Thomas Hall 🔰

How do all the "increasing supply will bring house prices down" crowd square their views with the policy of "build and they will come"? I mean, do they think Dubai builds more to bring prices down?

The State has effectively stopped protecting property rights of certain things (e.g. not prosecuting bike theft, car theft, shoplifters below a certain value etc.). Has this caused the value of those items to drop? Not really. If you think this would be the case if the State stopped protecting land rights- and there are many ways this might happen- then I have a prime bit of Donbas to sell you.

Like wanye I'm not 'against' property tax per se, no more than other taxes, it's just that everyone arguing with him via 'Georgist' principles or enamored of 'land-value tax' or whatever, clearly has a background premise that Everything Is De Facto Owned By The State. And look, it's ok for that to be your starting premise, I guess, but then just admit you're a totalizing commie. Lay your cards on the table so we see clearly where we, respectively, stand; don't waste peoples' time pretending you're interested in marginal 'efficiencies' or whatever. You think the state by default owns everything, just say that.

The State has effectively stopped protecting property rights of certain things (e.g. not prosecuting bike theft, car theft, shoplifters below a certain value etc.). Has this caused the value of those items to drop? Not really. If you think this would be the case if the State stopped protecting land rights- and there are many ways this might happen- then I have a prime bit of Donbas to sell you.

Correct. People are making bad arguments. Property is the ability to exclude. So now we can decide what we want to make property. Property isn't something that came out of the sky - people invented it. For instance, should IP be property? If so, what are the limits on it? There are pros and cons of that. Also, what are people willing to tolerate? Humans are remixers so banning people from telling a joke because it's IP is going to get ignored regardless of how illegal it is. Most people don't want to steal another's clothes or assault their bodies, so those don't need a lot of salesmen to make into property rights. Created property (wealth) like bicycles people generally don't want to trespass again by stealing or using without permission, though I'd imagine more people are willing to steal bikes than assault someone even if they could get away with either. We know that allowing bike theft will lower the quality of life in an area (hence making property taxes lower... but anyways), and will lead to less bicycles being created - people need security of their things to be willing to buy or make them. Economic land is the canvas itself on which we draw. Everything we make needs to be done on and with it, it precedes wealth. Blocking others from accessing it blocks them from making wealth. "Just get a job to buy land, bro" requires the largesse of another, it creates a positive right to a job if you have a right to your body because it becomes a prerequisite to existing without permission. It's comparable to telling a slave to just buy out his contract, or an anarchist to just move to another country. It's a choice of jailers. We shouldn't get rid of private property in land, it's a cornerstone of civilization. What I argue we should do is compensate others for what they would've had access to in the absence of others, either directly via a UBI or by lowering or eliminating taxes on productive behaviors like labor, investing, or trade.

@yhdistyminen @HomelessEconomy @memeticsisyphus Well we have had lots of progressive governments and not many land taxes so…

@memeticsisyphus The "progressive" opinion on land taxes is much closer to what almost any economist will tell you, and the conservative opinion is 100% vibes.

Reading enough of their posts it becomes quite clear progressives just don’t understand money

@xwanyex In the UK a significant amount of land in not on the national registry, as it has not changed hands since the registry was created. Plenty of land is kept in the same families for centuries.

People sort of act like they live in a fairytale in which there’s a group of privileged land owners and then on the other hand the peasants who have been locked out. But in our country what happens is we buy land with money. You aren’t granted the privilege to use it. You buy it with money, like everything else. And the title transfers. You can save up some money and go buy some land yourself. High housing prices, notwithstanding, very large shares of the country are still homeowners. It’s not like this is an extreme minority group.

No one created the land they live on. And yet they've been granted the ability to exclude others from it, backed by state force. All we ask is they pay the rest of society for the privilege to use this scarce resource, which itself derives much of its value from society around it

Replacing property taxes with income or sales taxes (or nothing) is a very bad idea. Traditional property taxes should be replaced with land value taxes, though.

@iAmJoshHunt Sensible nativist social policy (reverse mass migration/ prioritise natives), and a fundamental shift in tax policy away from taxes on wages and production and on to economic rent is the way to go.

