You know I used to think "tumblr's absolute refusal to actually engage with the Trolley Problem in favor of insisting that there must be a third, morally pure option that doesn't require them to make a hard decision and anyone who asks them to make a binary choice is just a short-sighted idiot is really fucking annoying, but I guess it's not actually doing any harm".

Anyway that was before we asked tumblr at large to decide between "guy aiding a genocide but making progress elsewhere" and "guy who would actively and enthusiastically participate in a genocide and would also make everything else much, much worse for everyone elsewhere" and the response was that there must be a third, morally pure option that doesn't require them to make a hard decision and that anyone who asks them to make a binary choice is a short-sighted idiot.

Blood Simple

Alan Jackson / Vox 03.1992

Refusing beers, learning to drive and confessing to an admiration for Suzanne Vega - what's happened to Britain's favourite noise terrorists? In search of the missing link, Alan Jackson tracked down the Jesus And Mary Chain in their new private studio. Within a red-brick block of carbuncular design, a mile or so south of the Thamas, is a council-owned leisure centre, a McDonalds, and Jim and William Reid's brand spanking new studio. During the recording of next month's new, as-yet-untitled LP, the pair have been rendezvousing late each morning at one or other's north London home, ready to negotiate the traaffic en route to yet another 12-hour stint behind the controls. That they've been able to travel in William's own car, rather than any vehicle more fitting to one-time noise terrorists, seems to be a source of wonder to many who think they know the Jesus And Mary Chain. But, confirms Jim, cheerfully dispensing cans of lager on a bleak midwinter's afternoon, William really has been involved in a tearing-the-L-plates-up-type scenario. Futhermore, he's a very good, very safe driver. "When I passed, so many people said they couldn't imagine me behind a wheel," grumbles the BSM's woefully under-estimated success story. "I kind of understood what they meant, but I couldn't help feeling insulted. I mean, there are people I know who I can't imagine driving a car, but that's because they're pretty much semi-retarded." That gripe aside, it's a noticeably friendly, even funny Jim and William who submit to their first press inquisition in some two years. It's not a process they're used to enjoying too much - having cheery foreign reporters ask 'Which one's Jesus and which one's Mary?' understandably dulls the appetite - but the comforts of this recently acquired home-from-home ensure they remain in relaxed mood. "Being in a rented studio is like being in someone else's house, with strangers walking in and out the whole time," says Jim, peeling open another can which his brother, admirably self-disciplined motorist that he is, refuses. "We're quite shy people, and just like to be left alone to get on with our work." "Also, it's not as if we're furniture-makers or plumbers, people who just turn up at a certain place and do the job," adds William. "It's supposed to be creative and it's a ridiculous that, just because you book a studio for the 22nd of March, you're going to be feeling creative when that day rolls around. "You can find yourself with a week's studio time booked, but no ideas to work on. Now we can work when we want and for however long it takes. I know we're not the first people to think of it, but I'm surprised this way of working doesn't occur to more bands." In the time they've been away, the Mary Chain have seen the windsock of critical and peer-group opionion swing back in their favour. Almost passé back in 1990, they're now right back in vogue - thanks largely to the number of slavish admirers nestling within younger bands of the monosyllabic name and shoe-gazing variety. Not that the Reids are sufficiently mindful of any of this for it to put them under any pressure while recording the work in hand. "We were aware of that from the time of Psychocandy to the release of Darklands, I guess," shrugs Jim, pleased at the attention from younger disciples, but preferring not to single out any one for public comment. "Since then I don't really think the pressure's been there. "That period was, basically, our five minutes in the limelight, and it suits us fine to be out of it now. At the time the responsibility felt enormous. We read all this stuff in the papers about how it was impossible to follow Psychocandy, how we'd blow it if we tried, how we should just split up there and then." "It's kind of what The Stone Roses must be going through now," considers William. "If I was them, I wouldn't read any of the debate - just go away and record. But that's probably why Darklands ended up being so different. We realised that there was no way we could get better in that particular style, so instead of doing Psychocandy II we made a complete change." The Mary Chain's subsequent direction was also shaped by a rather touching disappointment that their reputation, post-Psychocandy, was as noise terrorists rather than songwriters. "No-one ever quoted a lyric from that album," complains William. "OK, maybe it's because you can't hear them all - but you can hear some. It kind of got on our nerves. We'd actually written them all on acoustic guitar. The noise came