Daniel in Cornwall
@danielincornwall.bsky.social
Chilli growing, photography, cooking stuff, rugby watching, paddle boarding, occasional Land Rovers and general Cornwall things. Also tax. Mostly in Penzance, sometimes London. Not Cornish.
There are some pretty good arguments for social security as distinct from income tax but they involve making a case for contributory benefits above bare minimum survival rates, and arguing that they aren't "handouts" to "scroungers" so probably going to be challenging in British politics.
November 12, 2025 at 1:57 PM
There are some pretty good arguments for social security as distinct from income tax but they involve making a case for contributory benefits above bare minimum survival rates, and arguing that they aren't "handouts" to "scroungers" so probably going to be challenging in British politics.
To be fair, he did at least say "foreign criminals" not just "foreigners"...
November 12, 2025 at 1:10 PM
To be fair, he did at least say "foreign criminals" not just "foreigners"...
There's a great cartoon character somewhere in the idea of a free-floating conscience that arrives by zip wire, log flume or parachute to deliver coruscating moral judgements.
November 12, 2025 at 12:58 PM
There's a great cartoon character somewhere in the idea of a free-floating conscience that arrives by zip wire, log flume or parachute to deliver coruscating moral judgements.
(Specifically, very similar price to houses of 2,500-3,000 sq ft with an acre or two of land - so underscores the point that "straightforward family sized flats" are not really a thing).
November 12, 2025 at 12:26 PM
(Specifically, very similar price to houses of 2,500-3,000 sq ft with an acre or two of land - so underscores the point that "straightforward family sized flats" are not really a thing).
While west Cornwall isn't exactly a densely-populated urban centre, there was just one large (2000 sqft/4.5 bedroom) flat in Penzance on sale when we bought our house here and, I guess like the one linked, it was priced as a luxury property due to scarcity of large flats - very similar to a house.
November 12, 2025 at 12:25 PM
While west Cornwall isn't exactly a densely-populated urban centre, there was just one large (2000 sqft/4.5 bedroom) flat in Penzance on sale when we bought our house here and, I guess like the one linked, it was priced as a luxury property due to scarcity of large flats - very similar to a house.
I guess that you'd need a reasonable sample set of 4-5 bedroom flats to measure the impact (and based on recent building trends, they probably don't exist)
November 12, 2025 at 12:16 PM
I guess that you'd need a reasonable sample set of 4-5 bedroom flats to measure the impact (and based on recent building trends, they probably don't exist)
Ok - solve in the sense of "in a world with no other constraints price signals would show what people value"?
November 12, 2025 at 12:08 PM
Ok - solve in the sense of "in a world with no other constraints price signals would show what people value"?
I lived in a new build "luxury executive" home briefly about 10 years ago and the no storage/no utility spaces criticisms applied, plus all rooms slightly too small for normal furniture. The only box it ticked was number of rooms - everything else value-engineered to uselessness. So not just flats.
November 12, 2025 at 12:07 PM
I lived in a new build "luxury executive" home briefly about 10 years ago and the no storage/no utility spaces criticisms applied, plus all rooms slightly too small for normal furniture. The only box it ticked was number of rooms - everything else value-engineered to uselessness. So not just flats.
“Solve” in what sense?
November 12, 2025 at 11:49 AM
“Solve” in what sense?
From a personal preference point of view I totally agree - would much rather have a large flat in a high density neighbourhood than a same-sized house in the distant suburbs but most people seem obsessed with the idea that a family home is a house with a little bit of garden.
November 12, 2025 at 11:44 AM
From a personal preference point of view I totally agree - would much rather have a large flat in a high density neighbourhood than a same-sized house in the distant suburbs but most people seem obsessed with the idea that a family home is a house with a little bit of garden.
Yes, sorry, I should have said house not home (I don't remember seeing many 5 bed flats, regardless of price, when considering options to upsize in zone 1/2, but that's a supply not price issue I guess)
November 12, 2025 at 11:22 AM
Yes, sorry, I should have said house not home (I don't remember seeing many 5 bed flats, regardless of price, when considering options to upsize in zone 1/2, but that's a supply not price issue I guess)
which is quite fun to apply to the LDs, Greens and Tories current voting intention shares all hovering around the 16.7% threshold.
November 12, 2025 at 11:19 AM
which is quite fun to apply to the LDs, Greens and Tories current voting intention shares all hovering around the 16.7% threshold.
