I agree, Stu, but if we want people to love the ground on which their house and garden stands or which they farm they must be allowed unconditional stewardship of it, and that includes being allowed to pass it on. To make sure that no-one has more than their fair share, which would depend on many factors such as the quality of the land and its potential for providing a decent living, there could be a steeply-graduated land tax, starting at nil. And landlords should be taxed so heavily that they would want to offload their land or property quickly and cheaply. That would soon fix our insane housing market.

The Earl of Wilton's lackeys used to come round to our house for the ground rent when I was little. My dad used to save up pennies and ha'pennies and he'd throw the lot at the collector in the street. The idea that the house is yours but not the ground it stands on is an outrage of the highest order.