At the HACT House Party last week, I ran a workshop in which we examined the UK housing market in the context of a game of Monopoly.
The famous board game Monopoly is a land and property speculation game, in which the object eventually is to own all property and bankrupt all competitors. It is simple, and old-fashioned – prices by modern standards are simply unbelievable. But it conveys some important messages regarding our attitude to property.
The first thing to note about Monopoly is that it starts with a completely level playing field. Anyone who thinks that inequality is intrinsically necessary for there to be private enterprise should play this game. At the beginning of the game, all players are equal: everyone starts with the same financial endowment, everyone has the same basic income* and everyone has the same chance of acquiring wealth. It’s the most egalitarian society on earth.
via Monopoly.
