Pope told we expect more - Apply same standards on housing

The fable of the boy who cried wolf too often but was ignored by his village is universal in European folklore. Its primary message is not to ignore a warning no matter how frequently repeated. Its secondary message, one more relevant to wolves than villagers, is that if you wait long enough defences will weaken.

Familiarity breeds contempt and the wolf gets a dinner of bored villagers. Is it possible, no matter how unattractive that admission might be, that we are at the bored-villagers stage of the housing crisis? Three sets of challenging figures suggest we may be. Outrage wanes, scandal and misery deepen.