“Anyone who even tries to do this should have tremendous force used against them.”
The lunacy of ultra-right-wing think-tanks such as the Adam Smith Institute has reached new heights, after it proposed privatising the moon to help wipe out poverty on earth.
In a report, the think tank claims that the moon should be ‘divided into parcels of land and assigned to different countries to rent out to businesses, boosting the economy’.
Entitled ‘Space Invaders: Property Rights on the Moon’, a framework is set out to ‘enable individuals to attain morally-justified property rights in space, with a particular focus on plots of moon land’.
It goes on to state that private property improves not only the standards of human welfare, but also the condition of many objects of ownership.
Daniel Pryor, Head of Research at the Adam Smith Institute, said: “Property rights play a key role in boosting living standards, innovation and human dignity here on Earth. The same would be true if we applied this logic to space, which presents a unique opportunity to start afresh when designing effective rules of ownership.”
The report has rightly received much criticism and been mocked online. While some slammed the report for its lunacy, others couldn’t quite believe what they were reading. One social media user wrote: “Taxing the rich could lift 2.3 billion people out of poverty, vaccinate the entire world, and deliver universal healthcare for all citizens of low and lower-middle-income countries. But yeah, let’s privatize the moon.”
Another wrote: “Anyone who even tries to do this should have tremendous force used against them.”
Basit Mahmood is editor of Left Foot Forward
To reach hundreds of thousands of new readers and to make the biggest impact we can in the next general election, we need to grow our donor base substantially.
That's why in 2024, we are seeking to generate 150 additional regular donors to support Left Foot Forward's work.
We still need another 124 people to donate to hit the target. You can help. Donate today.