Theft, Pure and Simple

Amazing how many cliches you can get into a single comment:

But the National Trust, the country’s largest coastal
landowner which cares for over 700 miles of coastline in England, Wales
and Northern Ireland, welcomed the plans.

Its
Director General, Fiona Reynolds, said: "The coastal corridors approach
is an innovative way to integrate the needs of wildlife, local people
and the demands of a constantly changing coastline that is increasingly
impacted by sea level rise and climate change."

Only missed two, "for the children" and " we are all guilty".

As to the larger proposal, this is theft, pure and simple:

The Environment Secretary, David Miliband, who will
open up the scheme for consultation, said: "We are an island nation.
The coast is our birthright and everyone should be able to enjoy it.

"I want families to have safe and secure access to walk, climb, rock scramble, paddle and play all along our coastline."

Mmmhm Hmm. So, currently private property, land that the owner may, if he so wishes, exclude people from, is to have that right of exclusion lifted from it. That is, make it not private property.

Landowners and farmers whose land will be affected are angry because
they will not receive compensation and they are concerned that the
value of their land will drop.

This is what is known as a "taking". Compensation should indeed be paid for this. If it isn’t, it’s theft. No, it doesn’t make any difference that it’s the government doing the stealing, it’s still theft.

In

8 responses

  1. sortapundit Avatar
    sortapundit

    Currently many stretches of the coastline on private land are off limits to walkers who are forced to make often long detours inland.
    I face often long detours every time I walk into the centre of York. Where’s my pathway? Why do I have to detour around those pesky city walls? Why can’t I plow through shops, homes and other private property?
    For that matter, when I need the bathroom after a night in the pub should I not have the right to use the closest convenience available? My neighbour’s, for instance? My bathroom is all the way downstairs, but if I just climb out of my bedroom window and in through the window next door I could be pissing freely in a manner of seconds.
    I can feel that blood pressure rising again.

  2. MARK T Avatar
    MARK T

    Exactly how much have sea levels risen in britain please?
    Tim adds: Well, there’s the 2-3 mm per year in the south as we recover from the last ice age….

  3. All part of the poisonous tryst between the Green Religion and the Sociofacists.

  4. Tim, how many times do I have to repeat that changing the rules on how you can monopolize land doesn’t represent theft?
    Owners didn’t make the land, it doesn’t originate from them, and their ownership is a mere consequence of how we have previously chosen to divide up that which exists in nature. Perhaps this change in the law is good, or perhaps not, but whatever it is, it isn’t theft.

  5. sortapundit Avatar
    sortapundit

    Perhaps this change in the law is good, or perhaps not, but whatever it is, it isn’t theft.
    In that case, can I have that yoghurt in your fridge? Your purchase of it during last week’s Friday big shop at Sainsbury’s was a mere consequence of how we have previously chosen to divide the dairy products that exist in nature.
    I love yoghurt.

  6. JuliaM Avatar
    JuliaM

    “In that case, can I have that yoghurt in your fridge? “
    No, no, don’t ask (unless you refer to it as an attempt to ‘open up the scheme for consultation’) – just barge in and take it!
    Marcin can’t object, he didn’t make the yoghurt…

  7. Sortapundit, you can have my yoghurt when you tell me how my yoghurt came into existence without human intervention.

  8. But the National Trust, the country’s largest coastal landowner which cares for over 700 miles of coastline in England, Wales and Northern Ireland, welcomed the plans.
    Yeah? If they’re so keen to allow free public access onto private property, why do they insist on charging people a fortune to enter their own property, including charging four quid a time to park your car near a beach?

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