The level of political outrage generated by the proposed changes to the rent control system is a welcome development. It shows that the Government has actually made some serious decisions about a thorny issue for which there are no obvious right or wrong answers.

The most worrying feature of the Coalition’s first six months in office has been the impression of drift. There appeared to be a reluctance to take decisions that had the capacity to stir up opposition or lead to negative publicity of any kind.

Regardless of the rights or wrongs of the package of rent control measures, it is at........

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