Monday, October 06, 2008

Mortgage owing democracy

If you want to blame Bill Clinton for the credit crunch (&, not so subtly, also turn it into a race issue) then you will have to blame Margaret Thatcher too

For it was she who won the 1979 election on the promise of the Right to Buy, & her ministers who constantly preached the virtues of home ownership, regularly advising that a mortgage could work out cheaper than paying rent, or at least you would have something to show for your money

And then freed up the Building Societies so they could seek funds in the market & thus could afford to take bigger risks in their lending decisions