltrate the property market with a view to levying new taxes. 'Wealth' in the UK is currently tied up in property. Stamp duty and inheritance tax are probably seen as just 'scratching the surface' of what could be available.

There used to be much talk about abolishing the concept of Freehold, with all land ownership rights residing with the State (those long term Leases could then be used as security for government borrowing). An interesting scenario and one which I am sure our prospective PM has considered.

Unsworth said...

What a missed opportunity.

She's a stunningly unimpressive performer - and the HIPS scheme is a complete shambles.

Not enough trained inspectors from day one. All this crap about "we've already got 2,000 trained with many more on the way". Does she have the faintest idea about how many will be required to cover the housing market effectively? Just take a look at the numbers of house sales, estate agents etc.

There will be a black market in 'certificates' within months.

Anonymous said...

"She's a stunningly unimpressive performer" but threatened to resign over her support of HIPs. Remember - she didn't threaten to resign to get them scrapped, but to keep them!

Doesn't sound like a stunning performance to me.

Anonymous said...

Chuck - I've libelled you. I mis-read your original post. Muchos apologies.

Anonymous said...

With mortgage rates increasing,it is the worst possible time to introduce them.Enter Gordon,followed by a property crash.All the estate agents will be telling their customers that it is the government's fault,they were warned,they would not listen etc.I hope that he enjoys his political honeymoon period because it won't last long unless he changes his mind.

Anonymous said...

Miss Cooper, who is tipped for a Cabinet promotion under Mr Brown, said the home packs were needed to cut carbon emissions from homes, which are responsible for about a quarter of the UK’s entire output.

I think Miss Cooper will find that people are responsible for carbon emissions, not homes.

That said, in a marketplace where there is a deficit of properties for sale, will anyone be disuaded from purchase on the basis of energy efficiency - if that's something that motivates you you buy a new house, or build your own (I did, and it's overspec'd from an energy saving point of view).

iirc 40% of electrical energy is lost in the distribution network, and yet the government would rather have you feel guilty about wether you remember to switch your standby TV off at the wall.

Anonymous said...

Yvette Cooper is backing Harriet Harman to be deputy leader. That shows impressive judgement. LOL.
I've long thought that Yvette Cooper was overrated.

Anonymous said...

Dear Iain

We live in a Country where there seem to be no consequences for Bad Behaviour

Mr Brown the Pension-Snatcher increases Pension Fund by ?£6 billion a year (?£60 billion over 10 years) but is now effortlessly becoming the Prime Minister

We invade Iraq on the basis of unsubstantiated spin - thousands of Iraqis have now died - but Mr Blair has not been held to account

Dr Kelly is driven to his death & all Cruella & Alistair have the grace to do is to auction off a signed copy of the Hutton Report for 30 pieces of silver (cash value £400)- what a Huge Joke !!

?? Did we ever find out who paid for this Auctioned Copy

When HIPS packs cause the Housing Market to collapse with the crash of the Government's finances as stamp duty payments plummet :

1/2 will Mrs Yvette Balls or her Treasury husband Ed Cooper lose their jobs ?

3. Will Lord Rooker resign for his part in driving through these wretched HIPS regulations, which he admitted were "a high risk strategy"

How dare these people engage in a "high risk strategy", when it relates to so many ordinary families' Homes and the major investment for so many "little" people, now that Gordon has taxed Pension Funds into insolvency - tax increases which were demanded (err ... NeuLabour speak for "not demanded") by the CBI

They cannot say that they have not been warned about what will happen to the Housing Market

Yr obedient servant etc

G Eagle

Anonymous said...

Ironic really, because she doesn't have any hips of her own. Maybe she simply misunderstood the sentence.

Anonymous said...

I see this load of commentors still believe everything they read in the MSM .......... no independent brain cells to be seen here - move along now please.

Anonymous said...

"proof that power has already shifted to Gordon Brown"

But has obviously not been removed from thicko feministas.

Anonymous said...

Its also interesting to note how ministers refer to the private housing market as being 'part of the national housing stock'.

state ownership already???

Anonymous said...

I saw the arrogant Yvette Cooper interviewed recently and she kept referring to the British people as 'they' and 'them' in a very 'Let them eat cake" sort of way. She clearly doesn't hold the electorate in very high regard.

