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[Owlbread]

Spoiler: in reply to notquitethere (click to show/hide)

Sorry Owlbread, I looked it up and I saw it was 32 but for some reason I has 18 on the brain. It seems absurd to me that you don't have anything like Parish councils.

We had parish councils for about 30 years at the turn of the century but they were abolished. The problem is Scotland has always had a very unique system where we periodically downsize everything, close to our original local government system pre-Union which was more localised and included stuff like Burghs etc, then we give it 20 years and make it all bigger again. At one time we had the "Regional Authorities" which were bloody enormous.

Yeah crofting is well and good, and it's nice they can buy their land now though the worry there that once land titles are drawn up and can be bought and sold, it leads inevitably to the accumulation and hereditary bestowment of large tracts.

It's a considerable problem.

Fun fact: back when you had to be a landowner to vote, in 1820 the Welsh electorate was comprised of around 18,700 voters. Scotland had double the population but only 2,889 voters. Scotland is still the least equitable country for land ownership in the West. Do you think that would change in an independent Scotland?

Personally, not immediately. Independence may give us the freedom to be more radical in how we deal with the problem, such as changing the way land is owned in this country completely to "land is rented by landowners from the community, not vice versa", similar to how a number of Hebridean islands are managed these days after being bought from the local nobles (many remain under noble ownership) and perhaps the inevitable coming of the Republic will help to break the grip the aristocracy still have, but generally the land ownership issue runs alongside independence as one of the main Scottish political and sociological issues.

Spoiler: Regarding what people are proposing to do about this problem (click to show/hide)

A number of groups in Scotland propose changes to local government. One is the "Common Weal" group of activists who propose the following:

It is quick and easy to fix this problem, and would have an instant effect of rejuvenating democracy and revitalising our many varied communities. We do not need to reorganise local government bureaucracy (which would be costly and time consuming). Rather, we simply need to create an extra layer of local democracy below the one we have, and allow service delivery to be directed by the two different elected bodies. Where a responsibility was devolved to community-level councils, they would make decisions for officials to implement; where it was devolved to our larger existing councils, they would instruct officials instead.

We then need to push budgets and policy responsibility to the lowest level of government possible. Community-level government should handle local transport, town planning, childcare arrangements and much more. And our existing local authorities should have more powers to take a regional overview.

The Green Party also propose the following:

- Current councils broken down into municipalities serving around 20,000 people each. European municipalities average 5600 people.
- A set of larger regions to coordinate issues such as health, economic development, colleges and transport
- A flexible ‘Lego brick’ model for coordinating other services between smaller units.
- Municipalities should raise at least 50% of their own revenue, up from 20% today.
- Local government should get a statutory share of national income tax
- The status of local government should be enshrined in a written constitution for the first time.

Further details from their paper can be found at this link.

Our authorities are rather large though, it must be said - the Highland council covers an area the size of Belgium.

[XXSockXX]

Spoiler: Regarding land ownership in Scotland (click to show/hide)

It may interest you fellows that "crofting" is still a relatively common way of life in the Highlands and Islands. It involves farming livestock on a small scale. There are around 17,700 crofts with 13,000 crofters in total, the majority of whom are actually tenant farmers and do not own their land. In another era they would have been considered peasants.

As of 1993 crofters have the right to buy their house-area and garden and also to request an application to actually buy the "land" so they can keep farming, but the landlord has the right to refuse if it would "substantially damage the good management of the landowner's estate" or cause considerable hardship to him.

There is a family I know in one of the glens a bit further West. They rent their house and land from the Duke who owns most of the land in that area despite living for most of the year in South Africa. He actually owned my house at one time, but it went to a local nobleman (a Baronet possibly) who sold off the estate in bits to various people. The crofts that provided livelihood for most of the estate's population are scattered all around me in little ruins.

Oh wow, that does sound a bit medieval. Nobility lost the most part of their property here at some point, if not after WW1 then after WW2, or left of the Rhine already under Napoleonic occupation.
Nobility was abolished in 1919 anyways, so maybe you should get to that in Britain. If you decide to do it the French way, they have a machine that does most of the work for you. 

Tragically the majority of these councils have become labour party fiefdons, ruled by swines who are out of touch and verging on corrupt, elected by idiots who only know political tribalism.

