Clyde1998 Posted November 27, 2014 Share Posted November 27, 2014 https://pbs.twimg.com/media/B3b_3CDIQAA4U3g.jpg:large Just 963 own 60% of all the private land in Scotland (just under 50% of all land). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ibelieve!!! Posted November 27, 2014 Share Posted November 27, 2014 I don't really have a problem with that, what's your idea? Everyone should own the same amount?! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
andymac Posted November 27, 2014 Share Posted November 27, 2014 https://pbs.twimg.com/media/B3b_3CDIQAA4U3g.jpg:large Just 963 own 60% of all the private land in Scotland (just under 50% of all land). Are you telling people not to buy a good thing? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Clyde1998 Posted November 27, 2014 Author Share Posted November 27, 2014 I don't really have a problem with that, what's your idea? Everyone should own the same amount?! No. However, more of the land should be in the hands of the local communities and councils so the land can be used to the benefit of everyone - public parks, community centres, etc. There is a lot of speculative land in the country as well, which I feel is also an argument for Land Value Tax (LVT). I think the Greens calculated that LVT would make 75% of households better off. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lamia Posted November 27, 2014 Share Posted November 27, 2014 I don't really have a problem with that, what's your idea? Everyone should own the same amount?! Are you for real? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ibelieve!!! Posted November 27, 2014 Share Posted November 27, 2014 No. However, more of the land should be in the hands of the local communities and councils so the land can be used to the benefit of everyone - public parks, community centres, etc. There is a lot of speculative land in the country as well, which I feel is also an argument for Land Value Tax (LVT). I think the Greens calculated that LVT would make 75% of households better off. 73% of Scotland's land mass is farmland, what do you suggest local authorities do with that? Run their own farms and crofts? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lamia Posted November 28, 2014 Share Posted November 28, 2014 73% of Scotland's land mass is farmland, what do you suggest local authorities do with that? Run their own farms and crofts? Community ownership. You also have to ask the question of why is it all farmland and does it have to be used for that purpose Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lamia Posted November 28, 2014 Share Posted November 28, 2014 The issue of land ownership runs deep in people's lives and most don't even realise it. House prices are affected by who owns land and affects local people's ability to stay in their area. This has lead to increasing depopulation and more land doing nothing. It has lead to increased homelessness as there are so limited housing options because there is a stranglehold on housing supply and this is just the start. It matters immensely that so few rich people control our land. Ask yourself why they hold onto it - it is of massive value! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Khana Lagur Posted November 28, 2014 Share Posted November 28, 2014 I don't think many people in Scotland really understand the land issue because if they did they''d understand the manifold reasons why reform is needed. Scotland only abandoned feudalism about a decade ago because of the grip the elite and establishment have in land control. Much of the private land in Scotland was once common land that was effectively stolen by the rich through a series of political and legal deals and fixes. If you want to try and get your head around the land issue read some of Andy Wrightman's books. The title of one in particular, The Poor Had No Lawyers, essentially sums up how Scotland is owned. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lamia Posted November 28, 2014 Share Posted November 28, 2014 It wasn't until Flat Earth started reading Andy's books that I really had any understanding. I haven't actually even read any of his books but follow him on twitter and have read Lesley Riddoch's Blossom which uses some of Andy's work and makes many of the same points. Land Reform is such a massively important issue for us all Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Armchair Bob Posted November 28, 2014 Share Posted November 28, 2014 I've been looking into the land reform issue. One of the problems in Scotland is absentee landlords owning huge tracts of the country, Arab Sheiks and the like with 50,000 acres used just one week a year for their sporting pleasure and who want no further development on their land that might affect the 'unspoilt' nature of their estates, preventing locals from building more houses, etc. Now there are some good large landowners in Scotland but that is almost by the by, the issue is not the individual personalities but the legal structure that allows a few individuals to have such major influence over the people who live on their land. There are a couple of countries in Europe that disallow absentee landlords for certain categories of