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Reposted by Rob Gershon

Chris Giles @chrisgiles.ft.com · 1d

There is no need for a moral panic about the UK's welfare system.

Far from perfect but recent discourse is nuts

Spending is controlled, not spiralling

Worklessness is near record lows

My column www.ft.com/content/ee67...

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Rob Gershon @simplicitly.bsky.social · 20h

'Changes to the planning system' risks being the trickle-down economics of our housing policy age.

And we'll all have to pretend to be surprised when it doesn't work and it will be nobody's fault.

Rob Gershon @simplicitly.bsky.social · 20h

The frustration (some) social housing providers will have with relying on private developers (still, again), is mirrored by the frustration tenants feel at government acceding to social landlord demands on rent rises and a lack of focus on things like the competence and conduct standard.

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Rob Gershon @simplicitly.bsky.social · 20h

Zero surprises. 'Rolling over to developers' is the only option governments have when they won't specifically invest in social housing. The hats are off-putting but the policy is going to dig the affordability crisis even deeper.

The Guardian @theguardian.com · 21h

A leaked memo, a Maga-style hat and a trail of broken pledges – it’s Labour’s great housing betrayal | Aditya Chakrabortty

Ignore the bombast: Steve ‘build, baby, build’ Reed’s boast looks likely to end in targets more pathetic than they are now, says Guardian columnist Aditya Chakrabortty

www.theguardian.com

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Rob Gershon @simplicitly.bsky.social · 8d

We know from when the Tories did it that this kind of deliberately pig-ignorant misinformation drills down into other sectors like social landlords, who see themselves as gatekeepers to entitlements in too many cases and are easily swept up by propaganda.

Rob Gershon @simplicitly.bsky.social · 8d

The idea that there is a cohort of people who want to claim some of the worst benefits there are just so they can be harangued by clueless politicians and subjected to interacting with the dregs of the British workforce at the DWP and Jobcentre is for the birds.

George Monbiot @georgemonbiot.bsky.social · 8d

Like the Tories, the Labour government is trying to drive down the number of people who qualify for disability benefits by insisting there has been an epidemic of “overdiagnosis”: a favourite theme of the BBC and the junktanks of Tufton Street. Never mind the science: what outcome do we want?

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Rob Gershon @simplicitly.bsky.social · 12d

I am looking forward to the day it's all resolved so that I can.. suggest.. some.. lessons.. that could.. be.. learned. But until then I remain amazed it manages to operate as an organisation at all. Making it bigger, and subjecting more tenants to their.. quality shortcomings.. feels bad.

Rob Gershon @simplicitly.bsky.social · 12d

My fam's ongoing disputes with Bromford continue, and I can't share it while it's all kind of legal-y, but suffice to say there are some proper competence and conduct issues.

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Rob Gershon @simplicitly.bsky.social · 12d

What have LiveWest tenants done to deserve this?

Inside Housing Management @ihmanagement.bsky.social · 13d

Bromford Flagship and LiveWest confirm merger talks

Bromford Flagship and LiveWest have revealed that talks are underway to combine the two housing associations

dlvr.it

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Rob Gershon @simplicitly.bsky.social · 13d

There have been 17 monthly reports from the Housing Ombudsman designed to help the housing sector learn lessons from severe maladministration, but the lessons are similar every month. Why aren't social landlords learning them? It can't all be time lag and it's years since spotlight reports began.

hqn @hqnmedia.bsky.social · 15d

In this article for HQN, @simplicitly.bsky.social looks back through the Housing Ombudsman's mountain of reports and asks why social landlords don't appear to be learning anything from what they expose hqnetwork.co.uk/news/opinion... #ukhousing

Opinion: Why aren't we learning lessons from learning lessons? - HQN

It’s enlightening to briefly look back on the summarised conclusions of that first report. There might even be lessons to learn from them. The Housing

hqnetwork.co.uk

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Rob Gershon @simplicitly.bsky.social · 15d

😬

hqn @hqnmedia.bsky.social · 15d

In this article for HQN, @simplicitly.bsky.social looks back through the Housing Ombudsman's mountain of reports and asks why social landlords don't appear to be learning anything from what they expose hqnetwork.co.uk/news/opinion... #ukhousing

Opinion: Why aren't we learning lessons from learning lessons? - HQN

It’s enlightening to briefly look back on the summarised conclusions of that first report. There might even be lessons to learn from them. The Housing

hqnetwork.co.uk

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Reposted by Rob Gershon

Helen Barnard @helenbarnard.bsky.social · 16d

How did the Prime Minister do? He spoke about reducing child poverty and giving children the best start in life. But warm words don’t pay the bills or put food on the table. The government must lift the two child limit, or see child poverty rise even further on their watch.

