REVOLUTION

It is said that all society’s problems began when one caveman drew a line in the patch outside his cave and said, ‘This is mine’.

Private property ownership is the root of all injustice and inequality. It compels people to evict people - their fellow man - from safety and comfort. It means that one man can laud power over the many. It dictates ‘status’, health, economics and pleasure. And, most cruel, it means that if I own something I don’t even need, the laws demand that that is my right to let it fall down around others unimpeded.

Wanton dereliction of buildings in towns that are crying out for life is the result of this greed. With no vested interest, no emotional investment, buyers hoover up buildings with a lifetime of history and stories. They turn their backs on it, trot back home, and wait for the market to pick up. Their precious patch of land left to crumble behind them.

Government investment is meant to patch this damage - but with €100,000 per town, it will be a slow repair. Viva la Revolución?