later." This admission leads the Reids on to a shock declaration of admiration for the Suzanne Vegas of this world - those seemingly frail but undeniably brave souls who face their audiences metaphorically naked. "It's a completely different kind of performing, and I've got so much more time for artists who do that than I have for all the Spandex-trousered heavy rock bands," says Jim, shaking his head in disbelief at the sheer folly involved. "One person on stage with just an acoustic guitar and a microphone - that's a really direct way of communicating with other people and one that I find really terrifying. "We did an acoustic thing with the Sugarcubes a couple of years ago, and something later with the Cocteaus, and I don't think I could handle it again. You can hear people talking out front, and there's always the thought that someone could just shout out 'You're shit' and everyone would hear. Our noise is definitely something to hide behind. "We once played a festival in Estonia before 150,000 people and that was just a breeze in comparison. Absolutely no nerves, 100 feet away from the front rows on a completely huge stage - there's a totally disconnected feeling to it, as if the audience's reaction has nothing to do with you. And if anyone does shout any abuse, you just swagger round ignoring it, thinking, 'A few more seconds pal, and we're going to blast you away with noise'." "This far down the line they've got used to the way we work," judges William. "They know that when it comes to making records with Brian Eno, it just isn't going to happen. We don't rule out the producer thing - we've always kept an open mind about it, and have met and worked with a few. But it's never come out right so far. As we see it, what you're basically getting is an extra band member for the duration of an album, and we've never met anyone who's understood what we're about sufficiently for that relationship to be possible. "It's shouldn't just be a question of saying: 'Okay, we want our record to sell 20 million - we'll get such-and-such.' Hiring a producer should be just like auditioning a guitarist. When we've met producers, no matter how big their reputation, we haven't gone in looking for favours. We treat it as: 'If you're good enough, you can get to produce our record.' It's funny how they don't seem to like that." Self-produced then, in time-honoured JAMC fashion, the new album's direction provokes good-natured fraternal bickering. "It's not really got anything to do with what we've done before - other than that it touches on the best of everything," pronounces Jim. "It's not really a reaction to or against anything." "I think I disagree totally with everything you've just said," counters William, without offering an alternative definition. Rock'n'roll, but without the clichés, is the eventual compromise. While the public waits to deliver its verdict, the Reids are limbering up for the inevitable round of international promo activities. And while we can rest assured we won't be seeing them with Phillip Schofield and Sarah Greene some Saturday morning, they worry that things become more difficult to control abroad. "This country's not so bad - they know who you are, and only ask you to do certain things," explains Jim. "But in Europe and America there are no musical categories, particularly when it comes to TV. So you go out to appear on some show and you find you're on next to Sonia, with no one having thought to say: 'You really ought not to be doing this, boys'. "So there you are, you've got an awful hangover, and you're wheeled onto the set of what you suddenly realise is some idiotic kiddie show, and before you can do anything about it someone's got a microphone in your face asking: 'What's your name?', 'What's your favourite colour?', 'What do you do in your spare time?'. And you end up going (adopts a tone of exquisite pathos), 'My name's Jim. My favourite colour's black. I like to fuck a lot...' "It's a difficult area. In-store signings are another thing. In the States you'll find all sorts of bands who wouldn't be seen dead doing them here sitting down with their magic markers. So if you object, you'll get the record company saying: 'Oh yeah? Well, REM and New Order did it, so what makes you think you're too good for it?'. In April the Reid brothers will embark on a live tour of Britain (UK appearances alone will involve the mega-supporting cast of Blur, My Bloody Valentine and Dinosaur Jr), mainland Europe and the United States. In-store signings are not on the agenda, but Jim points out that the inclusion of the lines "I want to die like Jesus Christ/I want to die like JFK' and 'I want to die in the USA" within the lyrics to 'Reverence', the new single, could ensure them a US profile far higher than any publicist would ever dare plan. "Never mind drinking Jack Daniels for breakfast and sleeping with a snake - that's dangerous," he says triumphantly. "We're inciting someone to shoot us on stage, and knowing our fucking luck it'll happen. Lee Harvey Oswald's cousin will show up in Dallas and we'll be killed. Meanwhile everyone will continue to call Slash 'dangerous'." If you really believed your end was nigh, boys, you'd rewrite the lyric. "No we wouldn't," protests an outraged Jim, artistic integrity slighted. "Yes we fuckin' would," sneers knight of the road William. "Sacrifice myself for rock'n'roll? Fuck off!"

