Royal Legacies that Continue to Plague Most Places
Ways to Make Vacant Lots & Royal Legacies Go Away
| Who gets the money spent for land is an issue still troubling nations, while some point to a resolution. We trim, blend, and append five 2011 articles from: (1) IRIN, Mar 25, on Ethiopia; (2) Independent.ie, Mar 26, on Ireland by Kim Bielenberg; (3) Wildwood Trust in house journal, Mar 23, on England by Peter Smith (Chief Executive of the trust); (4) New York Times, Mar 29, on Detroit by Michael A. Pagano (dean of the College of Urban Planning and Public Affairs at the University of Illinois at Chicago); and (5) Superyachts.com, Mar 25, on Malta by B. Roberts. |
by IRIN, by Kim Bielenberg, by Peter Smith, by Michael Pagano, and by B. Roberts
- The great land-grab debate
Called “Growth and Transformation Plan”, Ethiopia cheaply leases thousands of square kilometres of what the government says is mostly under-used or uncultivated land. Officially, land in Ethiopia is government-owned but occupants have customary rights.
Detractors complain of forcible relocation of local pastoralist populations, poorly paid work on the new farms, environmental degradation, and a failure to deliver on promises of better infrastructure. Rice, and many of the other crops set to be produced on such farms, is not widely consumed in Ethiopia.
A farmer in Oromiya state’s Karmi village, which lies near a Karuturi farm, said: “Our land was taken illegally. Even though it is unused land for agricultural purposes, it is grazing land for our cattle. Now we have very small grazing land for our cattle. We don’t know what will happen to us in the future.”
Article 40/5 of Ethiopia’s constitution states: “Ethiopian pastoralists have the right to free land for grazing and cultivation as well as the right not to be displaced from their own lands.”
When there is a need for good pasture, pastoralists have traditional techniques to burn the grass and bushes without attacking the forest, because they give rain. But now they are surprised to see a forest burning and farms expanding day by day.
To see the whole article, click here .
JJS: People are still having to leave Ireland, too. It’s in search of jobs, but jobs can be plentiful at home if land is made available for enterprise.
- The royal legacies that refuse to go away
Irish civil servants are to be allowed to retain a day off that was originally given in honor of the British monarch's birthday. The mandarin class will also continue to get the traditional day off to mark Empire Day. The free time is now to be included in the civil servants' annual leave.
In so many ways the transformation of Ireland from a blustery imperial outpost into an independent state amounted to little more than painting the red post boxes green.
Traditionally barristers were not supposed to ask for payment, but after they had given their advice, money could be slipped into a pocket sewn into the back of their gown (this pocket is still there to this day).
At the Round Hall of Dublin's Four Courts, a unformed minion walks in front of a High Court or Supreme Court judge holding a staff. The tipstaff, redolent of one of those figures who accompany the king in a pantomime, escorts the judge to their court, and calls for order as M'lud or M'Lady takes their seat on the bench.
Anglers who wish to fish on the River Blackwater near Youghal must pay a fee to the Duke of Devonshire. As well as owning the fishing rights the 12th Duke Peregrine Cavendish controls the riverbed.
Families in Castlebar, Co Mayo, have steadfastly refused to pay ground rents to the family of Lord Lucan, the peer who disappeared in mysterious circumstances in 1974. The Lucan estate remains the ground-rent landlord for 70 properties in Castlebar, but since he vanished residents have withheld payments.
During her visit, Queen Elizabeth will notice how little has changed since servants of the crown packed up and left nine decades ago.
To see the whole article, click here .
JJS: The lack of change for the better leaves little land for other species, too.
- The Great British Land Heist
In the UK, the extinction of the wolf and brown bear and the near extinction of the pine marten and red squirrel have all happened as a direct result of changes to the laws of the land. Even today the humble water vole has been driven to the edge of extinction by our agricultural policies that have seen taxpayers fund huge subsidies to convert our rivers into drainage channels and flood plains into intensively farmed land.
Across Kent often the best land for wildlife is common land or land that has been owned by the Church or State. Often this land has complex ownership systems with commoners’ rights. Because of these rights the land has maintained its character, often sheltering our most endangered plants and animals.
An economic model that can solve the land question is to make a charge on land equal to its rental value. Then Government could abolish all the bad taxes we pay, such as income tax and VAT.
Wild land would be free from tax and those that would seek to destroy it would then face paying taxes. Much of our economically unproductive land could be bought by charities and community groups cheaply and turned into community forests and nature reserve for us all to enjoy and share.
Economist Fred Harrison and I have filmed a short documentary, a trailer of which can be seen on YouTube:
htap://www.youtube.com/user/geophilos#p/u/3/yAn_o24mNi8
JJS: To really help preserve rural land, use urban land more efficiently.
- Ways to Reuse Vacant Lots
Add a land tax. Vacant land is sometimes held for speculative reasons. Create a “use” imperative by taxing land at higher rate than the structures. This approach could in some cases provide an incentive for more investment activity.
To see the whole article, click here
JJS: The professor has a pretty wimpy way of putting it. Meanwhile, a litte island and ex-British colony actually does it.
- Palumbo Group Acquires New Shipyard in Malta
The Palumbo Group -- specialists in repair, conversion, refit and superyacht construction -- has now completed deals to take over the Malta Superyacht Services shipyard. Maltese Government signed the contract for a global amount of 29.4 million, including an annual ground rent of 500,000 to be paid for 30 years.
To see the whole article, click here
JJS: Such examples are now anomalies. Soon’s they become the norm, then the problems created by land-grabbing will solved by rent-sharing. Yes, the geonomic solution is that powerful.
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Editor Jeffery J. Smith runs the Forum on Geonomics.
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Also see: Foreigners deprive people of land they used for eons
Tax to improve plans
We six billion need biodiversity more than ever |
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