DOCSLIB.ORG

Dáil Éireann

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
Dáil Éireann Vol. 1004 Wednesday, No. 3 17 February 2021 DÍOSPÓIREACHTAÍ PARLAIMINTE PARLIAMENTARY DEBATES DÁIL ÉIREANN TUAIRISC OIFIGIÚIL—Neamhcheartaithe (OFFICIAL REPORT—Unrevised) Insurance (Restriction on Differential Pricing and Profiling) Bill 2021: Second Stage [Private Members] � � � 219 17/02/2021U00500Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders’ Questions � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � 248 17/02/2021Y00900An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � 256 17/02/2021CC00050Ceisteanna ar Reachtaíocht a Gealladh - Questions on Promised Legislation � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � 262 17/02/2021DD03000Message from the Standing Business Committee of Dáil Éireann � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � 267 17/02/2021DD03200Rural Equality Bill 2021: First Stage � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � 267 17/02/2021EE00900Principles of Social Welfare Bill 2021: First Stage� � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � 269 17/02/2021EE01700Civil Registration (Right of Adoptees to Information) (Amendment) Bill 2021: First Stage � � � � � � � � � � � � 270 17/02/2021FF00800Covid-19 (Agriculture, Food and the Marine): Statements� � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � 272 17/02/2021UU04700Land Development Agency Bill 2021: Order for Second Stage � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � 306 17/02/2021UU05100Land Development Agency Bill 2021: Second Stage � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � 307 DÁIL ÉIREANN Dé Céadaoin, 17 Feabhra 2021 Wednesday, 17 February 2021 Chuaigh an Leas-Cheann Comhairle i gceannas ar 10 a.m. Paidir. Prayer. Insurance (Restriction on Differential Pricing and Profiling) Bill 2021: Second Stage [Private Members] 17/02/2021A00200Deputy Pearse Doherty: I move: “That the Bill be now read a Second Time.” Lé tréimhse ró-fhada anois, tá na comhlachtaí árachais ag cur costas ró-mhór agus míchóir ar thiománaithe agus ar úinéirí tithe. Tá sé seo ag tarlú bliain i ndiaidh bliana. Tá an Bille seo chun é sin a athrú. Tabharfaidh sé tús áite do thiománaithe agus d’úinéirí tithe, a bhfuil árachas acu, ag laghdú costas. Tabharfaidh sé ar comhlachtaí árachais a gcuid cleachtais a mhíniú. Cuirfidh mó Bhille deireadh le déphraghsáil, cleachtas ina bhfuil a fhios ag comhlachtaí na custaiméirí atá níos toilteanaí athnuachan a dhéanamh ar pholasaithe agus dá bharr sin, gearrtar praghsanna níos airde orthu. Today is the day for this Dáil to end the insurance rip-off. Today is the day for this Dáil to put consumers first and send a clear message to the insurance industry that the game is up in respect of exploitative practices in home and motor insurance. For too long, the insurance industry has been able to price-gouge its customers. Most people believe their insurance pre- mium is based on how likely they are to make a claim and how much that claim would cost their insurer, but that is not the whole story. Last November, the Central Bank found that insurance prices had risen by 35% in the past decade despite the cost of claims falling by 9%. All present know that insurance companies are engaging in a price-gouging practice known as dual pricing which they use to charge customers much higher prices than the actual cost of their policies. It involves the use of complex models to identify customers who are likely to renew and then charge them the highest prices possible before they are tempted to switch to a competitor. Instead of rewarding customers for their loyalty, the companies increase the customer’s premium in the knowledge that he or she is more likely to renew than to switch. That is the loyalty penalty. I refer to the case of Ray, for example. He received a renewal quote of €1,420 from Lib- erty Insurance for his car insurance, only to be offered a premium of €680 for exactly the same 219 Dáil Éireann policy with exactly the same provider when he went online. He was overcharged by 109% or €740. That is the loyalty premium that we, in this House, are going to ban. In September 2019, I wrote to the Governor of the Central Bank requesting an investigation into the practice of dual pricing, and after meeting with the Governor, the Central Bank agreed to carry out an investigation into the complaint I submitted. In January 2020, the Central Bank began its investigation, and its interim report in December confirmed what we had said in our major complaint, that is, dual pricing is endemic right across the insurance market, affecting more than seven in ten Irish policyholders, many of whom are overcharged by hundreds of euro every year. While the insurance industry has been allowed to rip off Irish customers, action has been taken elsewhere. Between 2014 and 2017, 20 US states prohibited the practice of dual pricing, including California, New York and Florida. These bans were recommended by the American Association of Insurance Commissioners, which found that the use of dual pricing unfairly discriminated and called for the practice to be banned. The association stated that “two insur- ance customers having the same risk profile should be charged the same premium for the same coverage”. That is the principle of fairness on which this legislation is based and built. The Financial Conduct Authority, FCA, in Britain began its own investigation into this practice in 2018. It published its final report in September. Its