Instead of letting MPs claim money to have a second home in London, it has now been suggested that we buy them a block of flats to use instead:

Buying a block of flats or hotel for MPs is not a good idea. The Westminster village is insular and incestuous enough as it is, without hemming them in together at all times during the working week. MPs need to experience real life as much as possible, and this sort of proposal - even excluding the physical impracticalities - will just make MPs even less connected with the rest of us than already.

Rather than this idea, why not just cut the amount that MPs will be given towards a second home to the average mortgage payment or rent nationwide? If they want nicer accommodation than that will pay for as a second home, they can pay it themselves from their not-inconsiderable salaries.

This proposal by Carline Flint, he Housing minister, that unemployed people who live in council or housing association owned property should either get a job or leave their home is absurd. Making them homeless isn't going to help anyone, and is hardly likely to enable them, to get a job after being evicted.

All people on Jobseeker's Allowance should be expected to actively seek work, but not on the pain of losing their home. Rather, if they are serious about getting people into work and off state handouts, they should adopt the Conservative proposal of removing benefits from those who refuse to take or look for jobs.

Throwing them out of their homes and on to the streets demonstrates that it is Labour who are the new "nasty party". Either that, or it's all just a load of hot air, trying to make them look "tough on benefit scrounging and tough on the causes of benefit scrounging". But it won't work, and certainly not with insane ideas like this which any with half a brain would suggest. And Downing Street is already distancing themselves from Flint.

I'm all for being tough on benefit scroungers, but working, or looking for work, should not be a condition of housing. To evict anyone from their home for not looking for work would be immoral. Rather, their benefits should be cut or removed entirely. Eviction won't help them get jobs, just put more people on the streets.