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Reposted by Rob Gershon

New Economics Foundation @neweconomics.bsky.social · 16d

Good living standards aren’t a reward for growth. A thriving economy is built on government investment in strong public services, financial support for those who need it, and a swift journey towards a low-carbon economy.

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Reposted by Rob Gershon

New Economics Foundation @neweconomics.bsky.social · 16d

Worse still, the current strategy is not delivering meaningful growth. Focusing on deregulation for financial services, while refusing to invest more in public services won't lead to growth we all benefit from.

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Reposted by Rob Gershon

New Economics Foundation @neweconomics.bsky.social · 16d

Keir Starmer is wrong to say economic growth will heal the division sown by the far-right in this country.

The benefits of major GDP growth are likely to flow to the big business and the wealthiest people, living in the most well-off parts of the country. #LabourConference2025

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Reposted by Rob Gershon

Minnie Rahman @minnierahman.bsky.social · 16d

Genuine reflection from Labour conference. The leadership is massively out of step with its own members and civil society. It’s giving pigheaded. The mood was low,few people impressed or confident in the current vision. The May elections will punish Starmerism and we’ll all be worse off for it.

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Reposted by Rob Gershon

Minnie Rahman @minnierahman.bsky.social · 16d

Leaving labour conference and felt like I’d lost something. Realised it’s my will to live.

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Reposted by Rob Gershon

Tom Clark @tom-clark.bsky.social · 16d

2-child argument moves to Budget

Arguably that’s more logical

But v odd not to have made much clearer in the run-up to today that there was no announcement on this today

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Reposted by Rob Gershon

Alan Owlport 🦉 🎃 @alanallport.bsky.social · 16d

There’s about 20 clips from Trump’s speech to the generals and any one of them is reasonable grounds for 25th Amendment removal/impeachment.

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Rob Gershon @simplicitly.bsky.social · 16d

Basically continuity Iain Duncan Smith.

rightsnet @rightsnet.org.uk · 16d

Work and Pensions Secretary: Our job is to wage war on hopelessness and create an opportunity welfare state

www.rightsnet.org.uk/now/post/68367

Rob Gershon @simplicitly.bsky.social · 19d

It really is necessary, and I really hope this approach gets the space it needs. Not the only initiative towards a tenant body at the moment, but I hear there is a window of opportunity at government for something like this. Though unsure if it has survived Sec of State swap.

SHAC: The Social Housing Action Campaign @shacaction.bsky.social · 19d

It's necessary. It's happening. Ben Jenkins & Housing Sector gave us the chance to explain plans for a genuinely democratic National Tenants' and Residents' Union.

Conference: 11-4 - 11th October

Indian YMCA, 41 Fitzroy Square, London W1T 6AG - and online.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZROt...

Housing Sector Podcast Episode #54 - The Case for a National Tenants and Residents Union

YouTube video by Housing Sector

www.youtube.com

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Reposted by Rob Gershon

Paul Bernal @paulbernal.bsky.social · 19d

I’m not

It isn’t.

It should be, but you’re working very hard to ensure it isn’t.

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Reposted by Rob Gershon

Tom Baldwin @tombaldwin66.bsky.social · 20d

This is a very important story in the context of Nigel Farage’s publicly expressed - if apparently unconnected - admiration for Putin and other links with a regime that only wants to harm our country.

Ex-Reform UK Wales leader Nathan Gill pleads guilty to bribery charges

Nathan Gill admits eight charges of bribery while being a Member of the European Parliament.

www.bbc.co.uk

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Rob Gershon @simplicitly.bsky.social · 20d

Don't really want to have to get another phone just to see people's CVs or great workplace achievements or whatever.

Rob Gershon @simplicitly.bsky.social · 20d

Is it supposed to be annoying to get set up on LinkedIn? I've avoided it until now because.. well.. it's full of professionals.. but now there is a thing I'm doing and it's based on LI. I have been through one tedious set of security and now it wants me to do another I don't have the hardware for.

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