South West Libertarians

What they are not telling you as members of LPUK

2011-06-03T01:02:00.000-07:00

On the 19th May 2011, an ‘emergency’ meeting was called to appoint new members of the NCC and it was to be conducted in a clear open and transparent manner. It was also to be supervised by ‘impartial’ members of the Party acting as observers. Sounds great.

Except it was anything of the sort, this was a fairly unsophisticated attempt to put a thin veneer of respectability on a crude coup based on smears.

One of the officers being proposed was not actually a member of the Libertarian Party, and neither was one of the impartial observers. Yet gamely they ploughed on proposing each other as officers of the party without a shred of legitimacy or even pretending that any of the proceedings were in line with the constitution.

Everything had the blessing of the Electoral Commission it was stated. One member of the NCC actually asked direct questions as to the legitimacy of the observers and of the proceedings only to be fobbed off .

Ken Ferguson who was still under a motion to remove him as Communications Director for breaches of the Data Protection Act was acting as ringmaster and allowed to vote. Ferguson rushed the ‘good news’ of the new appointments online, before the minutes were even drafted, congratulations all round (despite nobody being willing to accept the poisoned chalice of being treasurer)

Except just one fly in the ointment, a call from the Electoral Commission allegedly saying that due to poor Parliamentary dafting (??) the registered officers remained the same, and unless the transfer of officers was in line with the procedures of PPERA, the Act that governs registered political parties, the ‘new NCC‘ would be rejected by the Electoral Commission. And they were.

The small group around Ferguson, who now sees himself as leader in waiting, have been a little shy of announcing this gaffe that they discovered for themselves after having been repeatedly told that they were acting unconstitutionally on the 20th May. So currently the LPUK is a ghost ship, with various proposals to rip up the constitution and turn it into everything from an internet party to a committee led workers collective that will certainly ensure its rapid demise.

Various requests to turn the donation button back on and put moderation on the site to prevent further defamation and harassment were met by a blank refusal by the 'communications' director.

The truth is that the NCC announced by Ferguson had no validity has been known since the 20th May. The open and transparent ‘new leadership’ has decided not to make this public.

With no income and memberships flowing into the new unauthorised account, which is not declared as an accounting unit to the Electoral Commission, the insolvency situation has become even worse.

Faced with a blank refusal by Ferguson to stay within the constitution, together with electoral and civil law, and in line with Ferguson’s proposed ‘new constitution’ that suggests that registered officers will have no power, but are simply there to carry the can personally for breaches of of those laws, coupled with the suggestion that the party does not need more than £200 a year just to run his website, the Nominations Officer yesterday decided to call it a day and do the decent thing, and publish a public apology.

Except of course there was no way that this was ever going to be published on the LPUK website whilst under the control of the ‘Communications Director’, whose sole aim appears to be only to communicate what is acceptable to him and censor the rest.

The membership lists were handed over yesterday to the remaining registered officers and the following apology was made by Simon Fawthrop.

An Apology To Andrew Withers, the NCC, Membership and Supporters.

I want to make an apology to Andrew Withers, he is and always has been Party Leader as recognised by the EC and relevant legislation and the Party Constitution and I had no right to try to elect a new Leader and Treasurer. I also wish to apologise to the NCC and the wider membership and supporters for misleading you all about the position of Party Leader and Treasurer, I was wrong and it was not in my power to seek to fill those positions that I thought were vacant.

It was my misunderstanding that Andrew had resigned as Party Leader and that we needed to appoint a new Leader and Treasurer to be compliant with the relevant legislation. I now know that Andrew had not resigned and, furthermore, cannot resign. This means that Andrew is and always has been Party Leader and, with the resignation of John Watson, Treasurer.

As such the NCC meeting that I convened to find replacements for Treasurer and Leader was against the letter of the Constitution and means those NCC elections are not and have never been valid.

Obviously having been so wrong I cannot continue in any capacity within the Party and I have informed Andrew that I am resigning with immediate effect as Data Officer and Membership Secretary. Furthermore, I will step down as Nominations Officer as soon as a replacement is found. I am sure there are many members willing to take on those vital roles.

Once again, I apologise to Andrew and those I have misled and I wish you all well for the future.

Regards,
Simon

This is great shame as Simon has been a consistent and effective membership secretary for over two years, yet again another officer forced out by a small cabal who maintain that they are for openness, transparency and the continuance of the Libertarian Party, but act in exactly the opposite manner. This situation has been known to them for nearly two weeks.

The South West Branch has organised a meeting of its members on the 18th June to try an map out a proposed future for the party, the Scottish branch are doing the same in July.

Clearly things cannot go on as they are, the insolvency caused by the deliberate cutting off of funds needs to be urgently addressed or the party de registered. If it is to continue it may need to be restructured into a federal model. Clearly the ‘internet party’ has to cease.

What is certain is that the SGM to change the constitution called for 18th June 2011 has no validity constitutionally and would not be recognised by the Electoral Commission.

As the existing registered officers have only a short term intention to stay in office to either attend to funeral arrangements or to seek a more viable model for the lpuk to exist, within its constitution and comply with electoral law, the future of LPUK still remains uncertain.

Meeting Of South West Libertarians June 18th 2011

2011-06-02T03:59:00.000-07:00

There will be a meeting of past and current members of the South West Branch of the Libertarian Party in Bristol on June 18th 2011. Venue to be arranged.

Only one item on the agenda a response to the proposed tearing up of the party constitution as proposed here.

Without A Hint Of Irony

2011-01-22T10:50:00.000-08:00

I was in the new Bristol shopping centre with my youngest son who is back from University for the weekend. There was a bit of a commotion going out side Barclays, by Anarchists for more State Intervention (Anarchists ??)

After a lot of pushing and shoving with the Police they decided to target Lloyds Bank next, then Nationwide (this is a mutual not a bank you idiots) then they started running through the shopping centre yelling and shouting for what they were worth, an activity called steaming, this resulted in some other ne'erdowells joining in and shops starting to close their doors in case the guardians of the revolution decided to liberate their goods.

Without a hint of irony, members of the Socialist Workers Party stood by trying to sell their newspapers. The latest in fashionable chic is apparently a Palestinian scarf (denotes level of righteousness) a soviet era military fur hat with cap badge whilst shouting for freedom (remember gulags) and troops out of Afghanistan (Soviet troops being ok in Afghanistan then) topped off with a Serbian army surplus wintercoat (don't even go there)

As Lenin said 'useful fools'.

Highlight of the day - Anarchist withdrawing £50 from HSBC cash point, without the hint of irony.

A Quiet Revolution

2010-12-10T01:41:00.001-08:00

Yesterday evening I was on the 'frontline' of the end of the failed
fabian experiment in Westminster. The dregs of the student protests were
still being kettled, Police had helicopters up, tube stations closed
and vans full of back up, yet they still managed to drive a couple of
VIP's into the middle of this maelstrom of heightened emotions.

This morning Boris and Stephenson of the Met were having a discussion
on Radio 4 about yesterday, was it just me or was Stephenson making a
lot of threats about how 'tooled up' his men were. Was he seriously
advocating that the Met start shooting protestors ?

I saw bizarre sights such as 'anarchists' demanding more state subsidy for education. How does that work then ?

Labour created a massive expansion of the State that was built on
nothing more than a bubble, to have 50% of the young 'doing a degree'
was only going to devalue standards and to damage the marketability of
having a degree. There is nothing left that the hard pressed taxpayer
can contribute to a 'bust' state. What we saw on the streets was nothing
more that demanding money with menaces, and Labour were at the front of
this egging it on, as usual bearing no responsibility for their
actions.

Meanwhile at the National Liberal Club a quiet revolution was occuring organised by the Cobden Centre. Libertarians, Members of the Adam Smith Institute
and other representatives of Classical Liberal organisations met for an
informal social event to make contacts, talk and make futue plans. The
talk was was of honest money, Mises and Hayek and of course the failing
Euro experiment.