findings were stark and its solu- tion was clear, that is, to ban dual pricing. The British regulator found that in 2018 alone, dual pricing resulted in 6 million policyholders being overcharged a combined €1.4 million. It also concluded that dual pricing distorted competition. While others, including the industry and, unfortunately, the Minister of State with responsibility for insurance, have argued that a ban on dual pricing would undermine competition and deter new entrants, the British regulator, the FCA, found the opposite to be the case, that this type of price discrimination has a negative effect on competition while removing dual pricing would improve the nature and intensity of competition. For the benefit of the Minister of State, I will quote the FCA, “This would mean firms competing in a more effective and innovative way, which should lead to lower overall costs for supplying insurance, more intense competition and ultimately lower average prices paid by consumers.” The British regulator has responded by announcing it will ban dual pricing this year. Irish consumers deserve no less. This Bill will ban price gouging activity. It will ban dual pricing by requiring insurance providers to use only rating factors directly linked to the risk to be insured so that renewing customers can no longer be charged artificially high prices based on their likeliness to renew, their economic background, their spending patterns or any other trait not linked to risk. It will increase transparency in how a customer’s premium is priced. Whenever a customer receives a quote or premium from an insurance company, the insurer will be required to tell the customer the rating factor used to calculate the price and how much of that price is to cover the expected cost of claims, how much is to cover the cost of servicing and how much is to feed the profits of insurance companies. This Bill will ensure that transparency. Crucially, the Bill will empower the Central Bank to draw up the regulations that will gov- ern this ban, using the expertise of the Central Bank to remove this practice from the insurance market. Some in this House may have concerns that the Central Bank, not the Dáil, is best posi- tioned to determine how dual pricing is removed from the insurance market and this legislation answers those concerns. It will require the Central Bank to produce a code of practice which will assist the courts and the Financial Services and Pensions Ombudsman where an insurance 220 17 February 2021 company has broken these new laws. The Central Bank will be required to publish an annual report, assessing the industry’s compliance with the legislation. Where an insurance company continues to use price gouging practices against customers, the Central Bank will have the power to sanction them. The legislation will reduce prices for consumers who for too long have been ripped off by the insurance industry. The FCA found that a ban on dual pricing in the British market would bring real benefits to consumers, saving them between €4.8 billion and €12.9 billion in the next decade through lower prices. Using a data set of 17 million observations across 6 million unique insurance policies, the FCA has modelled what a ban on dual pricing would look like. It has found that a ban on dual pricing would reduce insurance premiums by up to 27% for ho- meowners who renewed up to ten times and up to 34% for motorists who have renewed for a similar tenure. This legislation provides for the same remedy to ban this price gouging practice. Its effects would be the same, that is, a reduction in prices for Irish consumers. The Minister of State has again claimed that the legislation would prohibit discounts on insurance. Let me be clear: he obviously does not understand the legislation or the price remedy to be introduced here or what is happening across the water, on which this legislation has been built. It will do no such thing.
Load more

Recommended publications
  • Aberdeen Student Law Review
    Aberdeen Student Law Review With thanks to our sponsors Stronachs LLP July 2011 Volume 2 www.abdn.ac.uk/law/aslr THE EDITORIAL BOARD 2010 - 2011 Managing Editor Leanne Bain Editors Alice Cannon Ross Douglas Emma Fraser Stuart Lee Bruce Mangeon Fairweather Charlotte Taylor Ryan T. Whelan Jennifer White FOREWORD BY THE HON . LORD WOOLMAN SENATOR OF THE COLLEGE OF JUSTICE Has the ASLR already reached its second volume? I am delighted that the brio of those involved in launching the project has been sustained. That is evident from the table of contents for the new volume. The topics range across legal history, oil and gas law and the law of evidence. In my view, volume two confirms that the ASLR is continuing to make a significant contribution to legal learning in Scotland. Stephen Woolman July 2011 INTRODUCTION TO VOLUME TWO In 1987 Professor Erwin N Griswold, former Dean of Harvard Law School, gave an insight into the history of the Harvard Law Review, the oldest student-led law review in the world. He acknowledged: Some people are concerned that a major legal periodical in the United States is edited and managed by students. It is an unusual situation, but it started that way, and it developed mightily from its own strength.1 I firmly believe in the strength of the student law review, and it is this belief that has shaped the endeavours of the editorial team during the past year The second year of a professional publication can be as difficult as the first, and this year has certainly not been without challenge.
