When I was doing my A-levels, the guy in charge of sixth form studies at the time was named Phil (and that is his real name: usually when I refer to acquaintances in my articles, I pseudonymise them, but Phil doesn't deserve it).
I think you are spot on with the skills argument. If you go to any agricultural show the farming families are there and their children (dressed like the adults in cap, white coat and tie) show their farm animals in the show ring and tend to them in the pens beforehand and afterwards. They do not treat it as a game abut as a serious business. in addition going to an agricultural show for them is the equivalent to a summer holiday where they stay for 3-4 days and socialise with other farming families. It really is a way of life not a lifestyle choice. Also see books by Adrian Bell and George Ewart Evans for how it was.
I used to live in New Zealand where a lot of people are closely connected with farming. I met a lot of people who had grown-up on farms, but didn't want to do it any more. I think this is really common - neither of my children want to do what my husband or I do.
The thing is, the cost of farms makes it so hard for anyone to move in and out of farming. If land prices were similar to training in a particular area, say, getting a qualification as a plumber, people could move in and out. But that's not how it is. And the pressure some families put on their children to continue farming (because they want to keep the farm) can be immense.
If land prices continue to rise as they are, it'll get to the point that no one bar mega-corps can buy land and everyone selling up will be happy as long as the prices are high (and given these buyers are close to the money printing press, they can ensure it is).
I think the answer is to start buying small blocks of land now. We've bought into this farm:
A press photograph taken before the budget shows the Prime Minister and the Chancellor having a smiling chin-wag with Bill Gates and Larry Fink (CEO of Blackrock).
Gates has been buying up vast swathes of America's farmland and, if this tax forces smaller farmers to sell up, I can imagine who the circling vultures will be.
I think the plan was to get a lot of money in the "right" hands while no one was looking (Q2 2020), wait until an opportune moment to change legislation to facilitate a land-grab and then start forcing land sales where you want to buy it (in the UK, right now) and go for a shopping spree.
I am just amazed anyone is thinking this legislation is OK, unless you also say that, when these farms are sold off, they must be broken up into smaller farms. That would make sense. Also, if the tax only applied to farms of over 300 acres, irrespective of whether it was owned by an individual or a corporation, I could understand it. And, ideally, you'd want to structure it so that no company can have a director or owner who owns more than 300 acres in the UK without this applying. And the process, rather than benefiting from hiding ownership (which I think the film Laundromat covers well for anyone who's interested) would require corporate purchasers to prove who all beneficiaries are - that would make it possible for UK owners to have a company and pass it to their kids, but would make it very expensive for corporate bulk-buyers and require maximum transparency (which they won't want).
I'd say step one for this is to make the land registry public so we can all see who owns what. Once that's happened and we leave farms under 300 acres alone then, yes, you are talking about taxing the rich. Right now, we are talking about destroying farming, taking land from those who know how to produce food and giving it (meaning selling it cheaply it to people who printed money) to the uber-wealthy to "rewild" and control.
If this isn't legislation intended to facilitate a return to feudalism, I don't know what is!
Sorry, what I should have said is FREE and public. It's £3 per title. So, seeing everything someone owned would be prohibitively expensive for most people (certainly me!).
With the land registry, I'd like the government to:
1. Make it free.
2. Make it possible to see all ownerships associated with a company or individual.
3. Ensure every individual who has holding in any company that owns land can be searched.
I realise doing 3 would require a change in transparency of company ownership with respect to land, but I'd love legislation to stop what happens with companies and ownership in general and I think land would be a great place to start.
“There is no difference between communism and socialism, except in the means of achieving the same ultimate end: communism proposes to enslave men by force, socialism-by vote. It is merely the difference between murder and suicide.” Ayn Rand
I never understood why they're called "useful idiots". They are, almost entirely, demonstrably and unequivocally useless idiots, for reasons including those you have skilfully elucidated, Miri.