The keynote speech was by Conservative MP Steve Baker, one of the few 'good guys'.

The Toast was to Cobden's vision of 'Peace and Free Trade'

Fabianism has failed, the Labour party derided Cobden the result is an impoverished nation and war.

For one battered Liberal (not the fake 'Liberal' Democrats) the long
march is now on its second faltering step.

I hope that you will join us
in rebuilding 'Liberal' Britain.

Press Release - Andrew Withers new Party Leader

2010-11-27T04:01:00.000-08:00

The Libertarian Party annual AGM and Conference is taking place today in London. The following press release was issued at 12.00 today.

Acceptance of Party Leader of the Libertarian Party by Andrew Withers

I would like to thank the Party for the confidence that it has shown in me in electing me unopposed. It is with regret that I cannot take up the post until we have resolved the the extraordinary decision by the Secretary of State Dr Vince Cable on the 12th November 2010 that he objects to me being Party Leader, Treasurer or Tea-boy in the Libertarian Party.

In his eyes I am unfit to do so without supervision from his department. Mr Cable was given until 4pm yesterday via his solicitors Osborne Clarke, to withdraw his extraordinary objection from the Bristol District Registry, as he has no powers in Law over the Libertarian Party according to both his own Counsel and Counsel that has volunteered its time on behalf of the Party. I have to tell you no such undertaking has been received, to use a phrase.

All that was received was a letter that informed me yesterday, it was up to me to withdraw this from the Court, being a very simple person I did not understand the logic of this. I was instructed by a District Judge to include all of the organisations here,in America, in South Africa, in France that I am an executive member of. This includes charitable, political, blogs etc etc. Vince Cable's boys just objected to the lot without fear or favour on the 12th November.

Liam Fox MP, my local MP asked to be kept informed of all developments following his attempts to get Mandelson and now Vince Cable to drop this sorry saga after nearly five years. Incredibly my friends, the District Judge ordered a telephone conference to be heard on Dec 3rd to settle the issues at dispute. Vince's boys so far have objected to the telephone conference call, and refused to comply with another Court Order. As a party that believes in the supremacy of the rule of law, it is only right and proper that we await the directions of the Court on December 3rd, and that Vince Cable explains to the Court the reasons why on grounds of national security, public safety or in the interests of democracy he can overturn the will of members of the Libertarian Party and Article 11 of the European Convention on Human Rights.

I will remain Leader Designate.

Why are we here, a very small band of Libertarians formed into a party that will never in my lifetime seize office under this benighted system called Parliamentary Democracy.
We are here because we are right in philosophy. In 1989 the Berlin Wall came down because Stalinism and Communism had had its day and people wanted freedom, the banking crash built on a mountain of public debt has brought an end to bureaucratic socialism and public and private debt as a way of life.

Now is the age of Liberty, but it is going to be a long fight because vested interest from the three statist parties wish the merry go round to continue. Labour only just lost the election under a corrupt voting system, Con Demery is not going to last, and unless things change dramatically the Social Democrats are going to leave the crumpled warm bed of David Cameron into the soiled sheets of Labour, breaking promises as they go.

I am a Constitutionalist, I believe that none of us count because we have no recognition in Law as individuals because we have no Constitution. We are the neo serfs. The exchequer is broke, we are to be taxed out of recession, yet we are still fighting foreign wars and we are going to give Ireland £7Bn to save the eurozone ? Did anybody consult you ? Do you approve. Shut up- just give us the money.

How do they get away with this ? because the State has the monopoly of violence, we are all frightened of the State. Whereas the State should be frightened of us the voter.

De Menezes was a stain on our country, as was Iraq and Afghanistan. We have a Ministry of Defence not a Ministry of War ! Our troops are badly equipped, badly paid and neglected in old age and injury. The only legitimate function of the State is Defence of a free country. Politicians love being associated with the Military, it makes them look hard, the trouble is our civilian police force are playing more to the Force and less to the Civilian part of the equation. When did Dixon turn into Judge Dredd on our streets.

Libertarianism needs re-branding in the UK, the Stalinist left call us right wing, we are neither of the left or the right. David Nolan who tragically died last week put us on a different axis that of Liberty to Authoritarianism. We despise the big State who ever is running it in favour of minimal government that is local and accountable.

We have the obscenity of so called Anarchists taking part in violent demonstrations in favour of large state hand outs. These are not Anarchists, they are simple leftist thugs demanding by violence what they cannot achieve by the ballot box.

Yesterday Cameron issued his first D notice, these are issued in time of war. He is no longer an authoritarian virgin. The Libertarian Party must oppose both nationally and locally. We are small very small but perhaps history will show that we kept fanning the flames of classical Liberalism in a seventy year long downpour of bureaucratic socialism.

Ends

Notes for editors
1) The Libertarian Party was founded on November 21st 2007 and officially launched on January 1st 2008. The party’s website can be found at:
http://www.lpuk.org
2) Further details of the party’s policies can be found in our manifesto:
http://www.lpuk.org/pages/manifesto.php
3) The Libertarian Party UK is a minarchist party utilising political philosophy based on support for individual liberty.
Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Libertarianism
Press Enquiries can be sent to media@lpuk.org or by telephone +44 845 299 7650

Gregg Beaman To Stand In Oldham East For Libertarian Party

2010-11-05T06:54:00.001-07:00

Following the welcome news that Phil Woolas now ex MP has been gound guilty of electoral wrong doing

Gregg Beaman has announced his decision to run for the Libertarian Party in Oldham East.

Did You Vote For 'Change' ? Political Crimes Still Get You the 'Sack'

2010-10-16T23:45:00.000-07:00

Via Cranmer and Tom Paine this morning the inevitable story that Katherine Birbalsingh has been forced from her post for thought crime of actually doubting that the Fabian destruction of education is 'good' for children.

The Tories promised you change, but the dangerous politicised public servants and their weak bosses are still in post, fulminating against the inconvenience of the ballot box. There has been no change and they are being paid by you the tax payer.

As one of the few countries in the world that does not have a Constitution, Katherine is not afforded the right of free speech under the Constitution, and she could scamper off to Court to not only claim constructive dismissal and declare the action of the school unconstitutional.

Unless Cameron acts this morning to end this farce every teacher had better keep their political opinions to themselves.

Brown gone, Cameron arrives- The State still rules and the State is red in hue and claw.

Libertarians Like People

2010-10-08T22:52:00.001-07:00

This from party member Dick Puddlecote, which proves that citizen's action works.

We are an independent lot down here in North Somerset, this junction is three miles from my house, Portishead also regularly wins the best flower display.Just getting rid of these lights has made a huge difference to traffic flows because people can be trusted not to slam into each other.

As Chaiman of Clevedon Pride, we 'seized' control of the 'Town Square, three years organised public events for flowers, Christmas lights arranged to have the rubbish strewn municipal 'pond' filled in and planted out. Yesterday some of our 'chaps' were out watering and planting out spring bulbs.Hose pipe donated by local business as were the bulbs, manure by the local stables, not a diversity officer or Health & Safety Officer in sight. Not everything has to be done by Municipal Socialism

The Square is now a nice place to sit, walk, shop and a cafe culture has sprung up

We cooperate with 'local government' were neccessary, but largely just get on with it. Clevedon Pride is now a normal part of the local landscape, we do not have litter 'police' fining people, CP arranged litter to be picked up by volunteers, then amazingly the level of littering started dropping dramatically as it became unacceptable to litter.

Clevedon Pride is not a 'Libertarian' organisation it is just that its Chairman is (me), its not all about high flown political theory, it is about volunteerism, the time involved costs me a couple of hours a week and a few meetings a month.

Andrew Withers

2010 Libertarian Conference- 27th November 2010

2010-10-05T06:28:00.001-07:00

This will be held at the Punch Tavern, 99 Fleet Street, London EC4Y 1 DE on 27th November, as we rotate for the third year back to London, from York 2008 and Bristol 2009.