Actually that is often how I feel about my own local government (up to and including state level). I guess it has to do with knowing your own local government better than the distant federal / national one. I'm always surprised we haven't collapsed under all the incompetence here (across all party lines), though I guess it has to do with federal money saving the day.

[LordSlowpoke]

yeah, nobility is totally a problem. butcher them all.

* LordSlowpoke fondly recalls having their family estate burnt by enraged peasants while the authorities were too busy not existing to care

* LordSlowpoke reminds self that they're not old enough to actually remember it

* LordSlowpoke reminds self they're only tangentially related to the main line

oh well

[Owlbread]

Oh wow, that does sound a bit medieval. Nobility lost the most part of their property here at some point, if not after WW1 then after WW2, or left of the Rhine already under Napoleonic occupation.
Nobility was abolished in 1919 anyways, so maybe you should get to that in Britain. If you decide to do it the French way, they have a machine that does most of the work for you. 

This is the problem with never having had a proper revolution.

One of my great desires for Scotland, alongside independence, is for nobility to be abolished in this country. At times I wish we could do it the French way.

Part of the Highlands/Islands rehabilitation process that took place in the 19th century was that we became a playground for wealthy people and gentry; that led tp the clearances where Highlanders were forced off their crofts and sent to America/Canada etc (I'm looking at you, Descan) to make way for deer hunting grounds which were seen as more profitable.

Many, many houses were also bought and built during this period, notably by Queen Victoria. The result is that despite the fact that 32,000 households (including 18,000 children) were recognised as homeless by Scottish local authorities in 2012/2013, I am surrounded by empty houses and holiday homes owned by wealthy people. Second homes are everywhere and in many cases the families (often moneyed English people or people who live further afield) do not take good care of them and allow them to fall into disrepair or neglect. In my county alone there are 2,150 vacant dwellings and 2,000 or so second homes.

The Queen herself comes into this absentee-land-ownership category,  owning 3 private properties in Scotland including two lodges on a 49,000 acre estate and a castle as well as an official palace in Edinburgh. Prince Charles also owns a 53,000 acre private estate in Scotland.

[XXSockXX]

Well, in Germany losing nobility privileges was a result of a revolution too, but them losing their property was a more gradual and comparatively peaceful process, except for the war-related events in the East obviously. Having a mostly free peasantry (and thus a lot less resentment) compared to Eastern Europe helped with that.
There are a few noble families who still are quite wealthy, though they have moved on to become entrepreneurs. Others don't even own the family castle anymore. In terms of land ownership, the ones that still have big properties are for the most part owners of private forests.

[10ebbor10]

2) Why would small farms be more efficient than large ones? Both largely use the same technologies, and then economics of scale kick in.

Well, it's not small farms per se. It's just that small farms use more manpower/area, therefore allowing high intensity non machinable techniques like multicultures and compagnion planting and such. You can do that on a large scale farm as well, but it won't be cost effective.

So 'small farms are more efficient' is code for 'we should pay the agricultural workers lower wages'? Because that's what it sounds like - with lower wages, the difference between small and large farms vanishes - especially since the farming methods (use of harvesters and such, monoculture, use of pesticides and fertilizer, etc) are the same regardless of farm size.

As for vertical farms - has there ever been a successful proof of concept?

Nope, you're wrong there. Small farms get their increased crop productivity from using nonconventional farming techniques. Basically, they focus on polycultures. This allows them to grow more plants on the same space using less resources, but means that machination can't be used as extensively. Therefore, you need more human workforce for the same amount of food produced.

Those that don't are usually less space efficient than large scale farms

[Descan]

that led to the clearances where Highlanders were forced off their crofts and sent to America/Canada etc (I'm looking at you, Descan)

Aye, that's probably why my great- or great-great-grandfather came to Nova Scotia.

The result is that despite the fact that 32,000 households (including 18,000 children) were recognised as homeless by Scottish local authorities in 2012/2013, I am surrounded by empty houses and holiday homes owned by wealthy people.

That problem, of many homeless and many unoccupied homes, is a huge issue in America and I believe Canada as well. As many as 10 homes for every homeless person in America, but even something as low as 2 or 3 empty homes per homeless is too many.