Few writers and commentators could eviscerate eftist ideologies with the brutal objectivism of Ayn Rand, although you are getting close. Atlas Shrugged remains the most impactful book of my life, and arguably takes the place of Animal Farm or 1984 as the book every high school literature curriculum should mandate (both were compulsory when I went to high school in the 80s - whenever that stopped is probably when the long march through the institutions really took hold).
I’ve just finished a book that describes exactly this; Facial Justice by LP Hartley. It’s not the most well written book but it illustrates the inevitable pitfalls of socialism really, really well. It’s just a massive race to mediocrity and below.
Another route for the evil ones to divide up the family and local communities. And yet when it’s right in the lefties faces they still seem to find an excuse for why it’s a good thing. Wait until the champagne socialists can’t buy their local organic produce at the farmers market - maybe it might hit home then! Great article Miri - you made me laugh
I know what is going to happen with most of "the champagne socialists". The history is never past, it is the future. The same what happpen with most revolutionists in Russia in 1930th will happen with western world "the champagne socialists" within short distance of time after they will not be needed any longer. It is a shame people in the west did not want to learn by reading the books what had happen in Russia last centure but have chosen to expierence the same in reality. It is going to be nasty.
Socialists hate those who become successful by acquiring skills because they are challenging the socialist narrative that failure to succeed is purely due to rich privilege.
Land grab by "elite" is always the way to disturb the natural way for common people to become independent individuals who can feed self without relying on the same "elite" to survive. He who creates owns. Below under the Creator himself there are People who work on land. These people are the next real creators. People who work on land are getting as close to the understanding of the creation as it is humanly possible. This is the real power of the people who works on land. This is what "elite" do not want people to become - be close to the God the creator. This is why the question of Land "ownership" is in the centre of all wars that "elite" is leading against people. Currently ongoing war against people is not an exception. See what is happening with farming land in USA, Ukraine, UK: the successful attempts to take the land away from people who work on land are in full go ahead mode: Legally by acts of power or illegally by war. As always all is disguised by popular "everything is for greater good and equality" socialists banners. socialism will lead to Godless tyranny called communism that will lead eventually to a lot of blood to fight for return the land back to people. It is better to realise this sooner and do not enter socialism phase at all.
As someone from a decent middle class background, had all the nice holidays abroad and the latest games consoles and air bubble sneakers as a child I agree. I grew up to be coereced by the public school system because I was told by Tony Lie-Blair that as long as I went to University I was on the right track in life.
I look at some friends I once knew who are farmers. They would regularly work fourteen hour days only to come into the pub for a couple of beers late evening stinking of pig shit of which I would assume what fools they were working all day and doing hard manual labour outdoor and having minimal free social time. Whilst I had already sunk eight pints and didn't have to be in my first lecture in the morning until past 1pm.
Well, I now realise that hard work does get you far, as both of them are happily married with kids and own their own homes and have a family business to look after to pass on to their children.
I have now realised that being "educated" was a massive con, unless you had the natural born drive, work ethic and general passion for that subject you study. I do wish I'd would have just learnt to do a trade so that I could work on my own and be my own boss; rather that the current battery farm hen house I currently work in. You live and learn I guess...
Let’s not ever confuse Education with Intelligence: two separate entities. The weasel faced Tony Blair(clever lad btw), once told us he wanted everyone to go to University. And not for any potential knowledge, wisdom, work skills, or general cleverness that it might have imparted, on an eager, fertile and keenly muscular brain, but: purely for the indoctrination that these institutions were paid to put out: woke, Marxist, postmodernist and cripplingly myopic points of view. Great fun.
And btw; it’s very much the middle classes who constantly, and invariably, let us all down. Because most of the time, they’re too stupid, and comfortably well off, to actually think things through; and are invariably used to perpetuate/exacerbate the major cons in our lives at the moment, think: Corona bollocks, globull warbling and men who give birth, to name but five. (Or was that three, should’ve spent more time at school, huh!?)!?