You will need to register and pay £10 to off set costs by Nov 1st to receive your voting card and agenda. I do not propose to take money on the day.

Please pay via our account at HSBC noting your membership number and LP2010 as the reference.

If you would like to make a donation over and above (Please) mark as Donation.

40-28-20 Sort Code Account Number 92635313

It is envisaged that Libertarians of the non member variety can be invited but cannot obviously vote, hence the voting card.

Postal votes are obtainable from 1984@lpuk.org for NCC positions.

The Polish Nightmare

2010-10-01T06:52:00.000-07:00

In the grim league table of primal fears, there is one undoubted winner – losing your child. To do so in a foreign country when your language skills are not perfect, and you do not truly understand the ‘system’, nor the full extent of official powers, is the ultimate nightmare.

Young Alicja and her husband Aleksy* are living and working in the UK. They work hard; long hours, he at night and she during the day, and share the care of their young child.

Yesterday they returned home to find an official letter roughly shoved through their front door informing them that an anonymous neighbour had reported them to the authorities for ‘going out drinking at night and abandoning their child’ and telling them to contact the ‘North Somerset Safe Guarding Children Board’.

They were quite literally terrified and in tears. Neither of them drink or smoke, their child is never left with strangers – the shift system they work means that one of them is with their child at all times. They knew they had done nothing wrong – but would the authorities believe them, or believe the anonymous comments of one of its own English speaking citizens?

They come from Poland, a country which in recent times was communist run, where you could be denounced to the authorities without any right to defend yourself. They had heard the stories of English child protection teams snatching children and forcibly adopting them – ex-pat communities the world over are a source of horror stories concerning your host authority.

Not surprisingly, their first reaction was to hide their child with friends and then appeal for help from within their community.

It was their good fortune that the first person they contacted happened to be a friend and neighbour of Andrew Withers, Deputy Leader of the Libertarian Party. It was equally their good fortune that the Honorary Polish Consul in their area is also a member of the Libertarian Party. Accidentally knowing the right people saved them hours of frantic worry – I wonder how well they would have fared had they not been given the help of people who could field an array of titles at the bottom of their e-mails?

The first telephone call made elicited the astounding response – “Whoops! Sorry, wrong Polish couple”. It seems the stasi official who had pushed that letter through their letterbox had been looking for another Polish couple in the same road – “Yep, they sound Polish, that’ll do” – a breathtakingly slip shod and negligent attitude from a public servant charged with such draconian powers as removing your children!

Not surprisingly, it was demanded of this official that he return to see Alicja and Aleksy in person to both apologise and reassure them that their child was safe. This was agreed to – but true to form, the official didn’t arrive, they have heard nothing more.

Somewhere in Bristol is a young Polish couple who have been anonymously denounced to the authorities. Perhaps justifiably, perhaps not. They will be equally terrified when the letter finally goes through the right letter box.

We don’t know who they are. We don’t know whether they also have the ‘right contacts’ to deal with this.

Your child being taken from you by the authorities is not on a par with having your gas supply cut off, or a parcel delivered when you are out – a note pushed through your door is a cold and callous means of telling you that ‘they’ – the North Somerset Safe Guarding Children Board – have received an anonymous complaint. To do so when you are perfectly well aware that the recipient of your note is “one o’ they Polish” and possibly doesn’t speak good English is unforgiveable.

*Names changed for obvious reasons.

Anna Raccoon

The Acid Bath

2010-09-25T07:09:00.001-07:00

In 1940 two men slipped into Britain using forged immigration papers to escape the totalitarian regimes of the both Stalin and Hitler.

These were father and son, Samuel and Ralph (nee Adolphe) Miliband, Ralph was born in Brussels of Polish-Jewish émigré parents. Both his parents lived in the Jewish quarter of Warsaw, before his father, Samuel Miliband, joined the Red Army in the Polish–Soviet War.He is buried in Highgate Cemetery close to Karl Marx.

Ralph went on to become a darling of the New Left, a sociology academic. Having fled totalitarianism in the East arriving in a still relatively Liberal Britain, Miliband Senior set about propounding a Socialism to reproduce in Britain what he had fled from in 1940. Today one of his bland off spring (it really does not matter which) will complete the Miliband family's ingratitude to this country by presiding over a Labour party that has produced a Stasi state in the last thirteen years,wrecked the economy and produced an irresponsible dependent population. To cap it all launched the type of aggressive wars of occupation that Miliband senior fled from.

The Socialism that has influenced the Milliband clones is of a variety that is intellectual, high flown and theoretical. Its consequences of sink estates, poverty and wasted tattooed lives are of very little consequence to such 'East European' intellectualism. Intellectualism has only found root in Britain in the last sixty years of State Welfarism, because it allowed such ideologues to find financial support by finding 'employment' in ever growing State institutions and Quangos.

In Liberal Britain we once had learned academics who espoused the rigour of research in the arts and sciences, and embraced the liberal values of tolerance started in the age of Reason and Enlightenment.

Today will see the victory of Marxist Social Democratic Ideology over Tolerance and Reason, started when Liberal Britain gave refuge to another East European intellectual, Karl Marx.

This Labour Party election is almost North Korean in outlook, favoured sons of a political elite being anointed. That it is why it has been a boring and inconsequential 'election'. The real power lies with the Bob Crowe's of this world, the pay masters of the 'Nouveau' Left. They know that their overt hatchet faced class warrior rhetoric will not find favour with the people of this country, so they need the fresh faced Peter Pan's of politics (achievable by never having worked outside of the cloisters of Whitehall) to be the 'nice' facade of the brutalism of Bureaucratic Socialism.

What of the Conservatives and their erstwhile allies the Social Democrats ? Rather than fight on the grounds of individual Liberty, Cameronism has swung behind the 'Social Democratic Centre'. When Cameron was elected as Party Leader, the Conservatives were looking for somebody to ape Tony Blair, and they found him.

We now have a Prime Minister who would rather pander to a bloated State and Welfarism, than maintain our defence forces. Defence is the only valid reason for a State to exist. By Defence I mean the defence of our Home Islands not wars of aggression in Iraq and Afghanistan. These entanglements should be ended immediately. Bring the troops home, re-equip properly, pay the armed forces a living wage, and ensure that unlike the Wars of Wellington, The Crimea, First and Second World Wars the Servicemen whose lives have been wrecked and that of their dependants are paid a Military pension, that far outstrips that of a dole to sustain the dull, lager drinking fraternity.

The Acid Bath I refer to in the title is a political system that has very little legitimacy, it is a system of interlocking Whitehall elites. The Acid does not allow the Greens, UKIP, the far Right,the far left, Liberals, Libertarians, Nationalists a say in any National debate because we are denied a voice.

I am currently standing as Leader of the Libertarian Party. A party I hope to persuade to adopt a change to the Libertarian & Constitutional Party, to fight for not only Libertarian Policies but for Constitutional Reform and to introduce a Swiss Style Constitution where the State is subordinate to the Canton (County), the Canton subordinate to the Individual.

Only by draining the bath of the Acid that kills all political debate other than the elitism of State Milibandism will this country start to have some pride and direction. The only alternative is the continued growth of State Corporatism, with attendant repression and loss of freedom.

Somerset County Council Cannot Afford 'Tour Of Britain' Because Of Debts

2010-09-14T10:06:00.000-07:00

Britain's premier cycle race, the Tour of Britain, could bypass Somerset in future years as the county council has said it may not renew its sponsorship.

The county hosts two stages of the cycle race each year in a five-year contract worth £775,000.

With the council being £350m in debt, councillor Christine Lawrence said it would be difficult to find the money to support it.

Does that mean we got the money back from Iceland then, and the £25m is not longer 'bad and doubtful' in the County balance sheet ?

