Archinect - News

RIBA responds positively to Corbyn's new manifesto for Labour

2017-05-16T15:43:00-04:00

In mid-April, the Prime Minister Theresa May reversed her earlier stated decision and called for a snap election—a move that surprised many. While some called the move opportunistic, others supported the early election, including Jeremy Corbyn, leader of Labour, the opposition party. The Labour Party currently trails behind the Conservative Party, led by May, in national polls. Today, Corbyn released a manifesto, intended to make clear his party’s positions and to drum up support for the embattled party.

The manifesto, dubbed “For the Many, Not the Few”, takes strong positions. Around £50B sourced primarily from taxes on corporations and the country’s wealthiest citizens would be used to fund major new public programs, from housing to education to healthcare to transit. The manifesto rules out rises in VAT, national insurance, and income tax for all but the top 5% of earners.

For some, the manifesto is seen as stridently leftist. By all accounts, it represents a stark difference to th...

Tristram Hunt to resign as MP to take job as head of the V&A

2017-01-13T12:27:00-05:00

Tristram Hunt, the former shadow education secretary, has announced that he will resign as a Labour MP to become the director of the Victoria and Albert Museum. The move, which will come with a salary of over £145,000, will also trigger a by-election in Stoke, a constituency that is vulnerable to poaching by Ukip or the Conservative Party. Hunt has been vocally critical of Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn.

According to the Guardian, Hunt’s appointment was a “genuine surprise”. That being said, higher-ups the art world have largely greeted the news warmly. Others have cause to worry: back in 2010, Hunt griped about free admission to London museums and called for reintroducing charges for national museums. But the V&A has said that Hunt is “fully committed to free museum entrance”.

The (state-facilitated) death of the council house

2016-01-08T02:13:00-05:00

Whereas residents were once all long-term tenants, in the 35 years since Margaret Thatcher encouraged people to buy – and therefore sell – their council flats and houses, the population of places like this has become ever more transient. In particular, homes that were once council properties are now often owned by buy-to-let landlords who rent them out on a short-term basis.