SISTER SITES |
Scotland - Land and Power: The Agenda for Land Reformby Andy Wightman
What is Land Reform? Why is it needed? Will the new Scottish Parliament really make a difference? Scotland Land and Power is a highly readable and uncompromising argument for land reform. It argues passionately for nothing less than a radical, comprehensive programme of reform and rejects palliative solutions which treat the symptoms and not the causes of inequalities and injustices in the current situation. Andy Wightman explodes the myth that land issues are relevant only to the far flung fringes of rural Scotland and questions mainstream political commitment to land reform. Commissioned by the Democratic Left Scotland, this controversial and provocative book clarifies the complexities of land ownership in Scotland and, helped by entertaining cartoon illustrations, makes a compelling case for dismantling existing landed power structures and promoting a pluralistic land owning democracy. The journalist and broadcaster Lesley Riddoch provides a foreword to the book and cautions that the present process is being unduly rushed. Like Wightman she is wary that the Scottish Executives recommended solutions may not be fully appropriate nor have the expected outcomes that legislators anticipate. Chapters include:
This is a very accessible, comprehensive and well argued book. It is quite simply essential reading and perfectly timed for Scotlands legislators to get up to speed on what radical land reform is all about. Andy Wightman, 126 pages, 1999 |