South West Councils

•Cheltenham Borough Council: £11m
•Gloucester City Council: £2m
•Tewkesbury Borough Council: £1m
•Stroud District Council: £3m
•Cotswold District Council: £2m
•Gloucestershire County Council: has investments in Iceland, sum not yet confirmed
•Bristol City Council: £8m in Landsbanki
•North Somerset Council: approx £3m with Landsbanki
•Cornwall County Council: £5m in Landsbanki (from total investments of £360m)
•Dorset County Council: £28.1m in form of temporary loans to Landsbanki and Heritable
•Wiltshire County Council: £8m with Heritable
•North Wiltshire District Council: £4m (£3m with Landsbanki and £1m with Heritable)
•Exeter City Council: £5m in two banks (£3m in Landsbanki and £2m in Glitnir)
•Plymouth City Council: £13m in three institutions
•Somerset County Council: £25m in Landsbanki, Glitnir and Kaupthing
•Purbeck District Council: £2m (£1m in Glitnir and £1m with Landsbanki)
•Restormel Borough Council, Cornwall: £4m with Landsbanki

Or are we just supposed to forget about the £1Bn reckless public authorities lost in Iceland, now that ' the cuts' are here ?

Wiltshire Police Sgt Andrews Released on Unconditional Bail

2010-09-13T10:47:00.000-07:00

What can you say ? It beggars belief. On what grounds ' she slipped over herself ' she deserved it 'cos she was giving me verbal' The camera always lies.

Wiltshire Police Sgt Andrews Gets Six Months

2010-09-07T08:49:00.001-07:00

Lets see whether the tough guy gets thrown around his cell.

Tomlinson's attacker ?

Tax Blunder Rebellion

2010-09-07T03:31:00.000-07:00

Never mind the politics of whether or not William Hague is gay (not in the slightest importance to me) this is serious stuff, and should make any sensible person question why they should not be a Libertarian. I reprint in full the following from the Anna Raccoon site in the hope people are going to start waking up.

Start

It’s been a while since there has been a story in the press that left me with my jaw so far down that it hurt. But today, I believe, we are firmly back in the deranged world of government gone completely insane:

HM Revenue and Customs could take direct control of every worker’s monthly pay cheque under plans to overhaul the error-prone income tax system.

Instead of employers deducting income tax then paying gross salaries to employees, the gross monthly payment would go to an HMRC-run tax “calculator”, which would then pass the net salary to the worker.

The reform would mean the end of traditional monthly payslips, because employers would no longer be able to tell workers how much tax they had paid each month.

The immediate thought that comes to mind is: what do we do when (and not if!) this all goes wrong? What happens when, as will inevitably happen, HMRC makes a balls up and takes your whole month’s salary? Who will you fight with? Without a payslip, how do you budget for the forthcoming month, especially if you are on highly variable wages? What about people with all sorts of different sources of income? How will this “help” them? What about people who have valid reasons for submitting an annual return to claw money back?

Inevitably, this kind of glorious “lateral thinking” is a result of the many failings of the people in HMRC. Why is the long-suffering taxpayer being exposed to this extraordinary risk? It’s not like the government exactly has a fantastic track record when it comes to grandiose computer systems.

I’m going to do something that I don’t generally do, because I’m not as erudite at campaigning as Anna: I’m going to ask you to spread the word about this as far as you can; I’m going to ask you to write to your useless MP and complain in the strongest possible terms about this insane idea; write to your local newspaper, tell all your friends and do everything you can think of to stop this insane idea from becoming reality.

Because although Anna is a wonderful campaigner, I don’t think there’s enough of her to go around to save each and every one of us!

UPDATE: I am generally loathe to update articles, especially if they have only just been published, but I feel that this information may be of great value to 1.4 million taxpayers:

The first batch of 45,000 letters demanding cash to be repaid will start to arrive on Tuesday – with the rest sent out over the next four months.

But accountants said recipients should act swiftly to use a little-known loophole which forces HM Revenue and Customs to abandon ‘out of the blue’ demands and effectively write off the money.

They also insisted many of those affected are entitled to argue that they or their employer have done nothing wrong and should not be penalised for someone else’s blunder.

Enough is enough. It is time to starve these incompetent thieves of our hard-earned money!

Not Dixon Of Dock Green In Wiltshire Then

2010-09-06T06:57:00.000-07:00

It just goes on and on and on.

This police constable being an ex soldier appears to have completed his Police training at Abu Ghraib.

She is lucky to be alive after being thrown against the concrete floor, much as Ian Tomlinson was. I am sure that the Home Office could have rustled up another medical incompetent like Patel to say she died of a heavy nose bleed and it was natural causes.

According to the IPCC

In 2008/09 there were 92 deaths during or
following police contact, of which:
• 40 were the result of road traffic fatalities
• 3 were the result of fatal police shootings
• 15 were deaths in or following police custody
• 34 were other deaths following police contact

Like the military casualities we only get to hear about the deaths not the 'wounded' or maimed.

So next time you see a Police Car with 'Serving the Community' or some such slogan remember the above statistics.

Apparently the going tarrif for a assault carried like above is six months.

Pamela Somerville, 57, was left with blood gushing from a head wound after Sergeant Mark Andrews pulled her by the wrist across the floor of Melksham police station in Wiltshire and threw her into the custody suite. A camera cell showed Somerville lying briefly unconscious after her head hit the floor and then staggering to her feet, dripping blood.

The officer, a former soldier, 37, was convicted of assault causing actual bodily harm at Oxford magistrates court in July, and is due to be sentenced on Tuesday. He faces a formal disciplinary hearing next month and is currently suspended on full pay.

Another officer at the police station reported the incident to a supervisor.

Somerville had been found asleep in her car in July 2008 and denies refusing a breath test. Charges were later dropped, and the police have apologised

The Grauniad

Salute or Preparing a Karate Chop ?

Bonfire of Quangos will not light.

2010-08-30T02:59:00.000-07:00

Vote for change said iDave.

Con-Dem are failing in the face of inertia from the resistance from the 'public sector'.

Most Quangos will not face dissolution for two years, which will be halfway through Con-Dem's term of office (if they do not fall apart)this is hardly radical shrinking of the State.

Large Corporations are now calling for their cosy relationship with the big banks to be maintained, wich the Banks not to be broken up.

Corporatism does not like competition and new entrants to the markets hence the resistance.

Over the next eighteen months we are going to see the steam run out any pretence of a radical agenda that either the Tories and Social Democrats had in shrinking the state.

Still Fighting 'them' on the beaches

2010-08-22T01:21:00.001-07:00

The War goes on ! The war against Fascism (The marriage of the big State with big Corporations) we were told ended in 1945. Another skirmish has broken out, that the Libertarian Party is pleased to be part of-

All the links in the following article reproduced in full are to be found here on the Anna Raccoon site

70 years ago this week, Winston Churchill made his famous speech immortalising the words ‘Never in the field of human conflict was so much owed by so many to so few.’ He did so to rally every man and woman in these Isles to support the war effort:

“because we have been nurtured in freedom and individual responsibility and are the products, not of totalitarian uniformity, but of tolerance and variety.”

Sheila Martin was a fragile babe in arms when her Mother heard those words. Too young to understand the menace behind the Messerschmitts and Heinkels screaming overhead and disturbing her slumber. She was the intended beneficiary of Churchill’s words, one of the generation of children that depended on the bravery of British men such as her Father, away in France fighting for the freedom, tolerance and variety that was Britain’s hallmark.

Today, Sheila is once more fragile; she is 70 years old and was widowed 30 years ago. She tells me she has survived five heart attacks; she suffers from asthma, angina and high blood pressure. She only smokes the occasional cigarette these days, partly for health reasons, partly because her minimal state pension doesn’t stretch to any more.

70 years after Churchill’s speech was made, she has retired from a lifetime of hard work.

She was part of that unsung army of hard working, clean living, decent individuals, who cheerfully got up every morning and trudged off to put in a decent days work for a paltry wage as a ‘Mrs Mop’, raised her family, nurtured her marriage, made ends meet, saved little, but asked little in return, save the freedom, and tolerance that her older relatives had fought to provide. She is not a politically aware lady, nor insolent, nor ambitious for financial rewards.