I've spent the last few days writing about many of the troubles facing this country. A lot of people have asked what I'd actually do. What my solutions are, and what I stand for. And many keep trying to convince me to vote for the Greens, vote for Reform, or vote for Restore. I'll be honest. Some of this might come across as naive. I'm not a politician. But I've spent months looking at the data, talking to people, and trying to understand why this country feels the way it does. What I've arrived at isn't a policy platform. It's what I want from a political party. What I think millions of people want. And what nobody is offering. And like I said, this may come across as idealistic and naive... but here we go. Truth is, I feel politically homeless. And I believe there's a huge gap in politics right now. Labour is managing decline and calling it stability. You can't redistribute your way to prosperity. You have to build it. The Conservatives spent 14 years without ever articulating a vision for what Britain becomes next. They managed a broken system and left with nothing to show for it. Reform wants to reform what already exists. But reforming a declining system still gives you a declining system. The Greens seem to be in denial of the existence of the bond market. And Restore. The clue is in the name. You can't restore what the world has moved past. I don't want to restore. I want to rebuild. And I want to rebuild in a way that works for everyone. I don't want pensioners terrified of a cliff edge. I don't want our most vulnerable feeling the safety net is being pulled away. A growing economy isn't one that leaves people behind. It's one that generates enough prosperity to genuinely look after those who need it, rather than rationing an ever-smaller pot and pretending that's compassion. But I also want an economy where people want to contribute. Not because they're coerced or shamed. Because they can see themselves in it. A path. An opportunity. A reason to build something. When people feel the system works for them, they show up. When they don't, they check out. Right now, millions have checked out. It's getting worse by the day. And it's so depressing to see because there's so much lost potential. I want energy security. Nuclear, renewables, hydrogen, tidal, all of it. Let's even pioneer energy experiments to deliver what we need. I'm energy agnostic. What I'm not agnostic about is importing 44% of our energy with almost no storage. Every time the world sneezes, we catch pneumonia. That has to stop. I want a planning system that lets people build. Houses. Factories. Labs. The UK's inability to build is not a law of nature. It's a choice. And it's strangling us. I have no doubt there are many creative solutions to solving the housing crisis, planning laws need to change to allow for it though. I want a country where someone with a mad idea can take a risk, build something, and reap the rewards. I want the weird and wonderful. The garage startups and the mad inventors. That energy exists here. It always has. But we've built a system that suffocates it. I want the UK to be the best place in the world to do business... not a place where OpenAI pull their investment because they feel the country is unworkable. I want us to play to our strengths. Aerospace. Biotech. AI. Creative industries. Clean energy. Instead of mourning what we've lost, build on what we're genuinely good at. Because we're good at a lot. World-beating in much of it. I want us to embrace technology to transform productivity. Not as a threat. As the thing that makes public services world class and gives small businesses superpowers. The countries that harness this wave will thrive. The ones that resist it will fall behind. Let me be clear... we're falling behind. I want young people to believe the future is worth investing in. A 25 year old in this country faces the most expensive housing in the developed world, the highest tax burden in decades, and less security than their parents had at every stage. The birth rate just hit its lowest in 90 years. That's not a statistic. That's a verdict on how young people see their futures. And rather than asking ourselves why, we attack young people for their life choices, instead of giving them an environment to thrive in. And we seem committed to suppressing ambition. We have people actively trying not to aim too high, or reducing what they do, because our tax system punishes them for doing too much. That's diabolical and is a huge waste of talent. I want a country where people can be themselves without life choices being horrifically politicised, in order to drive culture wars to divert attention away from the failures of our central planners. There is a massive gap in British politics. A gap for a vision that says the old model is broken, we're not going back, but the future can be extraordinary if we build it. A vision that rewards hard work, innovation, and risk. That serves everyone. That looks forward rather than back. Like I said, this will come across as naive. I know that. But this is what I'd vote for, and the parties we have right now are nowhere close to this. I know many will come back on this to say this is exactly what party X or party Y offers, but I don't see it. I think that vision would win a lot of hearts and minds. A party offering something people would aspire to, rather than just eliminate what they hate. Because millions of people are waiting for someone to say what they already feel and actually bet on the UK rather than just manage its decline. Obviously, all of this would require difficult choices, levelling with the public about the real state of the country, and trade-offs that will feel uncomfortable. But I'd rather sacrifice and work hard towards something that feels worthwhile than this trajectory of misery we're on right now. Anyway, I'm just a nobody ranting and posting nonsense on X. But that's what I'd like to see. Anyone that offers that vision, gets my vote.

In Abraham Lincoln’s first SOTU address in 1861 he said: “Labor is prior to and independent of capital. Capital is only the fruit of labor, and could never have existed if labor had not first existed. Labor is the superior of capital, and deserves much the higher consideration” I fully support the Greens equalising the rates of tax on capital and labour. I believe the Lib Dem’s are also pushing this policy and they are right to do so.

