The thoughts behind the Renegade Ecologist


Henry David Thoreau
Peter Smith






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Views are my own and don’t reflect the views of Wildwood Trust

Monday, 17 December 2012

The Landlord's Role in Society

An old story as relevant to day as it was then:

Many years ago a company of tradesmen united themselves into a guild and each one had to relate what he could contribute to its support.

First the blacksmith came forward and said:—
"Gentlemen, I wish to become a member of your organisation."
"Well, what can you do?"
"Oh, I can make springs and axles for your carriages, shoe your horses, and make all kinds of implements."
"Very well, come in, Mr. Blacksmith."

The mason applied for admission into the society.
"What can you do, sir?"
"I can build your barns, bridges, houses, and stables."
"Very well, come in; we cannot do without you."

Along comes the shoemaker and says:—
"I wish to become a member of your society."
"Well, what can you do?"
"I can make boots and shoes for you."
"Come in, Mr. Shoemaker; we must have you."

In turn all the trades and professions applied, till at last an individual came who wanted to become a member.
"And what are you?"

"I am a landlord."

"A landlord? And what can you do?"

"I can hunt and fish and win prizes at pigeon matches."

"But what do you do for a livelihood?"

"Oh, I take toll of all of you. The labourer pays me for the right to dig, the miner to burrow in the earth, and the bricklayer to build a house."

"But what can you *do*?"

"I can make your laws, and when I have made them I can administer them. If a man snares a hare I give him six months; if he shoots a snipe I give him three. I can drive men to desperation, and to the uttermost parts of the earth. I can prevent the erection of cottages, or the building of a Methodist chapel. I can look on and take the larger share of the prosperity of the farmer, the shopkeeper, and the manufacturer; I can keep up an army of paupers."

"And what else can you do?"

"I can bring the grey hairs of the aged to the grave with sorrow; I can break the heart of the wife, and blast the prospects of men of talent and enterprise, and fill the land with more than the plagues of Egypt."

"Is that all you can do?"

"Good heavens! is not that enough?"

source: English Land Restoration League, Issue No. 3, 1889

Saturday, 15 December 2012

Wildlife Champion Ramps House Prices & helps a system that ensures Wildlife Destruction

A certain popular wildlife Conservationist was on the BBC’s top house price ramping programme, ‘Escape to the Country’ this week. The Wildwood Trust attracts hundreds of thousands of people each year, keen to experience the many animals it protects, such as these very cute baby beaver and rescued dormice which were featured on the programme.

Clip from the BBC 'Escape to the Country'

This programme shows very well how property prices are affected by the community that surrounds the houses. The infamous phrase; LOCATION LOCATION LOCATION tells us the largest part of a ‘property’s price’ is the location value, i.e. that which is created by the whole community.

Now that means that, with all probability,  the popular tourist destination and conservation charity Wildwood Trust is adding many thousands, if not millions, of pounds to the land prices of the houses & businesses in the area, these landowners (free-loaders) have enjoyed this increase in their wealth without lifting a finger, and without taxation (let’s call this cheating).

Wildwood Trust, as a charity, pays no corporation tax, but then who does these days as most large corporations avoid it? But Wildwood does pay more than 20% of its income in VAT and employment taxes (you also have to factor in all the taxes already paid on the goods and services used by Wildwood). The hundreds of volunteers and staff who have laboured hard over the years to make Wildwood Trust a success have all had to pay taxes on the materials bought to enhance the park & on the (very low) wages of the staff, who work tirelessly in all weathers.

We have a massive agricultural subsidy system and a myriad of special tax breaks and dodges that keep land prices high; on top of the work the whole community does, which is distilled into those high land prices. High land prices prevent people who want to reintroduce beavers, dormice or all the other creatures of Britain from protecting land for them to live on.  Marginal land is subsidised and uneconomically brought into production;  even rare woodlands and wetlands are hoarded by property speculators in the hope of one day becoming instant millionaires if they are allowed to build a house upon the land. Each year a range of charities spend hundreds of millions of pounds on purchasing land, a massive waste of charitable donations.

High land prices act as not only a ‘private tax’ on all wildlife land but on all the people and their business activity. This system of private taxation robs us all of the fruits of our labour, whether it be a wildlife charity, city banker or supermarket checkout single mum. Even our system of welfare payments and housing benefit end up being handed over to the landowners in one way or another

Our system of taxing real work, and not taxing land and natural resources, means the more successful Wildwood Trust is in attracting people to is conservation park & the better its boss is at getting his mug on the telly means they are playing a role in preventing wildlife protection in general, as the land around the park increases in price, some of that land the Wildwood Trust wishes to purchase to further its charitable cause.

We can stop this mad system by shifting taxation off earned income and onto the exclusive ownership of natural monopolies, the biggest one being land. Such a change will make marginal land economically worthless and return it to extensive farming or wildlife land, giving a home to the beavers, dormice and fast disappearing wildlife. Such a change would also mean all business activity, not involved in cheating, will be free from taxation making our economy stronger and creating hundreds of thousands of jobs. Other benefits including reducing pollution, global warming, community disenfranchisement, crime, etc etc.

For further information watch 'The Killing Fields' - a documentary exploring wildlife conservation and taxation:

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