Ryszard Petru, the founder, former leader and recently re-member of Nowoczesna, tried to solve the dilemma of whether an apartment is a right or a commodity in an interview with Radio Wrocław.
Housing – a right or a commodity?
When asked if postulates such as “Housing is a right, not a commodity” and proposals such as the 0% loan for the first apartment announced by PO President Donald Tusk are realistic, Petru replied:
I have a slightly different approach to this. I believe that housing is a commodity and must be bought.
The former head of Nowoczesna pointed out that not only in Poland, but also in many Western European countries, many people do not buy their own apartment, but rent it.
Needless to say, living in a big city is a huge expense. Therefore, another formula to buy it is often a loan
he pointed it out.
Petru pointed out that interest rates are currently high due to excessive inflation. According to Radio Wrocław’s interlocutor, “they should be higher, so that they are very low in the future, so that you can easily take out a loan again.”
[Mieszkanie] it is a normal market product that can be supported in some form by the state. There used to be such a form of support: credit deduction, construction deduction, renovation deduction
– reviewed Ryszard Petru and noted that he is not in favor of state intervention that would lower the price of loans, because in the 2000s it was precisely such actions that would lead to the Lehman Brothers crisis.
There were low rates, too many loans, people didn’t buy apartments, prices went up, and when loan prices went up, it turned out that many people were unable to pay back
– he said.
“You have to work or take out a loan”
I am a proponent of the view that housing is a commodity and that you have to earn it or take out a loan
he pointed it out.
Radio Wrocław’s interlocutor added that the state could, however, support the construction sector so that there would be no “such volatility of the cycle”.
Two years ago there was a construction boom and everything was built, and now the developers have stopped building. Why? Because hardly anyone can take out a loan today, because the criteria for obtaining a loan are also too high
he assessed.
According to Petru, all because the NBP raised interest rates too late.
Opposition idea for elections
When asked about his return to Nowoczesna, he emphasized that he was a member of this party, but “inactive”, and now he was rather an economist who was interested in or commented on politics, but did not participate in it. He also does not know about Nowoczesna’s current position in the Civic Coalition.
He also answered questions about the cooperation between Poland 2050 and PSL. Could this current “engagement” result in a “marriage” in the future?
There can certainly be a marriage before the election period. I don’t think it will be a marriage for many years to come, because the PSL has entered into such marriages more than once during the election period, and after the election, they fell apart in one form or another. However, it somehow makes sense, because Poland 2050 is very conservative in these worldview issues, however, and in economic matters, it seems to me that they are closer to this social approach of PSL than to my liberal one.
he said.
I assume it’s very likely they’ll go to the election together, they won’t want to join a broader coalition list because I understand they did so as not to make this grand coalition of the opposition
– added.
Referring to the Senate Pact, he considers this a good idea when it comes to letters to the Senate.
Only these are different choices as we know. This is a majority vote, yes, which means the winner takes all. This is a very good solution. Of course, we only know that they agreed in principle, there are no specific candidates for specific constituencies yet. But as a rule I think it’s a great solution, very effective. The previous elections have shown that
said Richard Peter.
Nowoczesna’s former head expressed concern that ideological differences could prevent opposition forces from forming a broad coalition.
People don’t expect the Senate to form a government, and they expect the Sejm to form a government, so based on such a broad list, they would expect a fairly coherent program, and it seems to me that today it’s very unlikely is that this could happen on the side of the opposition
he stressed.
Would Ryszard Petru want to return to the grace of his mentor Leszek Balcerowicz? After all, the PO’s proposals could not meet the enthusiasm of the former chairman of the NBP, who is an authority for many politicians in this group.
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aja/Radio Wroclaw
Source: wPolityce