The British are not a nation of shopkeepers, as Napoleon said, but rather one of property speculators. This is why a government notionally devoted to fiscal austerity has decided to use its balance sheet, up to £130bn (8 per cent of gross domestic product), to guarantee mortgages as part of its “Help to Buy” scheme. The government claims it is helping first-time buyers. It is really helping those who wish to keep housing costly: today’s owners, banks and housebuilders. The government is strengthening a conspiracy to keep house prices exorbitant.
英国并不像拿破仑(Napoleon)所说，是个小店主之国，而是房地产投机者之国。正因此，一个名义上奉行财政紧缩的政府，决定动用多达1300亿英镑的财政资金（国内生产总值(GDP)的8%），实施“购房援助计划”(Help to Buy)，为抵押贷款提供担保。政府声称帮助的对象是首次买房者。但事实上，该计划的受益者是那些希望维持高房价的人：目前的有房者、银行和住宅开发商。面对着一个将房价维持在离谱水平的阴谋，政府所做的却是推波助澜。