    [Show full text]
  • Guide for the Disposal of Surplus Land
    Guide for the Disposal of Surplus Land March 2017 1 © Crown copyright 2013 Produced by Cabinet Office You may re-use this information (excluding logos) free of charge in any format or medium, under the terms of the Open Government Licence. To view this licence, visit http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence/ or email: [email protected] Where we have identified any third party copyright material you will need to obtain permission from the copyright holders concerned. Alternative format versions of this report are available on request from Government Property Unit 4th Floor, Red Zone 1 Horse Guards Road London [email protected]. 2 Contents 1.0 Introduction and Purpose of the Guide 1.1 Introduction 1.2 Policy and Drivers 2.0 Identifying Surplus Land 2.1 Strategic Asset Management 2.2 Identifying Surplus Land 2.3 Listing Land as Surplus 3.0 Disposal Options and Monitoring 3.1 National Property Controls - Approval to Dispose 3.2 Considerations for the Disposal of Surplus Land 3.3 Disposals Monitoring and Performance Reporting 4.0 Open Market Sale 4.1 Preparing for Disposal 4.2 Accelerating the Disposal Process 4.3 Disposal Routes and Marketing 4.4 Sale and Completion 4.5 Post Transaction Monitoring Annex 1 - References Annex 2 - Heritage Assets Annex 3 - Issues Affecting Disposal Annex 4 - Advisers 3 4 1.0 Introduction and Purpose of the Guide 1.1 Introduction The disposal of surplus government owned property is an important part of the Government’s drive to improve its estate management and create an efficient, fit-for-purpose and sustainable estate that meets future needs.
    [Show full text]
  • The Planning Inspectorate COMMENTS on CASE (Online Version) Appeal Reference: APP/X0360/W/19/3241800
    For official use only (date received): 16/01/2020 16:59:03 The Planning Inspectorate COMMENTS ON CASE (Online Version) Please note that comments about this case need to be made within the timetable. This can be found in the notification letter sent by the local planning authority or the start date letter. Comments submitted after the deadline may be considered invalid and returned to sender. Appeal Reference: APP/X0360/W/19/3241800 DETAILS OF THE CASE Appeal Reference APP/X0360/W/19/3241800 Appeal By HAINES HOMES CONSTRUCTION Site Address Land to Rear of, 344 Barkham Road WOKINGHAM RG41 4DE SENDER DETAILS Name MR DAVID CLARKE Address 19 Dowles Barn Close Barkham WOKINGHAM RG41 4ET ABOUT YOUR COMMENTS In what capacity do you wish to make representations on this case? Appellant Agent Interested Party / Person Land Owner Rule 6 (6) What kind of representation are you making? Final Comments Proof of Evidence Statement Statement of Common Ground Interested Party/Person Correspondence Other Page 1 of 4 YOUR COMMENTS ON THE CASE Re Case APP/X0360/W/19/3241800 Orchard Grange (Wokingham) Management Company Limited are the owners of the access road ('Accessway')and the common land and infrastructure beyond as designated within BK469616 We have only just received the Deed of Easement dated 4 June 2019 from Cala via their solicitors Laytons on the 9th January 2020. The lands by way of BK469616 were transferred Title Absolute to Orchard Grange (Wokingham) Management Company on 18th July 2019 The proposed constructor has not consulted with the members of Orchard Grange (Wokingham) Management Company Limited (OGWMC) at any time other than 10th July 2019 post protest by the members at the taking down of a section of fence and removal of shrubs on Dowles Barn Close.