In common with other ‘Smokers’ who may not like the new laws prohibiting them from smoking where others may be offended by the practice, she respected the law of the land, and complied. She is no campaigner against such laws.

Thus it was that she found herself standing at a bus stop, waiting for the bus which would take her home, and taking the opportunity to smoke a cigarette in the open air – there was no bus shelter. She could no longer smoke a cigarette on the top deck of the bus. She had not been able to smoke a cigarette with the cup of tea she shared with her daughter in town. Now she must stand in the road to enjoy the ‘freedom, tolerance and variety’ of the British Isles.

She only smoked half the cigarette; as the time drew close for the bus to arrive, she ‘nibbed’ the cigarette, letting the lit end fall to the ground, and thriftily stowing the other half of the cigarette in her handbag for a later occasion. It was her last cigarette until pension day.

Two of Sandwell’s famed ‘enforcement wardens’ approached her – a man and a woman. They told her that they were issuing a ‘Fixed Penalty Fine’ of £75 under Section 87 (1) of the Environmental Protection Act 1990 as amended by Section 18 of the Clean Neighbourhoods and Environment Act 2005. This mouthful of gobblygook was lost on Sheila; she had no idea what she had done wrong and put the piece of paper in her pocket.

Once home, friends and neighbours clustered round to read this piece of officialdom. Sheila still had the ‘end’ of the cigarette, with its precious inch or so of un-smoked tobacco in her handbag, so how could she be accused of littering the street – it had to be the cigarette ash they were talking about?

I have spoken to Sandwell Council, they tell me that they do not issue fixed penalty notices for cigarette ‘ash’ – I am sure they don’t. I am equally sure that Mrs Martin is telling the truth when she tells me that the half cigarette with its ‘butt’ was still safely in her handbag when she returned home. So we are left with the quandary of whether the ‘lit’ end of a cigarette, which will become cigarette ‘ash’ within seconds, constitutes parliament’s intention when they defined litter as including:

In section 98 of the Environmental Protection Act 1990 (definitions), after subsection (5) insert—

“(5A)“Litter” includes—

(a) the discarded ends of cigarettes, cigars and like products, and

(b) discarded chewing-gum and the discarded remains of other products designed for chewing.”

If a court holds that it does, then every smoker is liable for a £75 fine every time they smoke a cigarette in the street. I do not believe that to be parliament’s intention.

On Friday, the threatening ‘Final Demand’ from Sandwell Council, warning her that she now faces a £2,500 fine plus costs (and possible imprisonment if she does not pay that) expired. The next opportunity for Mrs Martin to contest this matter will come in ‘some months time’ – the council cannot tell me when her case will arrive at the top of their back log of cases to appear in the Magistrates court.

Sheila Martin is frightened, intimidated, and feels helpless in the face of this prosecution. She is in delicate health, aggravated by stress, and I have asked the council to reconsider their decision to press ahead with what may well be an interesting test case defining a cigarette end, but which will be at the expense of a frail and elderly person. They have referred me to their ‘revised Enforcement Policy’ – which makes for terrifying reading, a fine example of the totalitarian government Sheila’s Father fought so bravely to prevent. (available HERE)

Nick Hogan, who I was instrumental in rescuing from prison after similar council action, has joined with me, the Libertarian Party and the Sunday Mercury, to ensure that Sheila suffers as little as possible from the council’s intransience.

We have already arranged for some very high powered legal representation for her, to put her mind at rest, and I have promised her that she will go to prison ‘over my dead body’ – she is obviously unable to pay this fine, or incremental increases of it, and I have personally guaranteed her that somehow I will make sure that she doesn’t have to pay it herself, nor go to prison.

There is no need for money at present, all the legal beagles so far involved are kindly donating their time and expertise free of charge – although if there are any other lawyers out there who would like to join the team, this is one broth that will not be spoiled by too many cooks. My e-mail address is on the contact section of this blog.

70 years ago we were prepared to ‘fight them on the beaches’ – how appropriate that today we prepare to f’ight them on the Sandwell……’

CCTV- Just Turn It Off If You Cannot Afford To Run It

2010-08-13T03:19:00.000-07:00

Malmesbury in Wiltshire wants 'volunteers' to man their CCTV cameras at the local prison.

Anybody who 'volunteers' for this sort of activity should be immediately banned from going anywhere near CCTV.

Just turn it off.

The Non Aggression Axiom

2010-08-12T23:41:00.001-07:00

H/T The UK Libertarian

Not A Good Weekend For Confidence In The Police

2010-08-09T00:50:00.000-07:00

A retired Policeman who stood guard over the body of Dr David Kelly has now admitted that there was very little blood that would justify Kelly dying in this manner thus confirming the statements of the two paramedics who attended on scene, and fuelling further controversy and confirming the view of a group of Doctors that he could not have possibly died in this manner.

Coe also now admits that there was a 'third man' on scene in contravention of his earlier evidence to the largely discredited Hutton enquiry, and he is still refusing to name this man.

Lastly that he was instructed to search Kelly's house for sensitive documents relating to Iraq.

Whatever you weigh this up, and don't forget that Hutton delivered the BBC up to the Blair Government, there is an almighty stench still hanging over this whole affair.

It appears that obsfucation and not telling the truth and the whole truth is now endemic within the Police and security services.

Two policemen have been suspended following this attack on a retired businessman who they accused of fleeing from the scene of a 'stop' ( Note the speedo bottom right, he stays within the speed limit at all times, until he stops voluntarily , but this does not stop the 'road rage' incident and criminal damage that ensued.

Was there a reason for this TV cop response, possibly this episode concerning Mr Whatley a few years earlier may provide a salient clue.

On current form as with Jean Charles De Menezes, Balir Peach and Ian Tomlinson it will be the fault of the victim, rather than the assailants dressed up as law officers.

ACPO the private limited company that runs the Police in this country as so to avoid the intrusions of the Freedom Of Information Act have threatened to resign if elected Police Commissioners are brought in. The Libertarian Party has long had this as policy, and ACPO should be closed down in the public interest as a private limited company.

The Police have been itching to crack heads eversince February 2009 with the outrageous statement referring to a 'summer of rage' by Super Hartshorn.

This is not policing by consent under the Peelian Principles. The Police are in serious danger of turning themselves into a paramilitary force at the hands of repressive government. In the case of Kelly searching for sensitive 'Iraq' documents is the job of SIS not the civilian police.

Some 'hard cases' in the force seem to take some pleasure in assaulting members of the forces who have been involved in action in Afghanistan in an almost tribal proving manhood test.

A relative of mine who served in the Highland Light Infantry in World War Two said that when the Police assaulted one of their number prior to D Day, they took a covered truck and two bren guns, and shot up shop windows in the high street of a south coast town scattering the police on duty. What did they care, as far as they were concerned ninety per cent of them were going to killed in the next month when the invasion started. Lets hope that we don't get to that level of retaliation, fortunately the Army has a bit more control over its members than do some Police Forces.

The fact that Mr Whatley's solicitor has released the sickening assault to the media, shows the level of confidence that he has in getting the two policemen concerned sacked and convicted, that he feels in neccessary to appeal to the public.

The Police should remember the 4th Peelian Principle

The degree of co-operation of the public that can be secured diminishes proportionately to the necessity of the use of physical force.

The last Labour Government tore up the rule book, the Libertarian Party wants Peel back.

Note From The Treasurer

2010-08-04T00:20:00.001-07:00

I would like to thank everybody, Member and supporters who so generously made a donation to the Party in July, however made. We do not get the support of major companies or unions and are totally reliant on your generosity.

There is so much more that the Libertarian Party can and must do. Tim Carpenter and Andrew Withers have been on mainstream TV and Radio in the last few weeks, so we are slowly prizing the door open.

We are painfully aware that we are in a difficult economic period, which is why I am trying to build a war chest for next May slowly and surely. Therefore every pound we collect in is so valuable.

Please keep the donations coming in of whatever size. Whilst I am speaking to some serious donors it is your £5, £10 , £20 plus that keeps us going.

