Cameron to cut happiness by 30% - official

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Cameron and co are going to incorporate 'general wellbeing' into GDP data. Whatever his motives, and they may be genuine, this surely must be good. Although judging by comments on the Guardian story, there are plenty who will be ticking the 'Mightily pissed off' box when the survey eventually appears.

Funniest comments:

"Those deemed not happy enough will be compelled to attend 4 week courses where they repeatedly have to read the Lib-Dem's election manifesto - that should have most people in hysterics.

If you're happy and you know it, clap your hands. (Cue deafening silence).

If 2010 was a Black Adder episode, this idea would have surely come from Baldric; after Black Adder ravaged the country and was looking for a way to have fun with his subjugates."

Actually I am absurdly happy, and it's got nothing to do with the ConDems or the economy. Am I alone in this? Or is it all because of my baby Amali...aah

Victory for left in Brazil's presidential election

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A comment from someone who used to live in Brazil:

I hope that she continues the good work of Lula. I used to live in Brasil when Lula took office and i lived there for 5 years on and off. I returned in July after 3 years away to visit some friends and family and i was shocked to see how much Brasil had improved. I lived in Alagoas one of the poorest states and was shocked at the lack of begging and homeless people. At night where once there were just prostitutes on the street corners there were bars and snack bars and areas had been rejuvinated. When i first went to Brasil I was told there is just the rich and the poor. That is not true now, there is a huge middle class. I wish Dilma all the best and I hope she keeps Brasil on the right track and to be fair it is going to be a monster economy in a few years. Brasil will always have social problems but from my experience they are lessening year on year. Good to see a Presidenta!

Housing benefit - don't let the facts get in the way!

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An awful lot has been written about Housing Benefit since the government decided to cap it. So much, and yet so little light cast. Please, can we remember the basic facts - HB recipients DONT GET ANY MONEY. Landlords get the money! Fact: the reason HB has doubled in the last decade is because RENTS HAVE DOUBLED. Ergo, the problem is not the claimants, it is the lack of affordable housing. Buy to let landlords have been partying and they are still going to party once these cuts are in place because they don't solve the problem. Its like dealing with headaches through decapitation. If the headache is caused by someone punching you, would it not be better to stop the person doing the punching? I suggested to a friend yesterday that the answer - well, part of it - could be RENT CONTROL. Mrs Thatcher abolished rent boards in 1980, which used to regulate the private rented sector. Bring them back, I said. He said that would not be acceptable in the 21st century. My lord, perhaps he is right. It is acceptable that landlords get billions from the taxpayer to keep them in the money, but not to control rent. We could try LAND VALUE TAX, which is an effective way to stop owners of property from accumulating too much wealth at the expense of millions of working people. May be then wealth owners would do something more useful with their money - like invest in businesses and jobs. In Germany where they have an LVT the cost of renting is NINE TIMES CHEAPER per square foot. Just imagine that! May be we could take the money from LVT and apply it to building new homes and subsidising social housing. Landlordism is an age old vice. I know - I was a landlord once too. It's easy money. Why in an age of austerity can't we do something other than punish tenants. Because in England we live in a feudal aristocracy and no one will stand up to the landlords.