land. Switzerland is one. Denmark another - the Danish coast would be entirely owned by German second-home owners if they didn't ban this from happening. Now banning other EU citizens from owning land is against EU law, but Denmark - being a sovereign state - has negotiated an opt-out. Scotland - not being a sovereign state - can't do that. And there is no way the UK would do anything on our behalf to help roll back feudalism. But here's the amusing bit. It is against EU law to ban citizens from *other* states from owning land in Scotland. It would not be against EU law to ban citizens from our *own* state owning land. Can you see where I am going... Dutch and Danes can't be stopped for as long as we are in the UK. But earls and dukes who live in London or Edinburgh's New Town could be banned from owning land in the Highlands... I think I would laugh so hard I'd burst a blood vessel if David Cameron's father-in-law had to move to Jura full time, or give up his ownership of the island. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jailender Posted November 28, 2014 Share Posted November 28, 2014 Of the 73% of Scotland that is farmland, most of it is in the highlands, and is only good for sheep grazing or deer. Bog & rock Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bzzzz Posted November 28, 2014 Share Posted November 28, 2014 Can we not just ban Earls and Dukes? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ormond Posted November 28, 2014 Share Posted November 28, 2014 http://wgntv.com/2014/11/28/lord-stephen-rossiter-on-how-to-become-a-scottish-lord-or-lady/ Fill your boots. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hampden_loon2878 Posted March 9, 2015 Share Posted March 9, 2015 I have read very little on the land reform bill but my auntie is dead against it, her argument goes along the lines of "The majority of the land owned by these people isn't good for agriculture and is used for wildlife and conservation. If these estates were to collapse then hundreds perhaps thousands could have their lives/jobs effected. The Land Reform Act also is bad news for farmers. It will force a farmer to split his land between his heirs meaning that you will end up with lots of small farms or tracts of land lying untouched, and, not being used for food production. This happened in Portugal and crippled the industry. The Land Reform Act it attempting to create a class war that does not exist. It wrong to go after the rights of the individual. We are a free people and should not have our lives drastically altered by the Government." What does most on here think of the reform?i will have to read up on it Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DoonTheSlope Posted March 9, 2015 Share Posted March 9, 2015 We should get a share issues on the go Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Haggis_trap Posted March 9, 2015 Share Posted March 9, 2015 Irrespective of who owns the land we have some of the best access laws for the outdoors in Europe.The right to roam for walkers / mountain bikers / outdoors people is excellent.We can thank the Mountainering Council of Scotland for this. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hampden_loon2878 Posted August 10, 2015 Share Posted August 10, 2015 Currently half way through this book, i have just read finish the book "dance called america"which was about the clearances...the poor had no lawyers is an aye opener,, i just wonder what will come of the land reform bill,, I don't think many people in Scotland really understand the land issue because if they did they''d understand the manifold reasons why reform is needed. Scotland only abandoned feudalism about a decade ago because of the grip the elite and establishment have in land control. Much of the private land in Scotland was once common land that was effectively stolen by the rich through a series of political and legal deals and fixes. If you want to try and get your head around the land issue read some of Andy Wrightman's books. The title of one in particular, The Poor Had No Lawyers, essentially sums up how Scotland is owned. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
euan2020 Posted August 10, 2015 Share Posted August 10, 2015 I don't think many people in Scotland really understand the land issue because if they did they''d understand the manifold reasons why reform is needed. Scotland only abandoned feudalism about a decade ago because of the grip the elite and establishment have in land control. Much of the private land in Scotland was once common land that was effectively stolen by the rich through a series of political and legal deals and fixes. If you want to try and get your head around the land issue read some of Andy Wrightman's books. The title of one in particular, The Poor Had No Lawyers, essentially sums up how Scotland is owned. i was at Bennachie centre yesterday with nephews , and was reading something i was not aware previously (having grown up here ) common land was cultivated by some colonists, and they basically got kicked out in a land grab by lairds http://www.abdn.ac.uk/news/4546/ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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