Lib Dems prove once again they are not fit to govern

[Robinho]

I really have to work now. I shall address some of these points later.

I am enjoying the debate.

[Mich the Tester]

I don't think it does Rob.

Here's some of the arguments I've heard over the past 2 months from the tory / capitalist side:

1. People can move to where the work is

(puts no value on society, family values or friendship at all - you should just uproot and leave your mother and uproot your children - both parents work to pay for a house outside of your area , somehow magically get 2500 average bond + 1st months rent when you are unemployed and try claw it back working in the leisure or service industry "like the immigrants")

Yes, and many of those who say 'people can move to where the work is' are vehemently opposed to an increase in the number of immigrants (who are often doing precisely that). It seems that many on the right love to talk of 'free markets' but don't like the thought of a free labour market.

[SueEllen]

I really have to work now. I shall address some of these points later.

I am enjoying the debate.

You clearly don't get it. The same thing happens in the UK.

The shop was viable and even had living accommodation above it.

In the last couple of years quite a few shops around me that have flats above them, instead of the flat(s) being left to crumble the flats are being done up and rented out. That way the landlord gets money from the retail premises below and the flat(s) above. A win-win for the landlords as one or the other will always be rented out if s/he can't rent out both.

The shops vary from fast food restaurants to lawyers offices. There are even a few chain shops involved.

In this case the landlord thought that he could gain by forcing up the rent on the shop so high that his current tenant left and so he could turn the entire property into housing. Unfortunately he didn't realise we were in the middle of a housing bubble. If the landlord had looked at history he would have worked out that by diversifying his interests he would have made more money over the long term.

[OwlHoot]

Land value tax is something that should be tried i think. Ideally eliminate all other taxes in place of it.

You could kiss goodbye to the countryside and any waste ground and woods etc. The whole lot would be concreted over or ploughed to make car parks or grow rape seed oil.

Also, landowners do pay "land tax", in the form of death duty.

[Mich the Tester]

You could kiss goodbye to the countryside and any waste ground and woods etc. The whole lot would be concreted over or ploughed to make car parks or grow rape seed oil.

Also, landowners do pay "land tax", in the form of death duty.

Oh but on the whole society would gain.

[vetran]

landlord may have wanted a quick profit.

remember its this month's bonus not this decade's.

[Robinho]

You clearly don't get it. The same thing happens in the UK.

The shop was viable and even had living accommodation above it.

In the last couple of years quite a few shops around me that have flats above them, instead of the flat(s) being left to crumble the flats are being done up and rented out. That way the landlord gets money from the retail premises below and the flat(s) above. A win-win for the landlords as one or the other will always be rented out if s/he can't rent out both.

The shops vary from fast food restaurants to lawyers offices. There are even a few chain shops involved.

In this case the landlord thought that he could gain by forcing up the rent on the shop so high that his current tenant left and so he could turn the entire property into housing. Unfortunately he didn't realise we were in the middle of a housing bubble. If the landlord had looked at history he would have worked out that by diversifying his interests he would have made more money over the long term.

I certainly do get it.

But i agree with you. If there was no housing bubble then these shops may well not have closed anyway because the business case to convert them into houses wouldn't have been there.

My initial point was that we CAN rely on the free market if we had a stable money system that isn't prone to produce speculative debt bubbles.

[Robinho]

You could kiss goodbye to the countryside and any waste ground and woods etc. The whole lot would be concreted over or ploughed to make car parks or grow rape seed oil.

Also, landowners do pay "land tax", in the form of death duty.

Err what?

It would emphasise space efficiency.

It's a Scottish Green Party policy FFS.

[Mich the Tester]

Err what?

It would emphasise space efficiency.

It's a Scottish Green Party policy FFS.

Is that some kind of recommendation?

[sasguru]

It might be hard to see how, but if you run the equations it does work out, trust me.

The self-styled "high IQ" OP believes Economics is a hard science?
Please stop, my sides are splitting.