<b></b><p></p><p>There are two ways of viewing the present relationship between the housebuilding industry and the government. </p><p> The first view is that there is growing respect from Whitehall for the efforts being made by housebuilders to embrace the design-friendly, brownfield-building, higher-density agenda that is much-beloved of this administration.</p><p> The other view sees a government that is hostile to an industry that has pandered to it for too long, and that the only thanks housebuilders get for their efforts is the kicking that John Prescott dealt out in the Guardian last month.</p><p> But is there a choice? This administration is here for a while and it has made it clear it wants to tackle the housing situation. The industry, by working closely with the ODPM and others, can get its views heard. The very fact that housing is seen as an important issue represents a success for housebuilders - how quickly we forget what it is to be ignored. And there have been real successes too - on the new sound regs and on tariffs, for instance.</p><p> Politics is never smooth. It is the nature of the beast that every so often the industry will take a hit such as Prescott&amp;’s …