They, god bless ‘em, can always be relied upon to drive the message (usually: oppressive, divisive and hostile missives), being imparted/dictated by authorities-govt.-corporations, financial institutions, whatevs…. Stay home. Phone for food. Don’t talk.Listen to the experts. Switch off your heating. And support Israel.
The obedient classes lap this shit up. Process it. And regurgitate it with impunity. Doctors, Lawyers, journalists (?), upper management, BBC lackeys, business Execs, politicians …. The ‘Left’ used to despise this demographic of compliant, University brainwashed, chattering classes with a vengeance and for all the right reasons: now; they have turned into them. They are them.!!
The despicable new Faux-socialists. Heinous, vile creatures. Julian Assange worshipping, big pharma promoting, establishment clowns…. We’re not safe ‘till everyone’s safe.!! (Or preferably: dead.)… Now, as for large swathes of the UK critically unthinking Hoi-Poloi: Christ sakes, don’t get me started……
Well said and definitely well observed. I grew up on a housing estate in south London but went to a great grammar school. The Labour government of the early 70s obviously didn’t want well educated plebs so destroyed the grammar school system- my school amalgamated with a local comp the year I took my O levels and the resulting school quickly went downhill. Meanwhile the Labour MP - Harriet Hartman - sent her kids out to private schools. What they do is despicable and has left so many dependent on daddy state.
Yep....bullseye. Our culture has been deliberately and systematically impregnated with Crabs in a bucket syndrome. You can only lead the way out by hard work and example
I think you are spot on with the skills argument. If you go to any agricultural show the farming families are there and their children (dressed like the adults in cap, white coat and tie) show their farm animals in the show ring and tend to them in the pens beforehand and afterwards. They do not treat it as a game abut as a serious business. in addition going to an agricultural show for them is the equivalent to a summer holiday where they stay for 3-4 days and socialise with other farming families. It really is a way of life not a lifestyle choice. Also see books by Adrian Bell and George Ewart Evans for how it was.
I used to live in New Zealand where a lot of people are closely connected with farming. I met a lot of people who had grown-up on farms, but didn't want to do it any more. I think this is really common - neither of my children want to do what my husband or I do.
The thing is, the cost of farms makes it so hard for anyone to move in and out of farming. If land prices were similar to training in a particular area, say, getting a qualification as a plumber, people could move in and out. But that's not how it is. And the pressure some families put on their children to continue farming (because they want to keep the farm) can be immense.
If land prices continue to rise as they are, it'll get to the point that no one bar mega-corps can buy land and everyone selling up will be happy as long as the prices are high (and given these buyers are close to the money printing press, they can ensure it is).
I think the answer is to start buying small blocks of land now. We've bought into this farm:
https://onetreefarm.org/become-a-co-owner/
There are 15 spaces left.
Wellsaid -test
A press photograph taken before the budget shows the Prime Minister and the Chancellor having a smiling chin-wag with Bill Gates and Larry Fink (CEO of Blackrock).
Gates has been buying up vast swathes of America's farmland and, if this tax forces smaller farmers to sell up, I can imagine who the circling vultures will be.
I had been wondering for ages what all the money printing in Q2 of 2020 had been about (see https://utunga216.medium.com/all-the-best-charts-get-discontinued-cfb250debf3c). I kept thinking I was going to see it come out in 22/23 in some business area, but it didn't.
I think the plan was to get a lot of money in the "right" hands while no one was looking (Q2 2020), wait until an opportune moment to change legislation to facilitate a land-grab and then start forcing land sales where you want to buy it (in the UK, right now) and go for a shopping spree.
