"When you haven't any money it's better, you have the whole of nature around you as opposed to some dreadful sitting room,"

Ah, if only my life were that simple...

Life is that simple. If you have food and shelter from the elements you really don't need much mor to live.

If you are satisfied with watching the miricles in nature you don't need a new 55" palsma TV every other year...

I myself long for a more pastoral setting to live out the rest of my years.

To me, this guy is a hero.

HERO tag.

Squatter turns down 2-million for his newly aquired land because he prefers to "live in natural surroundings"

Umm....no he didn't.


"If they want to offer something to me I would take it but I am not chasing anything", he said.

He is not a dumbass.

He is a squatter turned millionaire. In britain, it's legal to squat providing that you didn't break into premises to do so.

Serves the negligent landlords right. You don't take care of a property? Not putting it to use? Wasting it away? Respect to the squatter.

"Hero"?
Hardly. Just another bum who doesn't want any responsibilities.

Doesn't want any responsibilities, that is, to be a part of our disgusting civilized world. HERO.

Let's nip this one in the bud:

He is not a squatter turned millionaire. Nor is he a squatter who turned down millions after acquiring the land.

He neither has acquired the land (nor 'aquired' it), nor been offered millions of pounds.

He has earned the legal right to claim the land, which is worth a few million pounds.

So, more accurately, he has turned down the right to own land potentially worth millions.

He doesn't want any responsibilities, and by the sound of it, he doesn't need any.

Many people nowadays yearn for simpler times when we didn't have all this technology, even those that use and rely on this technology so much in their lives. But then again, that's part of the reason I don't want to be around it.

"Hardly. Just another bum who doesn't want any responsibilities."

...as long as he doesn't become _your_ responsibility, why should _you_ care? It really is a truly amazing statement when people will disparage someone they don't know, who is in their 60s, thousands of miles away in another country, all because they're not working.

Seriously, cha-cha, you're in Kentucky. That ain't exactly the poster-state of efficiency and production, you know, compared to, say, Tennessee.

"When you haven't any money it's better, you have the whole of nature around you as opposed to some dreadful sitting room," he said.


Wow, what a dumbass.

"Heath" I always thought usually referred to common land in these parts. Nice that one unwashed mick might get the whole ball of snot for living under the radar for 12 years. The Pikeys will be celebrating tonight.

Hero.

It's not ALWAYS about money.

GIS for squatter

Life_is_a_carnivore: It's not ALWAYS about money.

You hate America

Is this a "squatter" or should it read "sasquatch?"

/getting his camera and tabloid news sheets ready

He's 68 and probably has a pension that covers his basic needs. He lives in a large garden surrounded by a park. The local authority -- who owns the land unless he claims it -- will allow him to continue living there. If he claimed the land he would be responsible for it, or would have to sell it and find somewhere else to live.

After 18 years, in a nice place, at that age, I'd also be happiest staying where I am.

Now, if this was the US, the local authorities would be trying to evict him so they can build a supermall, he would be up to his neck in medicare payments, and instead of getting the right to claim the land after 18 years, he'd be the target of a lawsuit by a teenager who broke his neck while dirt-racing his motorbike across the property.

But it ain't. It's the UK and this guy's plan is pretty cool.

2005-03-22 08:46:16 AM FarkinNortherner

Life_is_a_carnivore: It's not ALWAYS about money.

You hate America



Yes.

I love it. Congrats old guy!

/golf clap for this guy.

/submitter is a shallow, materialistic, money-obsessed asswipe.

etango

"Hero"?
Hardly. Just another bum who doesn't want any responsibilities.

Yes....because we all crave those additional responsibilities...if we force ourselves into wage slavery then SO SHOULD HE!!!

/sarcasm...

So he's a dumbass because he'd rather be happy than have money?

/didn't rtfa or comments

This dude does deserve the Hero tag. He just wants a place to live quietly. And because the place is slated to become a part, it's the government that would have to buy the land back from him costing you, me, and every English taxpayer money.

Props to him.
/schtoop

This tramp is obviously suffering from senile dementia caused by over exposure to the elements. Either that, or he is as crazy as a loon, which is probably the reason the dumbass is a squatter in the first place. Anybody who applauds his "back-to-nature ludditisum" is as deluded as he is.

Didn't RTFA.

Good for him. It's a free country. Why the hell is anyone complaining or calling him dumbass?

/It's a free country. YOU MUST CONFORM!!!! WATCH MTV!!!

So it works in this wise:

Live someplace for 12 years and you get a claim to the land?

Are there any tricks to it, or it is that simple?

I envy this man

I'm voting for the [HERO] tag. This guy is very zen.

Christian Bale:

Squatter turns down 2-million for his newly aquired land because he prefers to "live in natural surroundings"

Umm....no he didn't.

