SOLOMON HUGHES recommends Sunjeev Sahota’s recent novel set in a trade union election campaign for its fresh approach to what unites and divides workers, but wishes the union backdrop was truer to life
IF you want to know why Labour will struggle with their housing promises, it’s worth taking a look at the annual accounts of Taylor Wimpey.
Labour says it will “get Britain building again” and will “deliver affordable housing.” But it won’t do it by the traditional Labour method of building more council houses. Instead, it hopes to cajole the private housebuilders to build more houses.
Labour hopes the extra supply will lower house prices, and this might filter down to lower rents — and that it can do side deals with the private housebuilders to include some social housing in their developments.
CAROL WILCOX argues for the proper implementation of the land value tax, which could see unused plots sold off and landlords priced out of landlordism, potentially resolving the housing and planning crises
GLYN ROBBINS celebrates how tenant-led campaigning forced the government to drop Pay to Stay, fixed-term tenancies and council home sell-offs under Cameron — but warns that Labour’s faith in private developers will require renewed resistance