The colonies, it seems, has the same problem of absentee landlords and gentry. The only difference is that the colonial gentry doesn't have the veneer of nobility to hide behind.

[smjjames]

Possible positive signs that Russia actually is moving troops back. Though I'm still skeptical and it could be a ruse.

http://uk.mobile.reuters.com/article/idUKKBN0E10NK20140521?irpc=932

Also, a British journalist was detained in eastern Ukraine. While on the surface of it, it looks like just another 'journalist detained in eastern Ukraine' story, there is some irony here, the guy actually works for a Russian tv station, not American, not British, a Russian tv station. There are also two actual Russian journalists who got detained.

I guess it was just a matter of time before Russian journalists got caught in the crossfire and I just find it really ironic that the pro-Russians detained journalists who are supposed to be on their side.

http://m.bbc.com/news/uk-27506545

Quite the headache for Putin and its clear by now that he has no control over the people in eastern Ukraine.

[Sergarr]

I do believe that the only person insisting on people in eastern Ukraine being secretly russian elite military (at least in this forum) was Ukrainian Ranger (oh wait I said that too how embarrassing).

[Mictlantecuhtli]

That was Crimea. The 'rebels' are fascist mobs cultivated by Putin & the coterie. Noticing that having Russian special forces [ones who brag on twitter and carry their nametags still] without insignias might be a bit on the obvious side might've changed the policy of meddling in Ukraine proper. Now they just supply militias with weapons and cultivate terrorism, much like certain Jihadists.

[nenjin]

I guess it was just a matter of time before Russian journalists got caught in the crossfire and I just find it really ironic that the pro-Russians detained journalists who are supposed to be on their side.

Russia doesn't exactly have a wealth of respect for free press. I think they'd be as likely to detain their own free press as they would international press.

[Guardian G.I.]

Possible positive signs that Russia actually is moving troops back. Though I'm still skeptical and it could be a ruse.

http://uk.mobile.reuters.com/article/idUKKBN0E10NK20140521?irpc=932

Also, a British journalist was detained in eastern Ukraine. While on the surface of it, it looks like just another 'journalist detained in eastern Ukraine' story, there is some irony here, the guy actually works for a Russian tv station, not American, not British, a Russian tv station. There are also two actual Russian journalists who got detained.

I guess it was just a matter of time before Russian journalists got caught in the crossfire and I just find it really ironic that the pro-Russians detained journalists who are supposed to be on their side.

http://m.bbc.com/news/uk-27506545

Quite the headache for Putin and its clear by now that he has no control over the people in eastern Ukraine.

Graham Phillips was actually detained by Ukrainian National Guard, as the BBC article clearly states.
It's a part of the ongoing Ukrainian crackdown on Russian and pro-Russian journalists operating in the area. On the 18th of May, Ukrainian forces also detained Marat Saichenko and Oleg Sidyakin, Russian journalists from Life News television channel. Ukrainian security forces accuse them of terrorism, with the only proof being a portable air defence system allegedly found inside their car.

Also, Russia and China has signed a massive 30-year gas deal today.

[Mictlantecuhtli]

Ukrainian security forces accuse them of terrorism, with the only proof being a portable air defence system allegedly found inside their car.

Yeah, no big threat there



Wonder how those 'rebels' are getting their ground-to-air missiles, possibly journalists 'journalists' working under the guise of state security apparatus RT bringing them in?

[Guardian G.I.]

Ukrainian security forces accuse them of terrorism, with the only proof being a portable air defence system allegedly found inside their car.

Yeah, no big threat there



Wonder how those 'rebels' are getting their ground-to-air missiles, possibly journalists 'journalists' working under the guise of state security apparatus RT bringing them in?

Oddly enough, the MANPADS the Ukrainians "found" was a Polish "Grom" (a reverse-engineered and slightly modified Igla) system. They didn't film the Grom lying in the car or anything like that, they just put it on a piece of blue cloth and stated it belonged to Russian journalists.



Also, Mictlantecuhtli, I'm genuinely curious, do you (or any of your relatives, or ancestors) come from Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia, or any other country which was horribly oppressed by Russia?

[Mictlantecuhtli]

One must be oppressed by an oppressive country to see it's oppression.