I am just amazed anyone is thinking this legislation is OK, unless you also say that, when these farms are sold off, they must be broken up into smaller farms. That would make sense. Also, if the tax only applied to farms of over 300 acres, irrespective of whether it was owned by an individual or a corporation, I could understand it. And, ideally, you'd want to structure it so that no company can have a director or owner who owns more than 300 acres in the UK without this applying. And the process, rather than benefiting from hiding ownership (which I think the film Laundromat covers well for anyone who's interested) would require corporate purchasers to prove who all beneficiaries are - that would make it possible for UK owners to have a company and pass it to their kids, but would make it very expensive for corporate bulk-buyers and require maximum transparency (which they won't want).
I'd say step one for this is to make the land registry public so we can all see who owns what. Once that's happened and we leave farms under 300 acres alone then, yes, you are talking about taxing the rich. Right now, we are talking about destroying farming, taking land from those who know how to produce food and giving it (meaning selling it cheaply it to people who printed money) to the uber-wealthy to "rewild" and control.
If this isn't legislation intended to facilitate a return to feudalism, I don't know what is!
The land registry is public I thought.
Sorry, what I should have said is FREE and public. It's £3 per title. So, seeing everything someone owned would be prohibitively expensive for most people (certainly me!).
With the land registry, I'd like the government to:
1. Make it free.
2. Make it possible to see all ownerships associated with a company or individual.
3. Ensure every individual who has holding in any company that owns land can be searched.
I realise doing 3 would require a change in transparency of company ownership with respect to land, but I'd love legislation to stop what happens with companies and ownership in general and I think land would be a great place to start.
No Contest. Miri wins.
“There is no difference between communism and socialism, except in the means of achieving the same ultimate end: communism proposes to enslave men by force, socialism-by vote. It is merely the difference between murder and suicide.” Ayn Rand
I never understood why they're called "useful idiots". They are, almost entirely, demonstrably and unequivocally useless idiots, for reasons including those you have skilfully elucidated, Miri.
Few writers and commentators could eviscerate eftist ideologies with the brutal objectivism of Ayn Rand, although you are getting close. Atlas Shrugged remains the most impactful book of my life, and arguably takes the place of Animal Farm or 1984 as the book every high school literature curriculum should mandate (both were compulsory when I went to high school in the 80s - whenever that stopped is probably when the long march through the institutions really took hold).
A magnificent skilfully executed and hilarious rant. Spot on. Thank you Miri.
Well put, Miri.
I’ve just finished a book that describes exactly this; Facial Justice by LP Hartley. It’s not the most well written book but it illustrates the inevitable pitfalls of socialism really, really well. It’s just a massive race to mediocrity and below.
Another route for the evil ones to divide up the family and local communities. And yet when it’s right in the lefties faces they still seem to find an excuse for why it’s a good thing. Wait until the champagne socialists can’t buy their local organic produce at the farmers market - maybe it might hit home then! Great article Miri - you made me laugh
I know what is going to happen with most of "the champagne socialists". The history is never past, it is the future. The same what happpen with most revolutionists in Russia in 1930th will happen with western world "the champagne socialists" within short distance of time after they will not be needed any longer. It is a shame people in the west did not want to learn by reading the books what had happen in Russia last centure but have chosen to expierence the same in reality. It is going to be nasty.
A skilful dissection of the unskilled 👏
Right-on Phil or right-on Terr-aye Chrisstiannn (best said in a Manc nasal way)?
No contest: They are one in the same - they are unable to correct their own mistakes.
For all the admirable 'struggle', once they dig they keep digging.
There is only one possible contender who could out dig these Comrades - right-on Owen Jones.
Fortunately Dame Miri AF is able to self-moderate and has far better integrity than these right-on types.
Socialists hate those who become successful by acquiring skills because they are challenging the socialist narrative that failure to succeed is purely due to rich privilege.
