If you’ve been fretting that your house might actually be nice if only politicians had designed it, relax, because they’re from the government and they’re here to cram you into a shoebox . According to our federal housing minister, “I am excited to introduce standardized designs.” Excited, no less.
He would be, at regimenting citizens for the greater good. But since my home is my castle, I’m appalled. Now some spoilsports might wonder whether the same people who created the housing crisis through a mix of arrogant, ill-considered and unpopular policies are the ones to fix it.
But there’s also a more cosmic issue: is there any reason to think they should? It’s like how economists keep telling you socialism can’t work, then G.K. Chesterton chimes in: “Socialistic idealism does not attract me very much, even as idealism.
The glimpses it gives of our future happiness depress me very much. They do not remind me of any actual happiness, of any happy day I have ever myself spent.” I have no reason to think Housing Minister Sean Fraser can shoehorn us all into the “infill” of his dreams.
But also no reason to share his dreams because human-compacting units don’t remind me of anywhere I ever wanted to live. Putting yourself as well as your stuff in storage may be very modern. But I’m old-fashioned.
Speaking of which, it may amuse you that the government actually created a catalogue of “ small house designs ” back in 1965, apparently convinced mere hom.