Nick Cohen today does his usual job of disproving Euan Ferguson’s  contention that newspaper columnists are overpaid.

It wasn’t a capricious
decision by a local little Hitler but a faithful following of
government policy. Very quietly the Blair government is repeating
mistakes of the Wilson government. Sharp-eyed observers could see the
burnt fool’s bandaged finger was waggling back to the fire as early as
2000 when John Prescott issued an obscure document – Government
Planning Guidance (PPG3) – which announced that increasing housing
density was a national priority. Now the message is everywhere.
‘Improving the quality of design and the quantum of density are two of
the most urgent and important issues facing the house-building
industry, declared Lord Falconer, who in the best Crossman tradition
doesn’t live in a slab block himself, but a lovely Islington villa.

Once
again the wrecker’s ball is swinging. Prescott has ordered thousands of
Victorian terrace houses to be demolished across the north of England.

Even
Lord Rogers, who designs tower blocks from his office in his
double-fronted Georgian home, has warned Ministers that they should
‘first of all conserve existing buildings wherever possible, for they
are part of our history and create a spirit of place’. There’s no sign
that his sensible advice is being taken.

The
old alliance of greedy property developers, extravagant architects and
unhinged politicians is once again producing grand projects. Ken
Livingstone, London’s mayor and a civic leader as unaccountable as any
the twentieth century produced, wants giant tower blocks to march along
the banks of the Thames.

Sir
Terry Farrell is proposing to throw up tower blocks at Lots Road in
Hammersmith. When Brendan Bird, a campaigner for working-class tenants,
asked a public inquiry if the developers could show him the space on
the plans for children to play, they couldn’t.

In my view he lets fuckwit off a bit lightly there but a fine piece all round.

BTW, Jim, now that this criticism is coming from the left, rather than deranged libertarians such as myself, do you think it has a little more validity?