In reply to Postmanpat:
> (In reply to Jon Stewart)
> [...]
> It's a government priority to get the economy going. Avoiding negative equity problems and stimulating housing demand is a simple way of doing this.
> Relaxing planning laws should enable more houses to be built.
Well let's wait and see. I think it'll take a bit more of a push than that myself. The planning laws aren't there just to obstruct building, it'll become obvious what the purpose of each silly rule was as soon as it is relaxed, and things will not speed up.
> I agree that it's not a great underpinning for the economy but its been that way for fifty years so its not exactly a new problem or a Tory monopoly.
I never implied that it was. I think all major parties announce stupid polices that sound nice to voters.
> Governments like to get re-elected. "It's the economy, stupid". You're just being tribal.
There are two faces to this policy, the economic stimulus and the free money for young couples. You can concentrate on the former and deny the existence of the latter if you like, I won't be convinced that this isn't simply buying votes. If stimulus was the focus, this is not how you'd spend the money. Just because you voted them in, don't pretend you can't see how crap and shallow their policies are.