IF I mug someone for their wallet, I am guilty of theft and assault; if the person drops the wallet, I find it and keep it, I am guilty of theft by finding; if I sell the wallet, the person who buys it is guilty of reset.
This all seems logical and protects the property of the individual. But landowners are asking us to believe this simple principle does not apply if the property in question happens to be land (Private landowners come under fire over outbursts on land law, News, May 31).
Perhaps we should ask landowners to exactly how they they came into possession of "their" estates. Perhaps the can explain their wealth without perverting the laws against theft and reset, but I doubt it. Oh, and the hoary old joke "my ancestors fought for it" is not a moral argument.
Les Hunter
Lanark
There are 7,838,700 hectares of land, including fresh water, in Scotland. There are about 5,300,000 people living on it. Some 432 people - many (possibly most) of whom do not live on it - own half of it. Perhaps half the people of Scotland own precisely none of it. Why? How? Because land is the basis of power. Each of us could have 1.479 hectares (ish) if we each had an equal share of the land. Dream on? I am. For each of us to have an equal stake in our land of Scotland, all we need is a stake, literally. Stick it in the ground. To achieve such a critical mass, all that need be done is to persuade the have-nots that it is possible. It is possible, so why not? Repeat after me: "Three acres each." (Scots acres).
Alternatively we could have serious "legal" land reform: before my dream comes true: "Three acres each. Three acres each. Three acres each ... "
Gwilym Barlow
Cawdor
The Government will face many challenges in their efforts to obtain a fair and just outcome in the proposed land ownership reforms. Landowners are not all bad for Scotland: many fulfil a meaningful role in the wonderful tapestry of Scotland. However, I am sure I speak for most fair-minded people of Scotland when I ask for one simple check to be made. If you receive subsidies or tax benefits from the state you must show that the benefits are not salted away to overseas tax havens or offshore trusts to avoid returning tax on profits to this country.
Brian Neeson
Dumbarton
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