- Ownership is popular. It is a crucial foundation of a free society. It lies at the heart of Conservatism.
- Socialists try to take property away from people on grounds of inequality. Conservatives want more people to own property.
- Politicians should harness the popularity of ownership and private sector investment to develop policies which give the public a greater sense of pride and security
- From housing to employment, industry to culture, my new pamphlet sets out ways to launch an ownership revolution
Ownership is a core dividing line between left and right and the Conservative Party should facilitate wider public ownership in order to boost security and wellbeing,.
‘The Power of Ownership’, written by Sir John Redwood MP and published by the Centre for Policy Studies, builds on the themes of his book ‘Popular Capitalism’, to explain how important ownership is to democracy and a free society and how it can be advanced for many more people.
The report outlines a number of ways to boost ownership, including:
- Support home ownership by supporting self-builds, selling off government- or council-owned rundown properties to bring them back into use more quickly
- Compensate those living near new housing developments to discourage NIMBYism and increase housebuilding. New towns and villages may be better than trying to cram more buildings into an existing village or town.
- Infrastructure should be delivered prior to new homes being built to reassure the settled community and to be ready for the new residents when the homes are sold
- Raise the VAT threshold to £250,000, boosting the capacity and growth potential of the small business sector
- Gift licence fee holders shares in the BBC, allowing them to appoint the Board and Director General, with the ability to sell new shares to raise capital in the future
- Selling off the remainder of government holding in NatWest in a single major transaction
Sir John Redwood MP, author of ‘The Power of Ownership’, said:
‘There are still too many people with too few assets. People cannot be expected to be capitalists if they are denied access to capital, and the ownership and security that comes with it.
‘Whether we look at housing, industry, employment, or culture, the Conservative Party should be promoting ownership at every turn – empowering the public and delivering for the economy.’
The pamphlet is available through the Centre for Policy Studies website.
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