@AlexejGerst @WorldByWolf Not too late to delete this

@WorldByWolf on the bright side, dating apps are full of hot young ukrainian women

The Ukraine War has been finished since Autumn 2022. It’s at a stalemate. Ukraine is not going to take back the oblasts they’ve lost. Russia is unlikely to gain much more territory unless they’re willing to endure millions more casualties. The truly tragic part of this war is that once the war is over Ukraine is finished. It will be in the hands of the globalists. It will be flooded with immigrants and the entire country will be purchased by US asset managers. It’s a tragic end for a proud country and one that was entirely avoidable had we just accepted the Donbas was lost in 2022 and cut a peace deal to that effect. Ukrainians have been used as cannon fodder for the Americans to test run their military hardware and software. Used like rats in a tragic experiment. Britain should be ashamed of our role.

We should replace property taxes with a land value tax

@maxtempers You get similar distortions in some private services- e.g. Independent Schooling. E.g. how many pupils are on bursaries because parents are low earners- being subsidized by the same crushed "high" earners?

People must wake to the full scale of the Martin Lewis Extended Universe (MLEU) Every price has been butchered. Every payment you make has a secret tax, cross-subsidy or regulatory distortion built into it. Social Democracy is all encompassing. There is no beginning or end.

@Martlu12 @paulhockey32300 @RupertLowe10 I am hippy? LOL! I am a Catholic and a traditionalist. I have worked for myself and for the private sector my whole life. Let me guess- the majority of your income is derived from Buy To Let, and the majority of your wealth is derived from property price appreciation. Close?

@ThomasBHall @paulhockey32300 @RupertLowe10 you are hippy, I doubt you understand much about creation of wealth. All you see is what others have built and an opportunity to seize it. Even a nice park or woods exist because someone tended to it. This is why we have nice things today. It's no accident.

No point calling Green supporting young men and women ‘Marxists’ or ‘indoctrinated’ or ‘hard-left’. Some are, fine. Most aren’t. Most are just feeling patronised, insulted and neglected by an establishment that quite evidently doesn’t care about them. It hasn’t for a very long time. We all know that. They see the system doesn’t work for them, and they’re reacting to it. Democratically and fairly. Do I think Polanski will solve their problems? No. No I do not. Do I understand why they’re searching for an answer? Yes. Absolutely. Our job is to offer them an alternative option that they feel speaks for them. Polanski has done that, to be fair. Our job is to make sure Restore Britain does the same, but from a very different position. One that rewards their hard work, protects our borders, and unapologetically puts aspirational young British men and women at the very top of our agenda. One that provides skilled jobs which pay well, a path to living in a decent home in a safe neighbourhood - the opportunity to build a family. That’s what Restore Britain is aiming to do. Millions of young Brits are already backing that message. It’s wonderful to see. The argument against Polanski can be won, but only with a positive vision. Not patronising insults. Restore Britain has that vision.

@PositivFuturist You know what the answer to this issue is Andy!

You don’t have to extrapolate far to reach a point where only millionaires own property of any kind.

Only that which is created by man should be private property. The gifts of nature should be used for public good. Your thinking seems confused- as you claimed that wealth needs to be created not redistributed- but also seem to think that natural (uncreated) wealth should also remain private…

@ThomasBHall @paulhockey32300 @RupertLowe10 Your point is somewhat irrelevant in my opinion. Yes, no one person created the land, for example a national park. It is sustained through taxes. So is the government and its facilities. We separate public and private. You shouldnt be able to take other peoples private property

@Martlu12 @paulhockey32300 @RupertLowe10 You have yet to speak to my point. Do you agree that not all wealth was created? You stated by saying wealth needs to be created…

@ThomasBHall @paulhockey32300 @RupertLowe10 there are already national parks and public streets. You are free to enjoy them. If 9 people vote to take away 1 persons property then that is tyranny of the majority, not "social justice"

@Martlu12 @paulhockey32300 @RupertLowe10 Some things we call wealth are not created by anyone. These fruits of nature should be used socially- and private wealth should be left in the hands of those who produce it.

@paulhockey32300 @ThomasBHall @RupertLowe10 Bruv , wealth needs to be created, not redistributed. You can't keep bringing people in and putting them on benefits& council housing. Bringing I'm met tax consumers is by definition unsustainable in the long term, even if you ignored the lack of integration, crime and all else

@Martlu12 @RupertLowe10 What do you think I am talking about? I am saying to look to Singapore for a good economic model. You disagree?

@ThomasBHall @RupertLowe10 Singapore is way more strict on immigration and on crime than UK. You cant solve the countries problems by just showering people with money you dont have.

@riversorare Why? They are right to object a lot of the time. The whole system is set up to reward development in the worst places, and half the time you also get very undesirable new neighbours as well.

I don’t hate old people or Boomers. With the exception of a bunch of red and blue politicians it’s really not their fault. But I do want them to never ever object to any Planning Application ever again.