Socialist Ed Sheeran 'splashes out half a million pounds on a garden pond

[Crimson Dynamo]

:shocked:

http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2015/02/26/261B2CF200000578-0-image-a-5_1424939039266.jpg
http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2018/01/23/21/4883610300000578-5302461-image-a-72_1516742035116.jpg

Ed Sheeran 'splashes out half a million pounds on a garden pond for his lavish Suffolk pad'

He is estimated to be worth around £80 million thanks to his hugely successful singing career.

And Ed Sheeran has reportedly spent some of his hard-earned cash on a £500,000 garden pond for his lavish Suffolk pad reports The Mirror.

The singer, 27, is believed to have added the water feature to his garden after employing a natural pond designer.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbiz/article-5749363/Ed-Sheeran-splashes-half-million-pounds-garden-pond-lavish-Suffolk-pad.html

[Niamh.]

There's alot worse celebrities have spent money on tbf :laugh:

[Kazanne]

It's really up to him,he has earned his money, he can do what he likes with it.I think his pond will be a work of art.

[Oliver_W]

Good for him, it's his money.

Does he still identify as a socialist, or has he outgrown it?

[user104658]

Believing in socially just policies does not mean believing that individuals "aren't allowed to be rich" or spend their money on extravagances. It just means believing that the worst off in society should be helped up to a decent standard of living alongside that.

e.g. I'm much better off than I was 5 years ago, and 9 years ago I was flat out "eating buttered pasta for most meals" poor. We still (fingers crossed) get better off year-on-year and have a decent-ish disposable income. I'm not buying half million pound swimming pools, but I did, for example, spend what would be 2 months rent for some people on a PC graphics card (flexxx). It should obviously be possible to increase one's income, and enjoy it... but that doesn't mean I don't still believe in a fair or even generous benefits system for low incomes :shrug:.

I mean, look at Arr Ruth in the papers today. Head of the Scottish Tories; but asking the PM to give up on cutting taxes (a Tory policy) in favour of supporting and improving the NHS (when Universal Healthcare is very much a socialist policy). All Tories should follow her example tbqfh.

[Livia]

He's wealthy enough to be a proper socialist.

[Crimson Dynamo]

if he an egalitarian, how come he has so much personal wealth?

[smudgie]

Going by the fact that he is buying up a fair few houses next to him, maybe he will be sharing them with friends and family.
What’s a young lad to do with all his money? Property is a good investment.
I dare say he gives shed loads to charity..time and money.:shrug:

[user104658]

if he an egalitarian, how come he has so much personal wealth?

Well for a start, egalitarian means supporting equality of opportunity, not necessarily equality of outcome (i.e. everyone has the same chance to become wealthy without the significant advantages of, for example, inherited wealth, or the drawbacks of, for example, parents with addictions; not that everyone will necessarily become wealthy). Live and learn LT.

Secondly... you're conflating socialism with communism. They're not the same thing.

[Crimson Dynamo]

Well for a start, egalitarian means supporting equality of opportunity, not necessarily equality of outcome (i.e. everyone has the same chance to become wealthy without the significant advantages of, for example, inherited wealth, or the drawbacks of, for example, parents with addictions; not that everyone will necessarily become wealthy). Live and learn LT.

Secondly... you're conflating socialism with communism. They're not the same thing.

he is supporting a society/system that creates incredible wealth for the few and very little for the many whilst paying lipservice to a system that supports neither?

surely as a socialist he should be fighting to end capitalism not supporting it?


I guess there is no such thing as being a socialist its just a state of mind when it suits? :shrug:

ie go on a demo to fight poverty one day and buy a £3000 mountain bike the next, that type of thing

[kirklancaster]

He can do what he wants with his own money. Much preferable to the hundreds of millions per year of Tax-Payers money spent on Drugs, Drink, and Gambling via benefit payments.

Still though - as a Socialist perhaps he could have settled for a £50K pond and given the other £450,00 to 'Worthy Causes'.

[bots]

I've never understood this concept that the moment someone attains some wealth they should automatically change their politics or be seen as a hypocrite.

I have a problem when someone is demanding others do something while they do the opposite .... but that's not the same thing

[Crimson Dynamo]

I've never understood this concept that the moment someone attains some wealth they should automatically change their politics or be seen as a hypocrite.

I have a problem when someone is demanding others do something while they do the opposite .... but that's not the same thing

I guess you could argue its a good thing like say Alex Ferguson in that they still support a system that does not support how they got their money?

[user104658]

he is supporting a society/system that creates incredible wealth for the few and very little for the many whilst paying lipservice to a system that supports neither?

surely as a socialist he should be fighting to end capitalism not supporting it?


I guess there is no such thing as being a socialist its just a state of mind when it suits? :shrug:

ie go on a demo to fight poverty one day and buy a £3000 mountain bike the next, that type of thing

Again I don't see it as an either-or situation; it's perfectly possible to be generally supportive of capitalism whilst also believing that a good, fair and well-functioning capitalist society can have certain socialist policies (such as universal healthcare, wealth redistribution to low incomes (e.g. tax credits), social housing, free or subsidised higher education, possibly even universal healthcare).