Terry Christian is an insufferable arse by the way
Absolutely (on both points) And hi Angie, long time no see! Hope you're well x
Land grab by "elite" is always the way to disturb the natural way for common people to become independent individuals who can feed self without relying on the same "elite" to survive. He who creates owns. Below under the Creator himself there are People who work on land. These people are the next real creators. People who work on land are getting as close to the understanding of the creation as it is humanly possible. This is the real power of the people who works on land. This is what "elite" do not want people to become - be close to the God the creator. This is why the question of Land "ownership" is in the centre of all wars that "elite" is leading against people. Currently ongoing war against people is not an exception. See what is happening with farming land in USA, Ukraine, UK: the successful attempts to take the land away from people who work on land are in full go ahead mode: Legally by acts of power or illegally by war. As always all is disguised by popular "everything is for greater good and equality" socialists banners. socialism will lead to Godless tyranny called communism that will lead eventually to a lot of blood to fight for return the land back to people. It is better to realise this sooner and do not enter socialism phase at all.
As someone from a decent middle class background, had all the nice holidays abroad and the latest games consoles and air bubble sneakers as a child I agree. I grew up to be coereced by the public school system because I was told by Tony Lie-Blair that as long as I went to University I was on the right track in life.
I look at some friends I once knew who are farmers. They would regularly work fourteen hour days only to come into the pub for a couple of beers late evening stinking of pig shit of which I would assume what fools they were working all day and doing hard manual labour outdoor and having minimal free social time. Whilst I had already sunk eight pints and didn't have to be in my first lecture in the morning until past 1pm.
Well, I now realise that hard work does get you far, as both of them are happily married with kids and own their own homes and have a family business to look after to pass on to their children.
I have now realised that being "educated" was a massive con, unless you had the natural born drive, work ethic and general passion for that subject you study. I do wish I'd would have just learnt to do a trade so that I could work on my own and be my own boss; rather that the current battery farm hen house I currently work in. You live and learn I guess...
Let’s not ever confuse Education with Intelligence: two separate entities. The weasel faced Tony Blair(clever lad btw), once told us he wanted everyone to go to University. And not for any potential knowledge, wisdom, work skills, or general cleverness that it might have imparted, on an eager, fertile and keenly muscular brain, but: purely for the indoctrination that these institutions were paid to put out: woke, Marxist, postmodernist and cripplingly myopic points of view. Great fun.
And btw; it’s very much the middle classes who constantly, and invariably, let us all down. Because most of the time, they’re too stupid, and comfortably well off, to actually think things through; and are invariably used to perpetuate/exacerbate the major cons in our lives at the moment, think: Corona bollocks, globull warbling and men who give birth, to name but five. (Or was that three, should’ve spent more time at school, huh!?)!?
They, god bless ‘em, can always be relied upon to drive the message (usually: oppressive, divisive and hostile missives), being imparted/dictated by authorities-govt.-corporations, financial institutions, whatevs…. Stay home. Phone for food. Don’t talk.Listen to the experts. Switch off your heating. And support Israel.
The obedient classes lap this shit up. Process it. And regurgitate it with impunity. Doctors, Lawyers, journalists (?), upper management, BBC lackeys, business Execs, politicians …. The ‘Left’ used to despise this demographic of compliant, University brainwashed, chattering classes with a vengeance and for all the right reasons: now; they have turned into them. They are them.!!
The despicable new Faux-socialists. Heinous, vile creatures. Julian Assange worshipping, big pharma promoting, establishment clowns…. We’re not safe ‘till everyone’s safe.!! (Or preferably: dead.)… Now, as for large swathes of the UK critically unthinking Hoi-Poloi: Christ sakes, don’t get me started……
Well said and definitely well observed. I grew up on a housing estate in south London but went to a great grammar school. The Labour government of the early 70s obviously didn’t want well educated plebs so destroyed the grammar school system- my school amalgamated with a local comp the year I took my O levels and the resulting school quickly went downhill. Meanwhile the Labour MP - Harriet Hartman - sent her kids out to private schools. What they do is despicable and has left so many dependent on daddy state.
Yep....bullseye. Our culture has been deliberately and systematically impregnated with Crabs in a bucket syndrome. You can only lead the way out by hard work and example