Aug 14
85344490
Antoine Clark has written a short screed against libertarians, like me, who feel it is better to work with a major party than piss about with no-hopers with no chance. This is not a new argument and one that I heard quite a bit at the Libertarian Convention (US) a few years ago. There are some people who are happier to jump up and down on the sidelines and make not a sausage of difference rather than making a difference by working within an electable party. Its a case of “pissing into the tent vs pissing out of the tent.” (An LBJism.)
I think it is a good idea to help candidates in the Tory Party who are closer to libertarian ideas that others. I never lend my efforts to anyone with whom I am not happy with their beliefs. There is not a Libertarian Party in the UK right now, and there won’t be one for a considerable time. The Libertarian Alliance, clever though it is, rarely gets any press for its ideas. Surely it is better for me and others like me to bend a few ears whenever possible. There are at least 3 copies of Statism Sucks! 2.0 kicking around in the party at high levels. There are some who think the transition to Thatcherism in the Tory Party occured at the snap of the Lady’s fingers. It was a long and hard road, and one we must continue until the party reaches “classical liberalism.”
There are significant numbers of “libertarian-conservatives” amoungst the younger set. (I don’t mean the Portillistas either, I mean real l-cs.) If libertarians (outside the party) had any brains they would engage this lot (as I continually try) tout suite, instead of whining; we might be able to influence the direction/policy of the party.
A new party would be a stupid idea, and one doomed to fail. One must wonder whether it’s the wets/wet-lights (CChange) who wish to rid the party of the libetarian element so they can have a straight fight betwixt them and the IDS right.