    [Show full text]
  • Health Building Note 00-08 Part B: Supplementary Information for Part A
    This document has been withdrawn. Find The efficient management of healthcare estates and facilities on the NHS websie. Health Building Note 00-08 Part B: Supplementary information for Part A Withdrawn October 2014 Health Building Note 00-08 Part B: Supplementary information for Part A Withdrawn Health Building Note 00-08 Part B: Supplementary information for Part A Withdrawn © Crown copyright 2014 You may re-use this information (not including logos) free of charge in any format or medium, under the terms of the Open Government Licence. To view this licence, visit www. nationalarchives. gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence/ or write to the Information Policy Team, The National Archives, Kew, London TW9 4DU, or email: [email protected]. This document is available from our website at https://www.gov.uk/government/ collections/health-building-notes-core-elements ii Preface About Health Building Notes Health Building Note structure Health Building Notes give best practice The Health Building Notes have been organised guidance on the design and planning of new into a suite of 17 core subjects. healthcare buildings and on the adaptation/ extension of existing facilities. Care-group-based Health Building Notes provide information about a specific care group They provide information to support the briefing or pathway but cross-refer to Health Building and design processes for individual projects in Notes on generic (clinical) activities or the NHS building programme. support systems as appropriate. Core subjects are subdivided into specific The Health Building Note suite topics and classified by a two-digit suffix (-01, Healthcare delivery is constantly changing, and -02 etc), and may be further subdivided into so too are the boundaries between primary, Supplements A, B etc.
    [Show full text]
  • Transparency Report
    Transparency Report Transparency Report Government’s land and property disposals in 2017/18 and retrospective reporting for 2016/17 January 2019 1 Transparency Report 2 Transparency Report Transparency Report Government’s land and property disposals in 2017/18 and retrospective reporting for 2016/17 January 2019 3 Transparency Report © Crown copyright 2013 Produced by Cabinet Office You may re-use this information (excluding logos) free of charge in any format or medium, under the terms of the Open Government Licence. To view this licence, visit http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence/ or email: [email protected] Where we have identified any third party copyright material you will need to obtain permission from the copyright holders concerned. Alternative format versions of this report are available on request from: [email protected] 4 Transparency Report Contents Introduction 7 Policy context 8 Land sales headlines 9 Details of assets sold 10 Appendix 1: Disposals guidance 43 Appendix 2: Transparency Review 43 Appendix 3: Glossary of terms 44 5 Transparency Report 6 Transparency Report Introduction The disposal of surplus government owned property is an important part of the Government’s drive to improve its estate management and create an efficient, fit-for-purpose and sustainable estate that meets future needs. This means disposing of surplus land and buildings in a way that delivers value for the taxpayer, boosts growth and delivers new homes. The Government has committed to freeing up land with capacity for at least 160,000 homes by 2020 and raising at least £5 billion from land and property disposals by 2020.
    [Show full text]
  • The Last Tax: Henry George and the Social Politics of Land Reform in the Gilded Age and Progressive Era
    The Last Tax: Henry George and the Social Politics of Land Reform in the Gilded Age and Progressive Era A Dissertation Presented to The Faculty of the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences Brandeis University Department of History Michael Willrich, Advisor In Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree Doctor of Philosophy By Alexandra Wagner Lough August 2013 This dissertation, directed and approved by Alexandra Wagner Lough’s Committee, has been accepted and approved by the Faculty of Brandeis University in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of: DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY Malcolm Watson, Dean Graduate School of Arts and Sciences Dissertation Committee: Michael Willrich, Department of History Mark Hulliung, Department of History Daniel T. Rodgers, Department of History, Princeton University Copyright 2013 Alexandra Wagner Lough Doctor of Philosophy Acknowledgments This project properly began in 2004 when I was an undergraduate at the University of Pacific in Stockton, California and decided to write a history thesis on Henry George. As such, it seems fitting to begin by thanking my two favorite professors at Pacific, Caroline Cox and Robert Benedetti. Their work inspired my own and their encouragement and advice led me to pursue graduate work in history at Brandeis University. I am forever grateful for their support. I consider myself extremely fortunate to have been admitted into the Ph.D. program in American History at Brandeis. Not only have I received top-notch instruction from brilliant faculty, but I also have received generous funding. I want to extend my gratitude to Rose and Irving Crown and the Crown family for the fellowship that financed my graduate education.
