Georgist Books Reviewed
HENRY GEORGE: THE LAST DITCH?
Henry George Foundation, Suite 427, The London Fruit and Wool Exchange, Brushfield Street, London E1 6EL
The Losses of Nations Fred Harrison, Othila Press, paperback/240pp, £14.95 from shops or £16 direct (cheques to Henry George Foundation).
Issues of chaos and control - of 'how we might take control of our lives' - appear paradoxical in this globalised world. We are empowered as individuals and disengaged from identity, which is increasingly notional, elective, an aspect of lifestyle. It is a world in which we are all said to have rights, in which status is irrelevant. Anyone can prosper, the playing field is levelled by an abstract sleight of hand. We have a sham equality in which the poor only appear to become invisible. Individual fortunes, placed in an economic context, are effected by occult forces; those who interpret the global economic mess are portrayed as gurus, wise men who use obscure methods and evasive language to read the signs in the economic deep. Politics becomes replaced by the consumer boycott. Logo opposes logo and people are branded, sorted by the products they aspire to or reject.
Beyond consumer boycotts there is direct action and economic theory. Direct Action, in being spectacular, can have a major influence on the immediate agenda of international politics. It can move agenda items up the list, temporarily. As an effective mechanism for making a just resolution out of economic chaos it must fail, for no fundamental change occurs. That leaves the theorists. They not only have to have workable ideas but they must lead politicians to the realisation that it is in everyone's interest, even theirs, to implement them. Enter Henry George - author of Progress and Poverty - and his advocates. The Losses of Nations is 'a blueprint for restructuring the tax system', an essay in practical Georgism for the current economic age. George's ideas describe a different approach to economic fundamentals than either state capitalism or communism/socialism. Where the old adversaries set capital against labour and make the third aspect of the economy, land, either a commodity or a state monopoly, Georgism provides an economic third way. The systemic instability of speculation and stasis can be avoided. Henry George proposed a 'single tax' based on value added through the use of land and the reduction or abolition of other taxes. This would mean that the benefits of any naturally occurring resource were available to everyone. The land might remain 'private' in that it is notionally 'owned' but the economic benefits of the land become a community asset. Thus the economic advantage of owning land ceases, land speculation ends and land becomes a dynamic aspect of an open economy, available to all as a resource. Essentially, it is a fairer approach to tax in that it taxes privilege rather than effort.
Fred Harrison leads with an introductory text Need-to-know knowledge for presidents and Prime Ministers. Using examples from recent history - such as Korea, which went from being one of the world's most successful economies to imploded wreck in a matter of months - Harrison illustrates the links between calamitous economic events and land value speculation. Georgism isn't just about tables of figures either (though there are lots of those) or macro-economic theoretical architecture. The ordinary bod in their mortgaged home is always visible from the Georgist perspective. It was, after all, the sight of the homeless poor in America and the odd way that as the nation got richer the poor increased in number, that first got him started on his philosophy. Harrison states, "Land values are the Achilles heel of the economy. The negative macro-economic impact can be traced almost immediately and clearly in the housing sector, but - on a worldwide basis - banks have become adept at concealing the accumulation of bad debts linked to land… Financial detectives can trace this process in the balance sheets of banks; but the human effects are most profoundly felt among the families who lose their homes and their savings as a result of the decimation in the value of their investments." (pp. xxii-xxiii).
Other authors cover various aspects of the subject and the combination of different perspectives and styles makes for a more readable book than a non-tax specialist might think. Ronald Banks describes the UK after such a reform, working through the ways in which individuals would be empowered, pointing out an approach to the holy grail of 'the virtuous circle of growth' (it seems utopian, but they say argue a case). Mason Gaffney provides a helpful definition of 'land' in An Inventory of Rent-Yielding Resources. It's a top read. Whilst bearing in mind that Marx called George's proposals "the capitalist's last ditch", Georgism - as ditched outlines go - presents a compelling case for rational reform, if not for revolution. Which ever way you turn it - land ownership and the advantage that provides has always been an issue at the heart of 'English' histories and the poetic traditions that adorn them, the theme recurs. Enclosed land wobbles mightily on the stilts, it is so weighty you see and the gravity so strong. With the world economy currently quaking, the need for change seems to be urgent. As Fred says, "There is no law of nature that ordains that the global economy must be subject to another round of 'paroxysms' in the 21st century, but this outcome is inevitable unless the appropriate reform to public finance is undertaken. None of the alternatives (or the appeals to deregulation which served as their alternatives for policy in the 1980s) will serve the purpose." (p.91). As the modern plague of control freaks demonstrates, taking control of our lives isn't something we can do as individuals. Even the rich look giddy now.
Land and Liberty HGF quarterly magazine, 20pp/A4, £12 for 4.
The HGF magazine monitors economic events from a Georgist perspective. It contains news and discussion papers on how land tenure influences economics around the world. Articles home in on specifics, looking at the connections between land monopoly and slash and burn agriculture in south America, tax reform as a way out of the pit for Russia, etc. "People do not argue with the teachings of Henry George; they simply do not know it." Leo Tolstoy. The winter 2000 issue looks at cyberspace as a commons, as an extension of 'land' and thus as a collective resource, rather than as a virtual extension of the enclosure of land. Each issue has lots of book reviews too, all on themes relating to land, which is very handy if 'land' is a thorn under your nail, a hinged flap of skin that bugs you. Forget Jerusalem; build the fair tax!
Flysheets HGF leaflets & pamphlets, A4 sheet/double sided or A5 leaflet.
These are free; I guess if you send an SAE they will send you a set. They cover a range of economic and social issues from the perspective of Georgism, including unemployment, boom & bust economics, poverty, urban decay, protectionism, et al… They cover each issue in a focused way and would make an excellent resource for writers with an interest in the issues. The pamphlet series, such as The Scourge of Unemployment and The Cat that gets the Cream - Understanding the Law of Rent have 6 pages and so more detail. These people are keen to communicate so make the most of this enjoyable alternative to Romantic Landism.
Page(s) 58-60
magazine list
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