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Seriously, WTF? Its his private property. There is legal system last time I checked, and citizens should abide by it. Some mob rules about 'blight on a small co

Seriously, WTF? Its his private property. There is legal system last time I checked, and citizens should abide by it. Some mob rules about 'blight on a small community' perfectly ignore that the same fucked up community a) let the house be destroyed by some arrogant a-hole neighbor; b) knew perfectly well who it was; c) lied him & police straight to face, including priest. These were his childhood friends and 'friendly neighbors'. Because of sea view? That's one fucked up small community. Defending such behavior takes some serious moral twisting or plain absence to make it look OK.

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helsinkiandrew 5y ago
I'm not saying that it was right - I'm saying that's what would be expected. Foreigners buying holiday homes have long been hated by small communities - particularly in Ireland and Wales and targets for arson. They can make property too expensive for locals and reduce demand for local businesses. A holiday home would be maintained but leaving a coastal property empty for 8 years it would likely it would also be an eyesore - this wasn't some farmhouse in the middle of nowhere it was 'downtown'.
pjc50 5y ago
> These were his childhood friends No, he was an outsider who moved to the island. As with a lot of comments on crime, there is a difference between "explaining" and "exculpating". I agree that "explaining" usually makes it look like the victim's fault.
taffronaut 5y ago
I'm not condoning the behaviour but neither is it a pathology of a 'fucked up small community'. Welsh nationalists burned down english-owned holiday homes in the 80's and 90's "in response to the housing crisis precipitated by large numbers of houses being bought by wealthy English people for use as holiday homes, pushing up house prices beyond the means of many locals". In total 220 properties were affected [1]. Thirty years later Wales has some coastal villages where more than 50% of the houses are exclusive holiday homes owned by outsiders. The new tactics to try to discourage this - a bit late - are punitive taxation and restrictive covenants on new builds. [1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Meibion_Glynd%C5%B5r https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Meibion_Glynd%C5%B5r
spoonjim 5y ago
Not everyone agrees with the system that designate some property as "belonging" to someone (after all, these systems are all artificial, as land transcends human ownership). After all, what gives the "legal system" the right to the land? How was that right established, and at whose consent?

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helsinkiandrew 5y ago

I'm not saying that it was right - I'm saying that's what would be expected. Foreigners buying holiday homes have long been hated by small communities - particularly in Ireland and Wales and targets for arson. They can make property too expensive for locals and reduce demand for local businesses. A holiday home would be maintained but leaving a coastal property empty for 8 years it would likely it would also be an eyesore - this wasn't some farmhouse in the middle of nowhere it was 'downtown'.

pjc50 5y ago

> These were his childhood friends No, he was an outsider who moved to the island. As with a lot of comments on crime, there is a difference between "explaining" and "exculpating". I agree that "explaining" usually makes it look like the victim's fault.

taffronaut 5y ago

I'm not condoning the behaviour but neither is it a pathology of a 'fucked up small community'. Welsh nationalists burned down english-owned holiday homes in the 80's and 90's "in response to the housing crisis precipitated by large numbers of houses being bought by wealthy English people for use as holiday homes, pushing up house prices beyond the means of many locals". In total 220 properties were affected [1]. Thirty years later Wales has some coastal villages where more than 50% of the houses are exclusive holiday homes owned by outsiders. The new tactics to try to discourage this - a bit late - are punitive taxation and restrictive covenants on new builds. [1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Meibion_Glynd%C5%B5r https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Meibion_Glynd%C5%B5r

spoonjim 5y ago

Not everyone agrees with the system that designate some property as "belonging" to someone (after all, these systems are all artificial, as land transcends human ownership). After all, what gives the "legal system" the right to the land? How was that right established, and at whose consent?