TBH that's the space I pretty much occupy these days. I fully accept that with the world being as it is, capitalism is the ONLY functional model. It isn't amazing, but it's functional. But I also don't believe it should be an outright free-for-all and I strongly believe in some of the things mentioned above (especially healthcare and education). :shrug:

That said; I don't know how Sheeran actually describes himself... has he outright stated that he is "a socialist" or is that just an assumption based on his being in clear support of some socially minded policies?

Again for the latter part (the mountain bike example) you're really describing communist ideology more than socialism.

[Withano]

Dont care for ed sheeran, and i dont care for wasting money on frivolous things. Nothing in this story upsets or angers me though. Celebs buy lots of daft stuff to laugh at, a pond is fair-game though.

[user104658]

Still though - as a Socialist perhaps he could have settled for a £50K pond and given the other £450,00 to 'Worthy Causes'.

Well yes, giving it some thought, wtf is in a £500k pond? Is it lined with gold? ...Is it a man-made lake? :think:

[bots]

Well yes, giving it some thought, wtf is in a £500k pond? Is it lined with gold? ...Is it a man-made lake? :think:

Add in a few carp and some exotic wildlife and 500k is gone in an instant

[user104658]

Add in a few carp and some exotic wildlife and 500k is gone in an instant

I'd have dug him a hole and thrown some frogs in it for £500.

[Niamh.]

Add in a few carp and some exotic wildlife and 500k is gone in an instant

I'd really like to see it, I'd say it will be amazing. As someone else said this is actually something I think is a cool way to spend money atleast it's kind of natural and life supporting, if you get what I mean :laugh:

[Kazanne]

I'd really like to see it, I'd say it will be amazing. As someone else said this is actually something I think is a cool way to spend money atleast it's kind of natural and life supporting, if you get what I mean :laugh:

Exactly,i doubt it will be your average garden pond ,and the wildlife and water creatures it will have can only be good,bet it has a fountain aswell .

[Crimson Dynamo]

It will be to attract girls to, lure them in and then write songs about how they wistfully walked the banks in the early morns mist and then he will drown them by hand and write a lament about loves lost love and "she was a fair maid but when I pressed her windpipe tight, her eyes shut forever|"

the ginger dirty get

[Niamh.]

It will be to attract girls to, lure them in and then write songs about how they wistfully walked the banks in the early morns mist and then he will drown them by hand and write a lament about loves lost love and "she was a fair maid but when I pressed her windpipe tight, her eyes shut forever|"

the ginger dirty get

He's engaged :nono:

[kirklancaster]

I'd have dug him a hole and thrown some frogs in it for £500.

:laugh2:

[Kazanne]

It will be to attract girls to, lure them in and then write songs about how they wistfully walked the banks in the early morns mist and then he will drown them by hand and write a lament about loves lost love and "she was a fair maid but when I pressed her windpipe tight, her eyes shut forever|"

the ginger dirty get

:joker::joker::joker: I quite like the ginger dirty get,but alas he is spoken for.I'de let him squeeze my windpipe,lol.

[Denver]

Hope he got planning permission

[Kizzy]

Right, so if you have money you have to be a right wing fascist?...Is that what you're saying, you can't have left leaning views and earn money from a talent, as that is against some unwritten law?... This forum haha! Curious and curiouser

[RileyH]

Bitch the ****

[Kizzy]

A person with a social conscience ...and they have money? who ever heard of such a thing!! preposterous.. relieve him of it at once!!

[Crimson Dynamo]

A person with a social conscience ...and they have money? who ever heard of such a thing!! preposterous.. relieve him of it at once!!

So you think spending 500,000 quid on decoration is appropriate in there times of austerity when the health service is "on its knees"

You have changed your tune :shocked:

[Kizzy]

So you think spending 500,000 quid on decoration is appropriate in there times of austerity when the health service is "on its knees"

You have changed your tune :shocked:

It's not public money, hes not an employer exploiting anyone and he pays his taxes... What's the prob?

[Tom4784]

How dare he spend the money he earned?!

[Crimson Dynamo]

It's not public money, hes not an employer exploiting anyone and he pays his taxes... What's the prob?

One would imagine he pays several accountants top dollar to avoid as much tax as he possibly can

[Tom4784]

One would imagine he pays several accountants top dollar to avoid as much tax as he possibly can

A presumption based on nothing.

[Crimson Dynamo]

A presumption based on nothing.

it was to highlight Kizzys assumption that he pays his taxes

i am going to bet my assumption is the better of the 2

:smug:

[Tom4784]

it was to highlight Kizzys assumption that he pays his taxes

i am going to bet my assumption is the better of the 2

:smug:

Paying tax is the norm though, assuming that someone is a law abiding season isn't the same as assuming they aren't and using it as a stick to beat them with.

[Kizzy]

it was to highlight Kizzys assumption that he pays his taxes

i am going to bet my assumption is the better of the 2

:smug:

I'm going to leave you to your imagination ok?...