"If they want to offer something to me I would take it but I am not chasing anything", he said."

rtfa Christian Bale.
He is referring to ownership of the land - he has to go through the courts to claim ownership - ownership only - hes not going to chase it but if they offered him it he would accept- the land not money, he's making no reference to moving off the land. Yeah?

Anybody who applauds his "back-to-nature ludditisum" is as deluded as he is.


"I went to the woods because I wished to live deliberately, to front only the essential facts of life, and see if I could not learn what it had to teach, and not, when I came to die, discover that I had not lived."

--Some dead deluded back-to-nature-luddite

Christian Bale:

So, more accurately, he has turned down the right to own land potentially worth millions.

Oh, so I see you finally did rtfa. Maybe I should have rtft.

/nothing to see here folks, move along

I think all articles should end with "Sapa-dpa"
Or "Zing!" perhaps would be an acceptable alternative.

I'm really suprised that a few farkers seem to get it. I guess the headline brought them out of the woodwork.

He's lucky he isn't in America. We'd storm him, Waco style.

He should take the money, and move to Montana.

There is a lot of land up there that is $100 acre. Couple thousand acres should do him just fine for his needs.

/Just sayin'

I came in here to say submitter is the dumbass for using the dumbass tag, and subject of article is a hero. I'm very happy to see I'm not the only one who has admiration for this guy. It will be most of our lots to follow his lead before too much longer, and not by choice.

Submitter is a dumbass.

wage slavery?

Pleeeaase. Unless you're expecting something for nothing, everyone has the opportunity to become better skilled, better educated and earn a better wage. Minimum wage is a starting point.

I doubt all those posting here who allow their emotions to rule their braincases would agree to slapping a HERO tag on some CEO who declined or returned their bonus in order to help their company. Of course, someone who works hard, works smart, creates jobs, employs people and is a responsible citizen is only worthy of your scorn. I call it class envy. Personally, I'll respect those who have achieved something and not those who decide to remove themselves from whatever citizenship while still enjoying handouts. "Natural surroundings"? Ha! I'd have more respect if they'd went into the bush and were never heard from again.

In order to claim the land lawfully, Hallowes would need to go to court with two witnesses who would swear an oath that he has lived there for more than 12 years.

"If they want to offer something to me I would take it but I am not chasing anything", he said.


Sounds like he doesn't even want to be bothered with that! Hmmm, I wonder why?

He'll take the money eventually. Especially after the publicity he's got. You try living in a plastic bag covered lean-too in London when you are theoretically worth 2 million.

Mr Hallowes, "When you haven't any money it's better. You have the whole of nature around you as opposed to some dreadful bedsit."

Yeah... erm... I see your point perfectly

e4tango:

Pleeeaase. Unless you're expecting something for nothing, everyone has the opportunity to become better skilled, better educated and earn a better wage. Minimum wage is a starting point.


I know a guy who went to med school, got his MD, tried the doctoring thing, wasn't happy, and then became a high school janitor (at minimum wage). He's much happier now. More money + more skills != more happiness. I've seen plenty of miserable rich people and farked up rich kids.

gwydion04
Agreed. More income doesn't equal greater happiness. However, you do have the opportunity to avoid "wage slavery. Being the stereotypical "starving artist", I don't empathize with corporate ladder climbers, but I do respect hard work.

God, etango you must have blinked and thoroughly MISSED THE POINT!!!

I won't bother trying to explain why you have no right to force your indoctrinated agenda onto anyone again. I'm as content as you are disagree.

What's wrong with the dollar-sign in teh headline?

It's not "" you morans, it's "$".

/kidding.

GIVE ME A BREAK.

"Serves the negligent landlords right." ??!

It's the landlord's RIGHT to do as he/she sees fit with their property.

Giving something to someone that belongs to someone else without market-value compensation is bullcrap.

It's asinine that a socialist law such as this "squatter's rights" law is allowed to remain on the books, let alone be enforced!

"I'm sorry Mr. Mac...but I just don't know if there's a living in any of these beaches."



/obscure?

I won't bother trying to explain why you have no right to force your indoctrinated agenda onto anyone again.

Uhhh, bigandugly? If you (or anyone else reading these posts) are so easily swayed that by merely typing an opinion makes you feel something is being forced upon you... go get help or stop reading.

I'm as content as you are disagree.

Translation?

Eh, the screwed up "dollar-sign" didn't show up in my post.


Yeah, yeah - I know. It's the # sign.

/ignorant American.

If I had html skills, I could show an arial view of 50-60 "heros" squatting on greenbelt land in clapped-out trailers. They are called "travellers" and "gypsies" and other less flattering things. Just because this guy managed to find himself a dis-used garden doesn't make him Thoreau. If he has been in that shack for the last 18 years, I also doubt he has been bathing frequently and dressing for work each day, so has most likely has been scrounging since aged 50 at the outside.

Now class, can you say, "bum"?