The massacre of Red Crescent and civil defence aid workers has elicited little coverage and no condemnation by major powers — this is the age of lawlessness, warns JOE GILL
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Beware of this stealth attack on public-sector housing
Under the radar, the government is sneaking in the possibility of a new programme of 'stock transfers' of council housing to housing associations. That should be resisted at all costs, says MARTIN WICKS
THE TORIES’ social housing green paper marks a partial retreat from some of their previous policies. They have abandoned the proposal to force councils to sell off so-called higher-value homes, which would have involved confiscating the sales receipts and handing them over to housing associations to compensate them for the difference between the “real-time bidding” price and the market value.
It has also abandoned the compulsory introduction of fixed-term tenancies, though councils can still use them if they wish.
A “damp squib” this may be, as the Financial Times has described it. There is no new money for council house building but there is one proposal which, if implemented, would constitute a major threat to council housing.
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Above-inflation rent increases will push council tenants deeper into poverty while failing to address the housing crisis — and it won’t really raise any money, as council rent arrears are doubling across the country, argues MARTIN WICKS

Labour’s about to shift cost of new housing onto tenants, writes MARTIN WICKS arguing instead for cancelling the councils' HRA debt

MARTIN WICKS argues that the government’s reduced discounts for council house purchases don’t go far enough, and we need to be calling for the complete abolition of this regressive Thatcherite policy

It’s high time for England to follow Scotland and Wales in ending the privatisation of collectively owned housing. MARTIN WICKS explains why