How to own a home by the age of 25 – BBC News

Image copyright Mark Hepburn

Image caption Mark Hepburn and his partner Laura bought a house with a 5% deposit

Owning a home by the age of 25 has become an unachievable dream for many over the last two decades.

Soaring property prices mean just one in five 25-year-olds own a property, compared to nearly half two decades ago, according to one recent study.

But as the government prepares to unveil its Housing White Paper, there are some young people who have managed to buck the trend – without help from the bank of mum and dad.

Here four young homeowners – all couples – who bought properties in 2016 – reveal just how they did it.

Mark and Laura

Name: Mark Hepburn, age 23. A debt collector on 18,500 a year

Lives with: Partner Laura Starkie, age 25. An accountant on 20,000 a year

Location: Oldham, Greater Manchester

House price: 125,000 for a three bedroom semi-detached house

Deposit: 6,250 (5%) with the Help to Buy mortgage scheme (which ended in December)

Why buy a property?

We were sick of living at home with each of our parents and wanted our own space. I’d rather live in a house than just a bedroom. We discussed moving out and renting, but we both agreed it was dead money.

How did you do it?

There was a lot of budgeting. I literally know where every penny goes. I had to drill it into Laura a little bit, but she got used to it after a while. Like her make-up – she had to go for a cheaper brand. We were both working at McDonald’s when we were saving and if there were extra shifts, we would take them.

Image copyright Mark Hepburn

Image caption Mark and Laura say they had to change their lifestyle in order to save money to buy their home

Did you make any sacrifices?

There was definitely a lifestyle change when we were saving. We would buy supermarket budget stuff instead of brands. We didn’t go on holiday during the time we were saving up – and that was a massive thing for Laura.

How does it feel to be a home owner?

I feel ridiculously happy. I feel proud and our friends are too because they know we worked extremely hard for it. Once you get there, you don’t need to worry as much.

What if you need to move?

I recently went for a job in Bolton, which is not that close to where we are now. The salary was 27,000 per year, but I wouldn’t move house for that. It would have to be significantly higher to consider jobs away from where we are now.

Image copyright Mark Hepburn

Image caption Mark says you need to watch your money if you want to save up to buy a home

Reaction from friends?

I can’t count how many times our friends have asked us how we’ve done it. We just explain you need to save, watch your money and cut back. They’re happy for us and we are just trying to get it into them not to leave it too long and to start saving.

Should more young people be able to buy a home?

I have got mixed opinions. When Laura and I were at McDonald’s we were on a combined salary of 23,000 and we managed to save up 7,000 between us within a year. So I don’t see how people can’t do it. But then we don’t have any kids. The Help to Buy mortgage scheme was a God-send. But if you’re stopping something that’s so good and helping young people, it’s going to cause mayhem.