    [Show full text]
  • Reconstructing Public Housing Liverpool’S Hidden History of Collective Alternatives
    Reconstructing Public Housing Liverpool’s hidden history of collective alternatives Reconstructing Public Housing Liverpool’s hidden history of collective alternatives Reconstructing Public Housing Matthew Thompson LIVERPOOL UNIVERSITY PRESS First published 2020 by Liverpool University Press 4 Cambridge Street Liverpool L69 7ZU Copyright © 2020 Matthew Thompson The right of Matthew Thompson to be identified as the author of this book has been asserted by him in accordance with the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988. All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without the prior written permission of the publisher. British Library Cataloguing-in-Publication data A British Library CIP record is available ISBN 978-1-78962-108-2 paperback eISBN 978-1-78962-740-4 Typeset by Carnegie Book Production, Lancaster An Open Access edition of this book is available on the Liverpool University Press website and the OAPEN library. Contents Contents List of Figures ix List of Abbreviations x Acknowledgements xi Prologue xv Part I Introduction 1 Introducing Collective Housing Alternatives 3 Why Collective Housing Alternatives? 9 Articulating Our Housing Commons 14 Bringing the State Back In 21 2 Why Liverpool of All Places? 27 A City of Radicals and Reformists 29 A City on (the) Edge? 34 A City Playing the Urban Regeneration Game 36 Structure of the Book 39 Part II The Housing Question 3 Revisiting
    [Show full text]
  • Dr Karl Mackie
    Dr Karl Mackie CEDR Solve Mediator, Founding CEO of CEDR/CEDR Solve Direct line: +44 (0) 20 7536 6090 Email: [email protected] "A great wealth of experience and knowledge ... calm, pragmatic, sensible and not shy of suggesting where there could be more possibilities" Mediation Background As founding CEO of CEDR and CEDR Solve, Karl Mackie has extensive experience of mediation and independent intervention. His mediation practice has a strong commercial and international perspective, including work with Sovereign governments and major public institutions. Karl is one of the best known names in commercial mediation practice and brings legal, business and psychological training to his core practice. As CEO of CEDR he has also been involved in mediation and process design for an extensive mix of complex multi-party cases, as well as regularly chairing negotiation sessions. Clients include Maxwell Pension Trusts, Atlantic Computers, BCCI, Alder Hey. Case values have ranged from £100,000 to £1bn plus. Karl also directs CEDR's Certificate in Advanced Negotiation, coaching senior professionals and executives on how to apply effective negotiation skills in their everyday work. Karl has extensive experience in the following sectors: Commercial Employment Engineering/Energy Entertainment Family Businesses Finance/Banking Insurance/Reinsurance International IP/IT Joint Ventures Partnerships Private Clients Professional Negligence Property Public Sector Media Telecommunications Transport For full details of Karl's mediation experience
    [Show full text]
  • Block Pdh.101 Development Strategies
    BLOCK PDH.101 DEVELOPMENT STRATEGIES © UNISON FW/JI.09.03 UNISON Open College, 1 Mabledon Place, London WC1H 9AJ PDH.101: Development Strategies Preface This first block in the Unit on Development Strategies will set the strategic context in which housing development is undertaken. The first section looks at National Planning Policy strategies and explains what the planning system is and how it controls the location of housing. It also briefly considers the historical development and the ‘plan led’ system. The second section reviews the development plan system, including the role of development plans, and the different types of plans and what they cover. The section also looks at the relatively recent addition of a regional planning dimension to complement the existing local and county level development plan structures. Having obtained an overview of the development planning system, the third section examines the various development motives and perspectives of local authorities, RSLs and private developers. This leads into a discussion about the concepts of neighbourhood and community and what these mean for housing design and development. We then turn to examine the many different regeneration programmes and partnerships and their effectiveness. The fourth and fifth sections round off the block by considering housing needs surveys and the use of housing needs data, respectively. The fourth section concentrates on defining and classifying housing needs, and approaches to identifying needs through surveys and waiting lists. The fifth and final section highlights the way in which public and private sector developers use housing need data in making their development decisions. The motives and perspectives of developers with regard to markets, profits, affordability and needs are all covered.
    [Show full text]
  • Dear Matt, Is There a Limit to the Number of Documents I Can Submit?
