The Day Thus Far.

We have been thinking Radical Thoughts^TM concerning the way we operate our housing finance system. We have not had a clear steer yet from our new masters as to what direction they wish to follow, how much change they want in policy or whether ideology is to fall to financial pragmatism. This means that we have been bouncing ideas around ranging from no change to major change and any variation we can think of in between. I suspect we shall get a steer on policy direction and financial constraints quite soon, but many details will remain quite nebulous until, initially, the budget and for the longer term, the forthcoming and much delayed Spending Review.

Being radical is really quite fun and I have managed to scare the crap out of my Deputy Director with views on just how radical we can be if we really want to. He doesn’t want to be as radical as that, but I am now under informal instructions to keep the ideas coming, even if he ends up batting them in to the long grass, which is quite gratifying. It’s very much worth it to see him and senior colleagues splutter in horror at some of them. I particularly enjoy exchanges like:

Yours Truly: “We could do such and such, to this, this and this effect…”

Others: >Gasp< “But doesn’t that break the Golden Rule?”

Yours Truly: “It does, yes. But whose Golden Rule is it?”

Omnes: “Why, Bryan, it’s the Chancellor’s Golden Rule!”

Yours Truly: “But which Chancellor?”

Omnes: “Golden Gordon, of course. He invented it in 1997 or thereabouts!”

Yours Truly: “You are indeed correct. But who is Chancellor now?”

Omnes: “That would be Gorgeous George Osborne, not to be confused with Gorgeous George Galloway, who is of entirely different tint!”

Yours Truly: “And of what hue is Gorgeous Georgie O, not to be confused with Gorgeous Georgie G?”

Omnes: “Why Bryan, he is of the truest Blue!”

Yours Truly: “Indeed, and the estimable Golden Gordon, quondam Chancellor is of what hue?”

Omnes: “He is of the darkest and most veinous red!”

Yours Truly: “Indeed he is; therefore what now for his Golden Rule?”

Omnes: “Cripes! (and other assorted alarums)”
Yours Truly: “Then we could do such and such, to this, this and this effect..?”

Omnes: Cries of “I need a brandy, purely medicinal!”

Exeunt Onmes, pursued by nightmare visions and Horsemen of the Apocalypse.

finis

I like radical thinking. Now for a nice cup of tea.

The Day Thus Far.

We have been thinking Radical Thoughts^TM concerning the way we operate our housing finance system. We have not had a clear steer yet from our new masters as to what direction they wish to follow, how much change they want in policy or whether ideology is to fall to financial pragmatism. This means that we have been bouncing ideas around ranging from no change to major change and any variation we can think of in between. I suspect we shall get a steer on policy direction and financial constraints quite soon, but many details will remain quite nebulous until, initially, the budget and for the longer term, the forthcoming and much delayed Spending Review.

Being radical is really quite fun and I have managed to scare the crap out of my Deputy Director with views on just how radical we can be if we really want to. He doesn’t want to be as radical as that, but I am now under informal instructions to keep the ideas coming, even if he ends up batting them in to the long grass, which is quite gratifying. It’s very much worth it to see him and senior colleagues splutter in horror at some of them. I particularly enjoy exchanges like:

Yours Truly: “We could do such and such, to this, this and this effect…”

Others: >Gasp< “But doesn’t that break the Golden Rule?”

Yours Truly: “It does, yes. But whose Golden Rule is it?”

Omnes: “Why, Bryan, it’s the Chancellor’s Golden Rule!”

Yours Truly: “But which Chancellor?”

Omnes: “Golden Gordon, of course. He invented it in 1997 or thereabouts!”

Yours Truly: “You are indeed correct. But who is Chancellor now?”

Omnes: “That would be Gorgeous George Osborne, not to be confused with Gorgeous George Galloway, who is of entirely different tint!”

Yours Truly: “And of what hue is Gorgeous Georgie O, not to be confused with Gorgeous Georgie G?”

Omnes: “Why Bryan, he is of the truest Blue!”

Yours Truly: “Indeed, and the estimable Golden Gordon, quondam Chancellor is of what hue?”

Omnes: “He is of the darkest and most veinous red!”

Yours Truly: “Indeed he is; therefore what now for his Golden Rule?”

Omnes: “Cripes! (and other assorted alarums)”
Yours Truly: “Then we could do such and such, to this, this and this effect..?”

Omnes: Cries of “I need a brandy, purely medicinal!”

Exeunt Onmes, pursued by nightmare visions and Horsemen of the Apocalypse.

finis

I like radical thinking. Now for a nice cup of tea.