Antenna

Antenna

Sunday 17 April 2011

LAND GRAB

what every man needs is his own plot of land
big enough to provide shelter and raise a family
enough soil to grow food
enough wilderness and greenery to nourish the soul
and for the kids to run around in
a place a man can explore and nurture
get to know inch by inch
the way the wind blows
the way the shadows fall
the plants that like to grow here
the flowers that refuse to grow there
all this without having to pay rent to some absentee landlord
a plot of land is part of the commons, right?
instead one percent of the population of this country
has appropriated fifty percent of the land
making it a scarce resource
according to my research
there are just under 400 people per square kilometre in england
if this was distributed fairly
each person would receive a square of land
measuring over fifty metres by fifty metres
that's 100m by 50m for a couple
or 100m by 100m for a family of four
if we take off 25% to allow for less habitable land
which could remain as pristeen wilderness
and another 25% used for communal areas like markets, hospitals and byways
that still leaves fifty metres by fifty metres for each couple
without land we are destined to remain
rootless restless placeless nomads

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