PUSHBACK Talks

Summer Series – Reflections and Corrections on the Housing Crisis with Frans Timmermans, EU Executive Vice-President

July 28, 2021 Season 2 Episode 23
PUSHBACK Talks
Summer Series – Reflections and Corrections on the Housing Crisis with Frans Timmermans, EU Executive Vice-President
Show Notes

It's summertime in Sweden and Canada. The Filmmaker and the Advocate are taking a break, but the podcast isn't.  For five weeks, Fredrik and Leilani bring their faithful fans and new listeners the PushBack Talks - Summer Series.  These are curated podcasts from Season 2 - episodes you may have missed that are definitely worth a listen. We've pared them down,  and updated each with recent news and a few personal reflections. So, whether you're stuck at home, or chilling on a beach - we hope you enjoy our Summer Series! 

Executive Vice President of the European Commission, Frans Timmermans, joins the Filmmaker and the Advocate in a frank discussion of the current housing crisis in the EU that is often overlooked and overshadowed. Mr. Timmermans reflects on the mistakes that were made along the way to cause the crisis, recognizing that the Social Democrats' commitment to Thatcher-Reagan neoliberalism, the market-based economy, and deregulation did not achieve just outcomes and in fact had gone very wrong where housing is concerned. But with housing or residential real estate being a persistently lucrative investment (including during crises), used to bolster GDPs, and given the primacy of private property, the housing crisis is one that is extremely difficult to undo. Change is afoot in Europe with the Parliament having adopted a report reaffirming the right to housing, and several States and cities adopting progressive legislation to protect tenants and affordable housing. But is there more that the Commission could do to advance the right to housing?  Mr. Timmermans suggests that real change will only occur once the urgency of the situation is better understood by more people – and to make that happen he suggests that millions need to see PUSH-the film. We agree!

Produced by WG Film 
Recorded & Edited by Mikey Jones
Music by Florencia Di Concilio
Social Media & Support - Maja Moberg

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