The unquestioning acceptance of, and deference to, market forces may have reached its peak, with an educated young blogger aspiring to have the opportunity to live in a slum, if that’s all that mar
The unquestioning acceptance of, and deference to, market forces may have reached its peak, with an educated young blogger aspiring to have the opportunity to live in a slum, if that’s all that market forces are prepared to allow him.
In his blog for the Adam Smith Institute, Theo Clifford bemoans the fact that “No-one today can afford to buy the sorts of houses their parents did.” But instead of questioning why the economy is so badly skewed in favour of those who already own land and property, or why opportunities for young people to make a decent life are being shut down, his proposed solution is that great panacea of the free marketeers – deregulation. “Sweeping deregulation is the only way to provide Britain with the slums it is crying out for.”
He writes, “Britain has a sore lack of proper slums. Government regulations designed to clamp down on ‘cowboy landlords’ restrict people’s ability to choose the kind of accommodation in which they want to live.” No doubt unscrupulous landlords and property developers were rubbing their hands with glee as they read, “Some people might not feel like they need a bedroom space as large as the state expects, while others might not mind sharing a bathroom with another family if it means lower rents.”
There is a great irony here. Theo Clifford is the winner of the Adam Smith Institute’s ‘Young Writer on Liberty’ competition. Yet he seems to be accepting that market forces dictate he should have lower expectations than his parents, and be prepared to accept poor living conditions if that is all the market is prepared to allow him. Far from giving him liberty, the market is severely restricting his choices, but he seems to have no interest in an alternative approach.
It is sad to see a person as young as Theo so completely accepting of an economic system which would deny him a decent home, but perhaps his blog has served to highlight the failures of that system. When an intelligent, ambitious and educated young man believes that the best solution to our housing crisis he can hope for is the provision of slums, we know that we need urgent and radical change.
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© Bernadette Meaden has written about political, religious and social issues for some years, and is strongly influenced by Christian Socialism, liberation theology and the Catholic Worker movement. She is an Ekklesia associate and regular contributor. You can follow her on Twitter: @BernaMeaden