Ruby and Sam

Image copyright Ruby Willard

Image caption Ruby and Sam have bought a two-bedroom terraced house

Name: Ruby Willard, age 22. A recruitment consultant on 19,000 a year plus commission

Lives with: Partner Sam Bardell, age 22. An engineer on 24,000 a year plus overtime

Location: Havant, Hampshire

House price: 182,200 for a two-bedroom terraced house

Deposit: 18,220 (10%) with the Help to Buy Isa

Why buy a property?

It was a case of living at home. I moved back into the box room of my mum’s house and I hated it. Sam lived with his parents too so we thought if we can, let’s do it – so we decided to save and go for it. We were looking at renting but to us it was like throwing away money.

How did you do it?

Being quite tight is probably the answer. When we decided we were going to buy, I thought I’m not going to spend money elsewhere when I don’t need to. We did still have a nice holiday to Greece. I get commission and Sam gets overtime so we probably earn 55,000 overall, which meant we were in a position we could borrow maybe more than people on minimum wage.

Image copyright Ruby Willard

Image caption The couple’s home cost 182,200 and they saved up a 10% deposit

Did you make any sacrifices?

We may have not had such a big social life. We still did things, but we were conscious. What I did was save what I knew I needed to save, and lived on whatever I had left – which was usually about 200 a month. I wasn’t buying lunch at work, which would save about 25 a week.

How does it feel to be a home owner?

It was weird at first. When we got the keys it was like “are we on holiday?” When things started to come together it felt like such an achievement. Everything we had chosen not to do, not going to the cinema one night, helped towards it.

What if you need to move?

We would be open to the idea, but we would probably look for work closer to where we bought a house, so it probably would affect future decisions. If we did decide we wanted to go somewhere else, we would probably look to sell the house and hopefully we will have made some money on it.

Image copyright Ruby Willard

Image caption Ruby says owning her own home feels like “such an achievement”

Reaction from friends?

It’s been quite positive. I have got friends that have bought houses, but a lot of them have had big lump sums of money given to them.

Should more young people be able to buy a home?

Neither of us completed three years at university, so we probably established a career path earlier than those that do go. I speak to a lot of people that have graduated, and they cannot find jobs that will allow them to borrow enough. It takes years to save a deposit, and then house prices go up and they can’t borrow enough. I think this is how it is now.

Andrew and Kirsty

Image copyright Andrew Douglas

Image caption The couple have been told they are “adulting hard” because they have bought a home

Name: Andrew Douglas, age 23. A social worker on 31,000 a year

Lives with: Partner Kirsty Lamb, age 24. A pharmacist on 35,000 a year

Location: Moredun, Edinburgh.

House price: 145,000 for a two-storey terraced house with two bedrooms

Deposit: 21,750 (15%) with the Help to Buy Isa

Why buy a property?

We decided we wanted to get on the property ladder as quickly as possible. If we get on it now, we would be able to buy what we want by the time we are older and looking to have a family.

How did you do it?

We started saving at the beginning of 2015 and were probably saving between 400 and 500 a month each. We did go on a couple of holidays, so although we’ve been saving, we’ve still been living. We weren’t scrimping, but we do only spend about 30 a week on food. We check receipts and look for the best deals, so that is more thrifty than most people.

Image copyright Andrew Douglas

Image caption Andrew and his partner saved around 400 a month each for their deposit

Did you make any sacrifices?

We spoke about going away for three weeks to somewhere like Australia, but we thought – it’s going to cost 2,000 each and we can put that towards the house now rather than waiting a few extra months.

How does it feel to be a home owner?

It feels strange. It does feel like quite a lot of responsibility – I didn’t realise how much. Things like taking out mortgage protection. Our friends call it “adulting hard”. They’re renting and not really thinking about owning a place and they’re like “wow, you’ve bought a house”.

Reaction from friends?

Lots of people think it’s really good, other people say they’re nowhere near that stage. I don’t know if they’re thinking I’m growing up too fast. It’s generally been positive. I don’t know anyone who has done it without a partner, so I think it would be difficult to do it on your own.

