Category Archives: viewpoint

A real Chinese takeaway

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The Chinese government has much to answer for at the moment, as the world suffers 500,000 Covid-induced deaths and has cost probably ten trillion dollars worth of reparations to underpin the global economies.

Quite apart from the vexed Huawei 5G issues, which the government is trying to unravel as we speak, there’s even more trouble in Beijing’s backyard, as President Xi and his cronies tighten the imperialistic legal controls on Hong Kong citizens, in order to bring them – forcibly – under Communist dictatorship. Continue reading →

Mr Sunak, don’t do a half job on Stamp Duty on Wednesday’s Mini-Budget – do it properly, or not at all

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As the press media would have us believe, apart from tinkering with VAT, it looks as though Mr Sunak is going to raise the threshold of Stamp Duty as a limp gesture, for a year, to get the residential property market off its knees.

I’m wondering who is, today, advising the Treasury about the state of the residential market? Whoever they may be, the truth is that as a direct result of the government-backed scheme – Right-to-Buy – this has been stoking up the lower end of the market, for some time now. Frankly, activity in this sector has been quite brisk and doesn’t really need any further stimulation. Continue reading →

Heigh-ho, heigh-ho, it’s off to work we go…

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As estate agents offices open up again around the country, we need to adjust to a brave, new post-virus world.

The current ‘lockdown affair’ has been tragic, absurd and surreal. However, one unexpected side effect has been that everyone has had time to reflect on their lives and discern what is truly worthwhile. The difference between the price of everything and the value of nothing, as Oscar Wilde might say.

So as we come blinking into the sunlight, it’s an opportune time to examine the seismic macroeconomic issues which are rumbling away under our feet, at this very moment. Continue reading →