Government theft of another’s possessions is plain wrong

Government theft of another’s possessions is plain wrong

13:32 PM, 11th September 2019, About 5 years ago 27

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The attacks on landlords are coming thick and fast and no political  party is the landlord”s friend. However, the worst possible fate that could befall our businesses would be for us to have them stolen from us. Last week Shadow Chancellor John McDonnell proposed just this in an interview with the Financial Times. Click here

Julian Jessop, former Institute of Economic Affairs economist has now spelt out clearly what landlords amongst others would face under a Marxist Government in an excellent article for the Telegraph, Click here. As he states, a sustained attack on property rights is no way to run a prosperous economy. I would add that there is also the small matter that theft of another’s possessions is plain wrong and the Government should be protecting property rights; not ripping them up.

Landlords clearly need to wake up. Many seem to still be supporting Labour, have their heads in the sand or are in denial. I understand tribal loyalty towards Labour, having been brought up poor and having voted Labour for most of my life. But Labour is no longer what it was.

Of course, the Conservative Government has also behaved atrociously towards landlords who are its natural supporters. Their attacks have paved the way and emboldened the extreme left in this country through the confiscatory Section 24 and now the proposed introduction of indefinite tenancies which will mean property owners lose control of their own property. I have written to Tory MPs and the Housing Minister to urge them to reverse direction, but there is no sign they are listening.

This is the context in which Labour has felt able to propose the legalised theft which ‘Rent to Buy’ in the PRS would constitute.

Together with the proposed theft of 10% of large companies’ assets (the next stage will be another 10%; another stage will be the theft of smaller companies’ assets and so on), landlords should unite against these attacks.

There is no easy solution regarding which party to vote for, but it is very clear which party must be stopped if we don’t want to face mass confiscation of our businesses and property.


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Comments

Dr Rosalind Beck

17:43 PM, 12th September 2019, About 5 years ago

If he also owns his London house outright that is approaching £1 million of property equity. That would be more than most of the 2.5 million landlords' wealth I would imagine as we often have large mortgages or much cheaper houses.

Also, it makes far more sense to penalise second home owners first as they are one person or family taking up two houses. Landlords don't leave their houses empty for weekend use by themselves; they provide essential housing for 7 days a week. That is completely different to taking up two houses just for yourself. That's the decadent side of life, mate.

So if he wants to redistribute wealth from the rich to the poor, he can start with himself.

Graham Landlord

17:56 PM, 12th September 2019, About 5 years ago

My MP Kevin Foster, told a Torbay Landlords Meeting that renting in London was difficult and expensive. I said "Consider the value of your flat if sold, “say £500K”. Consider the Landlord’s costs and risks. Consider the rent you pay, “say £25K a year”. I ask you this. If you take away the opportunity for the owner of your flat to get his £500K flat back, do you think he will ever rent it out again ? I think not. Then where are you and all the other MP’s going to stay?”
The Government want people to invest money in property to make it available to rent. If you make any investment that doesn’t come with a 100% guarantee (section 21) you will at least get your property back at the end, it is not an investment it is a loss. The Labour party have been here before with their stupid 1977 Rent Act, which was an unmitigated disaster for tenants. It wasn’t a disaster for Landlords, they just stop being landlords and did something else! If it wasn’t so serious, you would laugh at the Governments mesmerised thinking. Because Tenants have no choice but to be Tenants, the Goverment is hypnotised into the belief that Landlords have to be Landlords. When being a Landlord stops being an attractive proposition. Don’t complain, don’t try and change the Government, do something else with your life.

Appalled Landlord

18:26 PM, 12th September 2019, About 5 years ago

Reply to the comment left by Whiteskifreak Surrey at 12/09/2019 - 17:22
Corbyn is opposed to second homes and wants to double the council tax on them.
http://www.webnewsys.com/2018/09/second-home-owners-will-be-hit-by.html

The house next door to Corbyn’s current home was for sale at £925,000 nearly 3 years ago
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3928436/Was-nuisance-neighbours-Terraced-house-door-Jeremy-Corbyn-s-Islington-home-sale-925-000-real-Champagne-socialist-afford-it.html

This is the hovel he lived in when he attended prep school and was a day-boy at the local boarding school: https://www.thesun.co.uk/news/2330249/jeremy-corbyns-family-mansion-up-for-sale-for-650000-which-he-describes-as-an-old-farm/

It’s no wonder that his education suffered - 2 E’s at A-Level, one step above Fail - or that he became a Marxist. https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2015/jun/17/jeremy-corbyn-labour-leadership-dont-do-personal?CMP=aff_1432&utm_content=The+Independent&awc=5795_1568307172_61dff945c2debad4bb14e15fd1311e8f

John Mcgowan

22:38 PM, 12th September 2019, About 5 years ago

Comrade Corbyn and his Marxist pal McDonnell are a complete disgrace and will rob decent hard working landlords who provide good housing that useless governments and councils cannot, in order to get votes and fulfil their sick political extreme socialist ambisions.

Susan Robinson

10:15 AM, 14th September 2019, About 5 years ago

Reader Michael Fickling summed it all up very well in his response to the article on 5th Sept "McDonnell’s distorted and dangerous version of Right to Buy" - see link:
https://www.property118.com/mcdonnells-distorted-and-dangerous-version-of-right-to-buy/comment-page-3/#comments

10:21 AM, 14th September 2019, About 5 years ago

Reply to the comment left by Dr Rosalind Beck at 11/09/2019 - 16:12
Most Scandinavian countries are run on socialist principles and are some of the best performing economies and have the highest happiness index so please don't generalise.

Dr Rosalind Beck

10:49 AM, 14th September 2019, About 5 years ago

Reply to the comment left by Gillian Schifreen at 14/09/2019 - 10:21
Can you give me an example of where they have stolen private property from property owners to give to someone else?

11:21 AM, 14th September 2019, About 5 years ago

Reply to the comment left by Dr Rosalind Beck at 14/09/2019 - 10:49
To post to which I replied, but now can't see implied all socialist countries.

bob the builder

12:21 PM, 14th September 2019, About 5 years ago

SO just to point out the obvious - as we now live in a 'Global Village' it would be very simple & quick for large volumes of assets/currency to exit the UK and create an almost immediate recession; that is what happened in Venezuela - all the rich ppl went to Florida with their cash leaving behind a poor, low tax yield population with hype inflation that are now starving despite sitting on vast reserves of black gold!

Simon Williams

13:43 PM, 14th September 2019, About 5 years ago

We shouldn't be side-tracked here I know, but in response to the observation that Scandinavian countries are socialist, I sharply disagree. Sweden is one of the most capitalist countries I have ever been too. Don't be fooled by relatively high income tax rates. On at least one measure of income inequality, Sweden ranks higher than the UK. As for happiness, I would say it's debatable. Look at the WHO stats on suicide rates. All Nordic countries have higher suicide rates than the UK. Finland's is nearly 3 times that of the UK. (socialists will presumably blame that on the weather).

And back to property, you might be interested to know that in Sweden, 36% of properties are rentals. More than the UK..

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