Image copyright Andrew Douglas

Image caption Andrew and Kirsty bought their home with a 15% deposit

What if you need to move?

With a big move we might give it a trial, and rent out this house while we lived somewhere else.

Should more young people be able to buy a home?

I do think people complain they can’t afford to buy a house but they go out every weekend, they smoke or they eat out all the time. But property prices have also shot up in the last 20 years with more people buying second homes. There are also people who don’t want to have the responsibility. I think it’s good that the government is helping with Help to Buy schemes and it needs to do more to help first-time buyers.

Rebecca and Adam

Image copyright Rebecca Thompson

Image caption Rebecca bought a three-bedroom home with her boyfriend Adam in Irlam, Greater Manchester

Name: Rebecca Thompson, aged 23. An information analyst on 21,900 a year.

Lives with: Adam Drinkwater, aged 25. A bank administrator on 16,500 a year.

Location: Irlam, Greater Manchester

House price: 126,500 for a three-bedroom semi-detached house

Deposit: 6,300 (5%) with the Help to Buy mortgage scheme and Isa

Why buy a property?

We lived in a rental flat together for 18 months and realised that the amount we were paying in rent was more or less the same as we would be paying with a mortgage. When we were renting there were a lot of things we couldn’t do, like decorate or move anything around.

How did you do it?

It was difficult. I was working part-time in my final year at university so I saved my entire wage and lived off my student loan, which wasn’t much. We didn’t go on holiday that year and saved as much as we could.

Image copyright Rebecca Thompson

Image caption Their home cost 126,500 with a 5% deposit

Did you make any sacrifices?

We came straight from university, where you’re living on a bit of a shoe-string anyway, so we probably sacrificed but not realised, because we’ve not been enjoying the extra income we’ve had since graduating. We would have probably gone on some more holidays or gone out more and probably bought a few more clothes.

How does it feel to be a home owner?

It’s brilliant. I feel it’s a really secure base while I’m going on to develop my career. It’s one less thing. A lot of people are aiming towards saving a deposit while I’ve got past it.

What if you need to move?

It would be really difficult, and it’s definitely an attraction for staying where I am. In my career there are a lot of opportunities down south, but I wouldn’t want to entertain it because of the house prices. It would take us five times longer to save up a deposit, and the amount of income you need to get for a mortgage is totally unobtainable for the average graduate.

Image copyright Rebecca Thompson

Image caption Rebecca says there needs to be more affordable housing

Reaction from friends?

Some live in a more expensive area and I think they were surprised. It’s not something that’s on a lot of people’s radar, owning a home at this age. Particularly if you’re not in a relationship, I don’t think it is affordable.

Should more young people be able to buy a home?

I think cultures have changed a bit. When my parents were growing up, their parents drilled into them ‘sort yourself a house, get married and that’s when your life begins’. Now there’s not as much of an emphasis. I think homes do need to be more affordable. It’s silly that the town where we live in, a lot people can afford to buy – whereas only as far south as Birmingham no-one can afford to buy a house earning what we do.

First-time buyers: The numbers

Image copyright Local Goverment Association

Image caption The number of 25-year-olds who own a home has dropped to 20%, says the LGA

The average age of a first-time buyer in the UK is 30, says lender Halifax

The deposit paid by first-time buyers was on average more than 20% of the property price in 2014

The cost of a home for a first-time buyer was 4.5 times their annual income in 2014

The median income for a first-time buyer household in England was 43,000 in 2014/15 – 16,000 more than all households

Nearly a third had help from friends and family for their deposit

The average price of a UK home was 217,928 in November 2016 – 6.7% higher than the previous year

Source: ONS, Department for Communities and Local Government, Land Registry

Where can I afford to live?

iFrame

Related Topics

Housing market

Read more: http://bbc.in/2liTxiS

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