[jimtorr]

Whoever said anything about stopping them from excercising their semi-autonomous rights of semi-self-governance?

If this new law only allowed crofters to buy land, I might say fine, good for them. However, it is Scotland, the State, who will be buying the land for them. There is also the matter of crofters buying fisheries and who knows what else whether or not the owner wishes to sell.

Much is made in this story about how some of the crofters have lived on the land for 200 years. Well, some of the owners of the estates in question have owned said estates for 1,000 years and more!

[muawiyah]

None of these "owners" have clear titles going back more than 200 years. They are all beneficiaries of thieves and scoundrals.

Tens of millions of modern day Americans have a property-right interest in these particular estates if the Scottish Parliament acts in a way which renews ancient property rights.

Frankly I want my piece of the mountain and if some Socialist voting laird has been luxurating in Majorca while the land languishes in an unproductive state, then he'll just have to be evicted!

The sooner the better, too! - Him AND his sheep.

[graycamel]

There is also the matter of crofters buying fisheries and who knows what else whether or not the owner wishes to sell
That is a little idiotic. Kinda like here, when someone dies, their family has to pay an estate tax, ostensibly to keep private landholdings from getting too large, so that the middle class can have a chance at their land. I sort of disagree with the subject line, calling it communism, because communism doesn't allow any private ownership. I bet though, the Scottish govenment will buy, say 500 km² and sell 200, thus increasing the size of government property. Then they'll wonder why their revenue decreases.