House prices. A political commodity?

House prices. A political commodity?

Has the British obsession with property and the ever-increasing power of politicians has turned UK house prices in to a political commodity. Parties have learned that rising house prices are good for their prospects of taking and/or holding power.  So no political party wants falling prices on their watch. Which means that house prices are manipulated up and up, which in turn makes them less affordable. And history shows us that markets can only be manipulated for so long, before they show who's in charge....

Looking back over history, until recently there has always been a relationship between house prices and average earnings. But what has happened in the last couple of decades is that house prices have risen FAR more than wages.  So either we need house prices in many parts of the country to retreat, wages to rise, or a bit of both?