The Managed Collapse of Small Landlords in Wales & England by Dale James

“The old world is dying, the new world struggles to be born: now is the time of monsters.” – Antonio Gramsci

No Landlords, No Homes

We’ve heard “No Farmers, No Food”. That blunt reminder that you can’t just wish production into existence.Now it’s time to hear its colder, more personal cousin:No Landlords. No Homes!

This isn’t an accident. It’s not some bureaucratic oversight that could be fixed with a better minister or a tweak in legislation. It’s the deliberate dismantling of independent ownership, smoothed over with the polite euphemisms of “sustainable housing” and “future generations.”First they declare the system broken.Then they leave it broken.Then they rebuild it — not for you, not for me — but for the corporate landlord who answers only to a global stakeholder board.

Tories, Labour, Reform — Different Suits, Same Script

It’s almost quaint to ask which party will fix it.All read from the same hymn sheet. And the choir they’re singing for isn’t sitting in Cardiff, or even Westminster.Policy is no longer a local craft. It’s an imported product. Pre-packaged. Wrapped in consensus. Stamped with the logo of an international committee you’ve never voted for.

The Paper Trail Isn’t Even Hidden

Welsh Government documents tell the story without apology:- Decarbonising the Private Rented Sector in Wales (Feb 2023) — cut and paste from UN Agenda 2030.- The Well-being of Future Generations (Wales) Act 2015 — SDGs embedded directly into law.- Rent Smart Wales — dressed as regulation, built as a surveillance platform.These aren’t local curiosities. They’re regional chapters in a global rollout. Wales just happens to be one of the eager test beds.

Stakeholder Capitalism: The Gentle Word for Corporate Takeover

At Davos, Klaus Schwab announced the funeral of “Shareholder Capitalism.” The replacement — Stakeholder Capitalism — sounds wholesome. Like everyone gets a say. In practice, it means political gatekeepers decide if your business is allowed to breathe.The enforcement tools?- ESG scoring- Carbon credit quotas- “Social compliance” — the ideological loyalty testYou’ve already seen the opening moves:- EPC upgrade demands- Policy papers that whisper “equity” and “climate resilience”- Licensing regimes just waiting to be tethered to ESG scores

Puppets or Partners?

When Keir Starmer tells the BBC he’d rather be at Davos than Westminster…When Rachel Reeves jets off to this year’s WEF gathering…When Sunak, Johnson, Kinnock all circle in the same orbit……you stop asking whether they’re puppets or partners. You realise the distinction doesn’t matter.

What’s Coming Down the Track?

For small landlords, the “next phase” will look like:- Eviction Compensation — the two-month rent refund proposal is only sleeping, not dead.- Energy Upgrade Mandates — expensive, compulsory, and non-negotiable.- ESG-linked Licensing — registration and lending tied to sustainability metrics.- Right-to-Buy Rewinds — the state inviting itself back into your historic transactions.

And tax, tax, tax!Each one adding friction. Each one pushing you closer to the exit.

The System Isn’t Broken — It’s Replaced

Small landlords aren’t collateral damage. They’re the target.The mission is simple: remove the independent middle — the farmers, the shopkeepers, the landlords — and replace them with entities too large to disobey.But the trick only works if you cooperate.

Your compliance is the currency. Your silence is the down payment.

Refusal as a Strategy

If you’re awake to what’s happening, the task isn’t polite negotiation.It’s refusal.It’s alliances with others who refuse.It’s rejecting every baited hook — from “emergency” leasing schemes to cheques waved for your participation in housing their problem cases.Stay alert.Stay connected.Stay inconvenient.