    From: To: Subject: Re: "Moorings" further important information Date: 20 May 2013 14:58:49 Attachments: Pleasure-and-Profit-from-Canals-Keith-Boyfield-1990.pdf Dear Matt, Is there a limit to the number of documents I can submit? As this one will be of major importance to the investiagtion and should be over looked. I last saw it about 7 years ago. It was like finding the light switch in a dark cellar. To breifly explain. It was published in 1990 by the Centre of Policy Studies and written by a Keith Boyfield. Someome has now copied it to the web, which breaches copyright without a doubt. However the importance of the onlined ideas and the uncanny resemblance to the changes made to British Waterways and its activities since the 1990s, I believe far outways any copyright issues. This resemablance of BW (CRT) today, is not a carbon copy as there has been slight changes in the execution, but the basic direction fits, and the major elements exist. (BWD) British Waterways Developments who, since the mid 90s have entered into parnerships to develop waterside land like Paddington Basin, Tottemhale Hale (Hale wharf), Brentford Dock etc. Under names like "ingloo" and others. I have often heard the complaint from people opposing these planning applications "British waterways is the developer on the application. This is a conflict of interest, as they are also the statetory consultee! "Such BWD partnership activities was suggested by Boyfield. Then there is the new Canals and Rivers Trust, which seems to have very similar responsablities as the Trust that Boyfeild came up with.
    [Show full text]
  • On Money Rovaniemi: University of Lapland 2010, 324 Pp., Acta Universitatis Lapponiensis 175 Dissertation: University of Lapland ISSN 0788-7604 ISBN 978-952-484-351-5
    View metadata, citation and similar papers at core.ac.uk brought to you by CORE provided by Lauda 8IVS%YZMRIR 3R1SRI] %OEXIIQMRIRZÈMXÚWOMVNENSOE0ETMR]PMSTMWXSR ]LXIMWOYRXEXMIXIMHIRXMIHIOYRRERWYSWXYQYOWIPPE IWMXIXÈÈRNYPOMWIWXMXEVOEWXIXXEZEOWM 0ETMR]PMSTMWXSR)WOSNE%WOSWEPMWWE OIWOMZMMOOSREOIPPS %GXE)PIGXVSRMGE9RMZIVWMXEXMW0ETTSRMIRWMW 9RMZIVWMX]SJ0ETPERH *EGYPX]SJ7SGMEP7GMIRGIW 'ST]VMKLX8IVS%YZMRIR (MWXVMFYXSV0ETPERH9RMZIVWMX]4VIWW 43&S\ *-6SZERMIQM XIP JE\ TYFPMGEXMSR$YPETPERH [[[YPETPERH PYT 4ETIVFEGO -7&2 -772 THJ -7&2 -772 [[[YPETPERH YRMTYFEGXERIX 3 Abstract Auvinen Tero On Money Rovaniemi: University of Lapland 2010, 324 pp., Acta Universitatis Lapponiensis 175 Dissertation: University of Lapland ISSN 0788-7604 ISBN 978-952-484-351-5 The study explores the political choices and confl icts inherent in the “technical” specifi cations of any monetary system and some of the social scientifi c implications of the prevailing forms of money in the widest possible sense of the terms. As a constantly evolving social relation, no single theory of money is likely to capture its tremendous capacity for self-transformation. It is argued that the precise manner in which the prevailing forms of fi nancial capital in general and money in particular are socially constructed creates a privileged reality for fi nancial capital which distorts competition among the diff erent factors of production and eliminates money’s capacity to accurately capture and reproduce real world economic phenomena – if possible even in theory. Contrary to some of the traditional economistic legitimating narratives for money, it is suggested that control over the issuance and circulation of money may render various aspects of the human governable with a fraction of the resources that might be required to implement comparable combinations of coercion and rewards through alternative institutional mechanisms.
    [Show full text]
  • GAINING GROUND III – Saga's End in the Last Two Issues I've Been
    GAINING GROUND III – Saga's end In the last two issues I’ve been recounting the saga of my attempts to get the Land Registry to amend the western boundary of my land. I claimed that what is now my garden should include a strip of land which was adjacent to the unregistered land that I had purchased as a building plot. The seller had told me that the strip of land was not owned by him and was not part of the plot, and so the plot was registered with the land excluded. But investigations later led me to believe that the strip should have been included. Initially the Land Registry would not accept my claim and I had to do a lot of work to convince them otherwise. I showed them historical aerial photos of the land, and got the Ordnance Survey to correct their inaccurate plan of the locality. Finally, in March 2002, the Land Registry did agree to rectify the boundary, and I thought, at the time, that I had cause to celebrate. (See the diagram showing the new boundary. I’ve marked the strip of land in yellow.) The disputed strip of land (New plot boundary in red; disputed land in yellow) The Land Registry told me to send them the charge certificate for the land so that it could be amended. The certificate was kept by my mortgage company, and since I wanted to also get the eastern boundary of my land rectified, I thought it better to delay sending the charge certificate until the matter of the eastern boundary had also been sorted out.
    [Show full text]