Direct bank transfer to:

sort code 40-28-20

account 92635313

Please put your surname and if you have one a membership number as a reference.

2010-07-22T08:04:00.001-07:00

Food For Thought

2010-07-15T07:29:00.001-07:00

Fund Raising

2010-07-09T00:51:00.001-07:00

Thanks to all of you who responded for the recent call for funds Members and supporters alike. Please keep it coming in.

Our account number is 92635313 Sort Code 40-28-20

Our immediate target is £2000. We are looking to open a permanent office to handle donations and all the other administration and membership applications.

Times are hard but every £5 , £10 and £20 is income in the right direction.

Proposal To Neuter Mebyon Kernow

2010-07-08T07:44:00.000-07:00

Con Dem have decided that the the one area of these Isles that could legitimately secede from these Isles as a Libertarian, Low Tax self governing Duchy along the lines of the States of Jersey and Guernsey, and the Isle of Man should be further merged into Devwall by having cross border constituencies.

The South West and Kernow Libertarian Party has always advocated that Kernow should regain its independent Duchy Status are start fixing its own tax rates rather than be part of system that reduces it to beggary and continually lobbying for subsidies.

Labour, Con-Dem its all the same, its about the power of the State not the people it reckons to represent.

The Target For This Month

2010-06-29T14:17:00.000-07:00

We need to start raising funds for the local Elections in 2011, I would like to appeal to all members and supporters to donate what you can this month.

Our account number is 92635313 Sort Code 40-28-20

Our immediate target is £2000. We are looking to open a permanent office to handle donations and all the other administration and membership applications.

Times are hard but every £5 and £10 is income in the right direction.

Happy Tax Freedom Day- Sunday May 30th

2010-05-29T00:22:00.001-07:00

TDF-2010great free widgetsWidgetboxMore info

H/T Adam Smith Institute

Working For The Man

2010-05-28T07:53:00.000-07:00

George Kubiak- Honorary Consul

2010-05-24T23:55:00.000-07:00

South-West Libertarian Party Member George Kubiak was installed yesterday evening as Honorary Consul of the Polish Republic for Bristol by the Polish Ambassador Barbara Tuge-Erecinska

The event was also attended by the Lord and Lady Mayoress of Bristol.

This Is Libertarianism- Peter Tatchell

2010-05-17T11:19:00.000-07:00

An interesting case regarding a Christian whose homophobia led to criminal charges: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article ... y-sin.html

The case was dropped today after gay rights activist Peter Tatchell, a friend of mine and a left-wing libertarian I respect, offered to testify for the defence. Here is his press release ...

CPS drop case against street preacher

Charges withdrawn after Tatchell offers to testify for defence

Home Secretary urged to issue new guidelines to police and CPS

Arrest for anti-gay views is unjustified and heavy-handed

Freedom of speech must be defended, even for homophobes

The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) has dropped all charges against homophobic Christian street preacher, Dale McAlpine, shortly after gay rights campaigner Peter Tatchell offered to testify in defence of his right to free speech.

Mr McAlpine, 42, was arrested in a street in Workington on 20 April, after condemning homosexuality as a sin. He was charged with using threatening, abusive or insulting words or behaviour likely to cause harassment, alarm or distress, contrary to the Public Order Act 1986.

"Although I disagree with Dale McAlpine and support protests against his homophobic views, he should not have been arrested and charged. Criminalisation is a step too far.

"Despite my opposition to his opinions, I defend his right to freedom of expression.

"Soon after I offered to appear as a defence witness and to argue in court for Mr McAlpine's acquittal, the Crown Prosecution Service dropped the case. The sudden withdrawal of charges may have been mere coincidence but perhaps not.

"Mr McAlpine should have never been prosecuted in the first place. While the arresting officer may have acted with well-meaning intentions, he was over-zealous and interpreted the law in a harsh, authoritarian manner.

"Although clearly homophobic, Mr McAlpine did not express his opinion in a way that was aggressive, threatening or intimidating.

"I am surprised and shocked that the CPS allowed the case to proceed at all. The Public Order Act is meant to protect people from harm. Dale McAlpine's views are misguided and offensive but I see no evidence that they caused harm to anyone.

"I urge the Home Secretary, Theresa May, to issue new guidelines, making it clear that the police should not arrest people for expressing prejudiced views in a non-threatening and non-aggressive manner. Prosecutions should only proceed in extreme circumstances. The police should concentrate on tackling serious, harmful crimes, such as racist, homophobic and sexist violence.

"Causing offence to others is not a legitimate basis for putting a person on trial.

"Nearly everyone holds opinions that someone else might find offensive. If offending others is accepted as a basis for prosecution, most of the population of the UK would end up in court.

"Freedom of speech means accepting the right of other people to say things that we may find disagreeable and even offensive. Unless people make untrue libellous comments or incite violence, they should not be criminalised for expressing their opinions," said Mr Tatchell.

From The Libertarian Party Forum

Day Of Days !

2010-05-11T08:41:00.001-07:00

Guido has unconfirmed Reports he has gone.

Quick Get a stake to drive through Mandelson's 'heart' to make sure

Knives Out For Cameron

2010-05-11T03:12:00.001-07:00

Brown is to slope off in four months, the Tories are a little more humane with a swift dispatch at the price of failure to deliver total victory.

Cameron with his policy free vacuous big Society, Green/Blue BS and I will match Labour spending pound for pound, has proved that the Tory Tony Blair has only got days in which to survive if the Rainbow Alliance of Failure and the Big State tries to form a Government.

Who is next for the Tory Tumbrill of Leadership, Davis or Boris ?

The Botched Federal Kingdom Of Britain

2010-05-11T01:22:00.001-07:00

The Constitutional crisis that we are currently enjoying can be laid firmly at the feet of the New Labour administration.

So keen were they to placate the Welsh and Scottish Labour Parties to maintain their dominant role against the rising Nationalist tide, that they botched devolution by not giving it to England. Even Northern Ireland got in on the act.

They should not have worried, because these ‘sham’ Nationalists, do not actually believe in economic Nationalism, just saying what they want to do with other people’s money be it English Gold or EU Gold, and wanting a ‘fairer’ redistribution of National wealth (subsidies) from Whitehall.

Lets be clear about this for the last thirteen years the Labour Party has been kept in power by a gaggle of Welsh and Scottish MP’s and Ministers. The Darien Government. They brought with them the twisted politics of patronage and corruption now seen in Glasgow

Last Thursday’s election clearly showed that England under first past the post went Tory and that the Tories barely had a showing in Scotland, and only a glimmer in Wales.

Cameron set his face against the political reality of the United Kingdom in post devolution Britain. The reality was that we had a Federal Kingdom already, but HE wanted to be the Prime Minister of Great Britain, something akin to wanting the role of viceroy of India in 1950.

The issue of proportional representation is only part of the argument; the only place that we have FPTP is in the Whitehall elections, because it structurally favoured Labour. Northern Ireland, Wales and Scotland have PR, only England is hamstrung by FPTP, to allow Scottish and Welsh MP’s to have a greater say in the running of the country.

My position is quite simple, I am a passionate believer in PR, and there is no moral case against. For too long we have had a rigged system that disenfranchises seventy percent of the electorate and ossifies political debate.

I am also a passionate believer in structures that work. The 1688 structure as amended by the Act of Union has broken down.

Clegg, Mandelson and Cameron are trying to put together a botched repair to a discredited system.

We have a Federal system – fact. Acknowledge the political reality.

We need a new political settlement, with an English Parliament based on PR, with an elected 100 man Senate to run Defence and Foreign affairs as a ‘Council of the Isles’ Everything else can be devolved to the ‘National Parliaments’ and assemblies.

The Tories, Labour and the Social Democrats whoring themselves around are not acting in the ‘National Interest’ they are jockeying for party advantage, and in whose Nation are they acting for.