I'd be convinced by the "£1m is a normal family home" argument if that's what 4-5 beds costs towards the end of any tube line or in mainline commuter towns.
November 12, 2025 at 11:18 AM
I'd be convinced by the "£1m is a normal family home" argument if that's what 4-5 beds costs towards the end of any tube line or in mainline commuter towns.
The bit I'm less clear about is where you set the geographical limit for "normal family home should not be £1m" - it's not a new phenomenon that if you wanted a home for 2-4 children you needed to finally find out what Zone 4 or 5 is. Living in e.g. Vauxhall wasn't realistic for many by the 90s.
November 12, 2025 at 11:16 AM
The bit I'm less clear about is where you set the geographical limit for "normal family home should not be £1m" - it's not a new phenomenon that if you wanted a home for 2-4 children you needed to finally find out what Zone 4 or 5 is. Living in e.g. Vauxhall wasn't realistic for many by the 90s.
Wasn't that the 2019 Get Brexit Done bounce where a lot of the usually-sceptical briefly believed politics was achieving what they wanted?
November 12, 2025 at 11:00 AM
Wasn't that the 2019 Get Brexit Done bounce where a lot of the usually-sceptical briefly believed politics was achieving what they wanted?
Number 10 are already testing one out to see how it goes damping down leadership challenge rumours.
November 12, 2025 at 12:05 AM
Number 10 are already testing one out to see how it goes damping down leadership challenge rumours.
it's relevant as the "extraordinarily generous" salary sacrifice benefit at this level provides some relief from the "extraordinarily stupid" (and fiscally-dragged too) £100k multi-edged cliff. None of it makes sense, but tinkering with one bit without fixing it all is pasty tax territory
November 11, 2025 at 9:24 PM
it's relevant as the "extraordinarily generous" salary sacrifice benefit at this level provides some relief from the "extraordinarily stupid" (and fiscally-dragged too) £100k multi-edged cliff. None of it makes sense, but tinkering with one bit without fixing it all is pasty tax territory
Pretty much.
November 11, 2025 at 8:14 PM
Pretty much.
Operation Donkey Sanctuary was right there
November 11, 2025 at 8:10 PM
Operation Donkey Sanctuary was right there
Looking forward to the bit where they catch a stingrey
November 11, 2025 at 6:59 PM
Looking forward to the bit where they catch a stingrey
Hope they checked the altimetre when they got to the top.
November 11, 2025 at 6:55 PM
Hope they checked the altimetre when they got to the top.
(and yes I know 100k is a high income and this isn't a group that is going to benefit from a lot of sympathy, but right now pension tax relief via salary sacrifice helps to mitigate the effect of an objectively dysfunctional and unfair bit of the tax system, so fix all of it or leave it alone...)
November 11, 2025 at 6:47 PM
(and yes I know 100k is a high income and this isn't a group that is going to benefit from a lot of sympathy, but right now pension tax relief via salary sacrifice helps to mitigate the effect of an objectively dysfunctional and unfair bit of the tax system, so fix all of it or leave it alone...)
It's hard to model because of the interaction with the 100k cliff. Best guess is that those affected would just grumpily pay quite a bit more tax and not save in pensions at all, but with a strong sense of unfairness and disappointment that govt isn't sorting out yet another thing that doesn't work.
November 11, 2025 at 6:46 PM
It's hard to model because of the interaction with the 100k cliff. Best guess is that those affected would just grumpily pay quite a bit more tax and not save in pensions at all, but with a strong sense of unfairness and disappointment that govt isn't sorting out yet another thing that doesn't work.
The problem is that targeting a very generous, unevenly spread benefit creates a sudden, tightly focused extra cost for those on the other end of it, regardless of whether fair. Could be done at the same time as fixing the very unfair, unevenly applying cliff-edges, but not in isolation.
November 11, 2025 at 6:17 PM
The problem is that targeting a very generous, unevenly spread benefit creates a sudden, tightly focused extra cost for those on the other end of it, regardless of whether fair. Could be done at the same time as fixing the very unfair, unevenly applying cliff-edges, but not in isolation.
The image of Robbie Gibb as a freshwater merman is what we all needed to get through the afternoon.
November 11, 2025 at 1:23 PM
The image of Robbie Gibb as a freshwater merman is what we all needed to get through the afternoon.