Unsworth said...

Mitch: "Chuck - I've libelled you. I mis-read your original post. Muchos apologies."

Blimey - don't apologise, boy. I enjoy the old cut and thrust, being the BDSM 'enthusiast' that I am...

Anyway, what gets to me is all these 'couples' (yes, of both sexes) operating within Government. It's really rather sordid.

In the 'old days' there was rather more integrity (or circumspection) than that, I think. It's time for some of these pigs (yes, of both sexes) to remove their snouts from the collective trough funded by the taxpayer.

Anonymous said...

What ? You mean she actually wanted them ?

Anonymous said...

A redefinition of the concept of 'Freehold' land ownership into some form that would enable the Treasury to levy tax on property land value appreciation (which is what underpins property market values) would be a stealth tax par excellence. Any initiative, such as HIPS, which gives the government potential ingress into the property market should be watched carefully/resisted zealously. For evidence of government intent, look at how the once benign Land Registry has been utilised to generate massive tax income via stamp duty and inheritance taxes. And bear in mind also, that these barely scratch the surface of the national 'wealth' that resides in UK property.

Anonymous said...

There is a good chance that stealth taxes will cause the next recession.

Anonymous said...

OT
Just heard on the news about the embroyo about turn ,I immediatly thought about berni eccleston and the cigarette ban ,am I a bit cynical.

Anonymous said...

The HIPS packs are required to include proof of title. This is a complex area of the law, especially with regard to what constitutes 'Freehold'. My suspicion is that after HIPS are 'bedded in', there will be a drive to 'resolve legal complexity and anachronism', 'simplify', 'bring into the 21st century', etc. and a government-led rewriting of what constitutes 'Freehold'.

Anonymous said...

I'd have taken her up on her offer

Anonymous said...

old hippy said...

iirc 40% of electrical energy is lost in the distribution network, and yet the government would rather have you feel guilty about wether you remember to switch your standby TV off at the wall.

May 17, 2007 9:56 AM

According to DTI statistics in 2005 the Losses from the UK electricty system were 30.638 GWh and Total supply 408.846 GWh. From those two numbers I calculate Losses as a percentage of Total supply was of the order of 7.5%. Not sure where the 40% value you quote came from - perhaps you means that 40% of Losses happen in the distribution network? That would be about right as about 60% of Losses occur in the High Voltage transmission ntwork, transformers and customer meters.

Anonymous said...

anonymous at 11.47 -

you are correct the losses are of the order of 7.5%, not sure where I picked that 40% number up from. 7.5% is still a big number especially when coupled with the thermodynamic efficiency of the process generating it (40-60%).

The 40% may have been transforemer losses in the distribution network, since the article was making a case for the replacement of iron cores in transformers with more efficient materials, but there was an issue of capital payback time for the electricity companies.

Smith said...

Obviously the Brownites are as deluded as Brown himself believing that they can keep regulating, taxing and interfering and it won't affect the economy.

Anonymous said...

Hmm..If only someone had called her bluff..

Surely one of your 'techy' readers could put a little 'YouTube' film of her together to the soundtrack of the lovely Beyonce with 'HIPS don't lie' [well, maybe they do..]

Anonymous said...

The fine will be £200 PER DAY.

Really? This seems entirely disproportionate and surely open to legal challenge. What about people's ability to pay? How will it be enforced, and by whom? The New Model Army of thousands more beady-eyed Trading Standards officers which is being recruited for this very purpose as we speak, not? It's a civil not criminal penalty, which means local authorities would have to pursue defaulters through the civil courts - a very time-wasting and expensive process for which they have no extra resources. Not surprising that authorities have said they will enforce the regulations, quote, "erratically if at all".

Just another fine legal and political mess New Labour have gotten themselves into, of their own volition.

Anonymous said...

Most Building Societies and Banks will ask for their own survey prior to lending on mortgage anyway so the HIPS pack is a complete waste of paper and merely another stealth tax from Gordon

Anonymous said...

"We live in a Country where there seem to be no consequences for Bad Behaviour" G Eagle

youhit the nail on the head mate. in this country you can commit crimes if you are in govt with impunity.......society has already noticed and is doing the same.