Everyone can have as many houses as John McCain

The Republican presidential candidate John McCain was left floundering last week over his property empire. Asked in an interview how many houses he owned “I think, eh, um, I’ll have my staff get back to you on that.”.

Well, it’s easily done. How can anyone remember how many houses they have now that everyone owns blocks of flats to rent out to illegal immigrants. I’m always mislaying the odd cottage here and there - well it’s remembering the names isn’t it. And with property so anonymous in towns, its hard to know your own front door these days.

Unkind people have said that at 71 McCain can barely remember his own name let alone how many houses he has. But we really mustn’t descend into the politics of envy and ageism His staff have been having a few problems with the numbers too. After the interview the senators staff got back saying the McCains own at least four houses including two beach front condominiums, an Arizona ranch and a loft.

But this was later increased to seven, once all his wife Cindy’s various holdings were included. Then it emerged that since mcCain has three houses on his Arizona farm, the total was really ten. But that may only be the start as McCain houses are now being discovered all over America. At the last count they were worth $14 million, or an average of $1.4 million per house, which is not bad going in a country where the average house price is only $200,000.

Now, it’s all very well for those moaning minnies here who say they can’t scrape together a deposit for a one bedroom flat in Glasgow. Anyone could have had ten houses if they really wanted them. I mean, just look around: there are houses everywhere - all you need to do is go out and buy them. Like Labour’s Michael Meacher who has seven houses or Keith Vaz, who has a property empire to make Donald Trump envious. Or those Tory MPs who sell their houses to a trust fund for their children and then buy them back again with their parliamentary allowances. Or is it the other way round.

Barack Obama says McCain is out of touch with sub-prime America where ten million families face losing their homes. But sub with US house prices down 20%, McCain may have lost millions He probably qualifies for emergency liquidity injections from he US Federal Reserve. We should organise a whip round.

And Obama isn’t so squeaky clean when it comes to real estate. A Chicago property developer and convicted felon, Tony Rezko, helped him buy his $1.6 million mansion in Chicago. In America, as they always say, the price of a man’s honour is only as high as his mortgage.

Wonder if you can take out a mortgage on the White House.