The Tories have very little interest in letting power slip through their fingers by endorsing PR on Principle and the Rainbow Alliance of losers would be abhorrent to the Electorate.

Yet again the politicians do not get it attempting a stitch up and ignoring the people of this country who hold the Sovereignty in their hands.

I say to Cameron, endorse PR coupled to an English Parliament for the next Election, and campaign for a New Settlement of the Country, that ensures the
Liberty of the Individual in a written Constitution- If you don’t the Tories will get rid of you in a trice for failing to deliver total victory.

The Celtic Alliance Begging Bowl

2010-05-09T14:57:00.000-07:00

“Cornwall has been under-funded for many, many years. We receive less money for our schools, hospitals and public services than elsewhere in the UK.

“A key part of our campaign will be for a Commission to investigate the full extent of this Government under-funding of Cornwall, just as the recent Holtham Commission (organised by the Welsh Assembly) found that Wales is under-funded by £300 million a year.

“Now must be the time to demand that Cornwall receives its fair share of expenditure, which will help us cope with the difficult economic times that lie ahead.

“We will be pressing all political parties to support this call for a Commission. It is also our hope that the main London parties will agree to abide by the findings of such a review and guarantee Cornish communities their fair share of future spending.”

Mebyon Kernow

Last week saw the unedifying sight of the Celtic 'Nationalists' basically campaigning for protection from the inevitable cuts, and seeking guarantees of further subsidies from Westminster.

Please explain to me how this is economic nationalism.

Wales and Scotland are hopelessly wedded to socialism despite having its own Parliaments and assemblies, but Kernow has no excuse for emulating this line.

Why is the independent Duchy of Kernow, not seeking to emulate the Isle of Man, and the States of Jersey and Guernsey. Constitutionally Cornwall has only been part of England since the 1880's. There is nothing to stop Kernow deciding its own affairs, setting its own tax rates personal and coporate to encourage money, jobs and business to invest there.

Is it not a degrading spectacle to prefer to campaign on getting handouts from the EU and Whitehall

The Imperceptible Squeak From Beneath The Floor Boards

2010-05-07T02:34:00.001-07:00

This picture sums up why the Libertarian Party stood in Devizes yesterday. A BBC interviewer asking sensible questions about what is Libertarianism, and a Libertarian answering.

The imperceptible squeak in a seat where noblesse oblige rules the local Tory Party (I have not seen characters like this since watching the last ever episode of ‘To The Manor Born’) allowed 141 voters to vote for something that they have never heard of before Nic Coome stood, let alone had the opportunity to vote for.

All of the candidates bar one made the time to come over and chat. Why is it that the Labour Party has decided that it has to act with such aloof self righteous anger in a rural seat that they had no more chance of winning than the Libertarian Party had. Their Agent at one point was getting quite abusive and redfaced to the tellers , because they were not collating the voting papers ‘properly’

Why UKIP has gained the reputation of being the only Libertarian Party I have no idea, they too were ‘angry’ very angry about Europe, yes there were very angry about that, but frankly that is as far as they had any policies or opinions on anything else.

The Green Candidate was a card, and failed to make the final line up, as somebody said to me, I think he has a glass of dandelion & burdock on the go, I could not help but laugh out loud.

Claire Perry is a ‘nice’ enough career politician, but sadly her acceptance speech was very very very thin. She thanked the Police, her party, her husband, her children and then promised to spend the taxpayers wisely !

Claire came across as a Cameroon member of the Hockey upper sixth team.

Has politics advanced in Wiltshire since the 1930’s ? yes slightly by 141 votes.

Junab Ali (Labour) - 4,711

Pat Bryant (UKIP) - 2,076

Nic Coome (Libertarian) - 141

Mark Fletcher (Green Party) - 813

Fiona Hornby (Liberal Democrat) - 12,514

Martin Houlden (Independent) - 566

Claire Perry (Conservative) - 25,519

I Have Not Voted Twice Today

2010-05-06T03:47:00.001-07:00

This is the most depressing election that I have been involved in thirty five years of 'voting'. I flew back from a businesss meeting in Lisbon yesterday pondering for two hours what I should do with my valuable cross. Not voting is an anathema, as I have too much respect for those who have fought and died for this right in centuries past.

But the the choices on offer to me are simply not choices, nor am I lucky enough to vote in Devizes or Sutton & Cheam for a real Libertarian candidate.

Brown and Labour have brought the country to its knees with the spectacular spend and waste binge of the last thirteen years, introduced aStasi State with a million more public servants watching us, fining us and taking away our Liberties, whilst proclaiming they were protecting us.
The fact thatMandelson is still at the centre of Government just sickens me. What else does he need to do to prove he is morally and financially unfit to run his almost global super ministry.

Cameron and Osborne are flim flam men of the very worst kind. He is seriously proposing to seek the premiership with 35% of the popular vote, and if necessary pay the Ulster Unionists £200m to get him anointed. That is not change, that is the same old corrupt way of doing things. Cameron's personal antipathy to proportional representation shows that he cares not a jot
about having a Mandate or the figleaf of legitimacy.

In 1951 3.2% of the population voted for a non Conservative/Labour Candidate, in 2005 the figure was 32.7%. What does that tell us about how out of sync FTP is with the voting intentions.

Clegg and the Lib Dems, have a laudable commitment to PR, but a despicable commitment to being run by Brussels, which is the very opposite of what a Libertarian wants, a small local accountable Government.

The also rans have all paid their £500 deposit, yet do not enjoy equal access to State subsidies and State Broadcasters, because politics is no longer a battle of ideas, it is a Presidential beauty contest.

Tom Paine has best summed it up for me today.

...even those on the (Labour) client payroll must know in their hearts that this can’t
go on. I feel sorry for some who will vote Labour today out of fear for
their non-jobs or the future of the lame “services” on which they
depend. Apart from the underclass (probably less than a million
individuals) they are not willing parasites. They simply have no
experience of providing for themselves. More to the point, given the
economic destruction wrought by Labour and the lack of any clear,
honest solution from the Tories, they understandably have no confidence
that any likely government will ever leave them enough of their own
earnings to do so.

Of course I am disappointed in anyone who
votes for fairyland politics today, but I accept they are not
deliberately destroying our country. They are clinging to its wreckage,
with no idea what else to do. Most (if they are honest) know in their
hearts that they are stealing from their children and grandchildren.
They are familiar with the concept because it’s just what their parents
and their grandparents did to them with their unfunded Welfare State.
It was only during Blair’s time in number 10, after all, that we
finished paying America back the money our grandparents borrowed to
fund their great “vision” in 1946. Their “stamps”didn’t pay it all. We did.

None of this is Gordon Brown’s fault. Blair concealed his motives well, but
Brown has been openly, honestly intent on reducing us to the living
standards and civic culture of the former East Germany. He sincerely
believes in “equality” and seriously thinks that we will be poorer but
happier in social solidarity under firm government. Under his
leadership, Labour has once again been an honest party of losers, for
losers. It has openly promoted loserdom as a lifestyle. No, the fault
for today’s impending fiasco lies entirely with HM Opposition for
failing to sell reality to the deluded and/or terrified voters.

My wife says Cameron had no choice. The voters are hypocrites; complaining
that no-one tells them the truth, but punishing anyone who tries to do
so. She thinks Cameron will imitate Blair in substance as well as
style; pretending to be ideologically close to the outgoing government
but then introducing by stealth every aspect of his true agenda. I am
not convinced, which in a way is a compliment to Cameron. I don’t think
he is that warped.

It has come to something, has it not, when our only hope is that David Cameron is despicable liar? Just like Blair.

I have two votes in this election, one a postal vote entrusted to me by a Libertarian Party member currently living in Hong Kong- having discussed the candidates, she came to the conclusion that only writing 'None of the above' would do.

I have voted this morning, using the simple expedient of attaching a sticker that says the following.

THIS HARD FOUGHT FOR VOTE IS MEANINGLESS IN A CORRUPT
FIRST PAST THE POST SYSTEM.

THIS ELECTION IS A THEREFORE A SHAM AND HAS NO LEGITIMACY TO
APPOINT THE NEXT GOVERNMENT

I do this with a heavy heart.

My eldest son who at twenty four has never voted before because he feels alienated from the political system, actually set off to vote Conservative. At the door to Church Hall was a Conservative canvasser who quite aggressively demanded his roll number, which he quite rightly refused to give. An argument ensued, at which point Cameron lost another vote to the 'None of the Aboves'. The Tories have not changed, they are just as small town authoritarian as they have ever been.

There should never be another election run under the First Past The Post System, any goverment that says it has a popular mandate, is flying in the face of the facts and starts from day one lying. The Monarchy is equally in jeopardy constitutionally if this is forced upon us.

Who cares who wins?

2010-05-05T17:31:00.000-07:00

I suppose I've left it a little late to comment on the general election. Wading through the sea of garbage spouted by the main three contenders would be a full time job and I already have one that pays, which I happen to rather like. I do, for once, have better things to do.

First off, I apologise for the lack of vigor and care you might have expected. The fact is I am so bored of repeating the same observations I can barely bring myself to write this. I have given up any hope of salvation.

That being said, I have a point to make. Most of you will be well aware you are being spoon fed utter shit. That kinda goes without saying. But one thing that screams at me is that not one of the leaders has the guts to tell you the truth about the economy.

We have debts spanning into hundreds of billions and the best David Cameron can muster is £6bn worth of cuts. Meanwhile we have Gordon Brown who thinks the government IS the economy and Nick Clegg who uses the spectre of the feeble Tory cuts as a reason to vote for him. £6bn? Try £60bn. For starters. It IS that bad.

Anyone would think we were not on the brink of fiscal Armageddon. The Euro is yet again on the brink of collapse, there is a real danger of a double dip recession and we have not even begun to feel the effects of the recession we're in.

I am reminded of the Arnhem "paper bag" strategy where the dead and wounded were propped up at machine gun posts to give the impression the British were still in situ as they stealthily evacuated in the night. This perfectly encapsulates what is happening with British politics. We have the appearance of they are still engaged in politics but behind the decoy, there is simply nothing of substance.

We have one party who would keep VAT as it is, one who might budge it up a percentage point and one who might budge it down one. Where is the party saying scrap it altogether? But that would mean admitting that they are legally bound by the EU to keep it at a 15% minimum. As ever we are being expected to swallow minor policy adjustments as choice at the ballot box and nobody will tell you that Brussels is now the government.

Of the few powers that remain with Westminster, will any of them sweep away the taxes that are crippling the economy? Will any of them really reform the public sector? Will any of them really reduce the payroll vote and welfare? Will anyone scrap the tax hikes on beer? Will anyone drop the taxes on petrol? Will any of them finally admit they were wrong on climate change? Take a guess.

I was bored enough to watch the final debate on the economy. The EU barely factored into it. The biggest drag on our economy is cost of hiring. It is why jobs are leaving our shores. And that is down to EU regulation. Will any of them address this or even admit it's a problem? Nope. That's too much like real politics.

Agriculture, fishing, trade, employment, VAT, air traffic control, radio frequencies, weights and measures, employment, energy, environment, airline safety, electronics, waste disposal, swimming pool gradients, immigration, human rights, some aspects of monetary policy, banking regulation, food labelling, exports, health and safety, vehicle production, emissions trading etc etc etc is for the most part regulated by the EU. Westminster no longer has a say. So what does it matter which stuffed shirt lives in Downing Street?

The only things left are the NHS, education and welfare to give the illusion that we are still in control. None of which is presently sustainable with declining government revenues. Our economic fate cannot be turned around without radical changes in policy, but in areas which are no longer under Westminster influence.

Unless a party categorically says they will take us out of the EU, there is no reason to believe they understand the problems (or economics for that matter) and thus have even less of a chance of fixing them.

They say they are going to do things they are not allowed to do by the EU. That leaves one of two possibilities. Either they are lying or they simply do not know what they are talking about. Neither is particularly reassuring.

In conclusion, all I will say is that unless your candidate is unambiguous in their commitment to taking Britain out of the EU, yours is a wasted vote and a wasted opportunity. If you vote for the big three you deserve what you get, you are part of the problem and I really have to ask... How gullible are you?

Don't Forget Why We Have To Vote

2010-05-03T11:42:00.000-07:00

Its Tough Out There On The Stump In Pewsey

2010-05-01T10:57:00.000-07:00

I have been out delivering leaflets in Pewsey today in support of Libertarian candidate Nic Coome standing in Devizes, with other members of the SW Libertarians.

Some of the locals are quite belligerent in their political views as seen above, not for them a little leaflet in the downstairs window !

There was a logical explanation of course, I just could not image this 'being allowed' in metropolitan areas, the 'righteous' would be fainting in the streets and wanting prosecutions.

According to a few locals we spoke to the productions are always worth a visit.

But I'M The Labour Candidate The Law Does Not Apply To Me

2010-04-30T09:44:00.001-07:00

I had a run in with Kerry McCarthy when she was advocating giving Somali asylum seekers the vote in her constituency 'just like Obama did'. A quick check with the Electoral Commission confirmed that she was getting pretty close to electoral fraud last year.

So this year the former solicitor decided to cross the Legal line altogether

She is either-

A) Very Stupid

B) Deliberately breaking the Criminal Law to protect 'her job'

C) Does not believe that the Law applies to her, just the little people

Whether you pick A,B or C or all three, she is not fit to represent Bristol in Parliament.

Will she be prosecuted to the full extent of the Law- on past form under our Stasi State very unlikely, after May 7th lets see how much 'change' we get, or will it be business as usual for the political elite.

According to section 66A of the Representation of the People Act, publishing the details of a count can lead to a fine or a prison sentence of up to six months.

ELECTORAL REFORM NOW !

2010-04-30T01:18:00.001-07:00

Libertarian Party Manifesto 2010

2010-04-28T06:23:00.001-07:00

We have seen much of the big three party's manifesto pledges. To this end I submit for review the Libertarian Party manifesto. Please note that you can compare this manifesto by carrying out a search for your party's name along with the terms manifesto and the year.

If the views presented are more to your liking perhaps you should contact the party, donate, become involved or a combination of all of the three!

In a country where we are individuals having choice is important. We should be aware of the decisions our representatives are making, the impact they have not just on our lives but that of all people and ensure our voices are being heard.

Libertarian+Manifesto

EDIT: For those of you that require this document in another format please email
sutton @lpuk.org

When Dinosaurs Ruled The Earth

2010-04-15T05:11:00.001-07:00

Apologies for the late comment on yesterday's Daily Politics show with this delectable washed up hack Mr Andrew Neil (61). Pictured here with yet another young lovely not the one that had previously been photographed with wearing a baseball hat that Private Eye repeatedly reprinted.

Anyway, the disgust that this hack produced yesterday has led to a glut of membership applications and donations to our tiny and irrelevant party in the last twenty four hours.

Neill and the BBC do not understand the meaning of 'Public Service Broadcasting' for which the BBC has a charter and the ability to enforce a TV tax to pay for itself. Neill felt that it was not his task to question Mounsey on his party's policies, but to play the man himself, attacking his blog. The wee balding scotsman is not fond of anybody who has any association with public schools, so Mounsey was never going to be off to a good start.

This morning Chris has deleted his blog, and has made a personal decision to tone down the visceral anger that has been his trademark.

Unlike the rest of the BBC, professional politicians and Neil himself sucking off the teat of the public purse, the members of the Libertarian Party are committed amateurs. We cannot afford to have our real jobs and lives threatened by those who feel threatened by having been caught fleecing the public purse in 'Rotten Parliament' and in the BBC.

Neill appears in another show were he sits around chuckling with the hypocrite Diane Abbott and the ever bizarre Portillo. If these three are what the BBC thinks represents politics no wonder forty per cent of the population don't vote, and the rest are utterly disillusioned with what is on offer, including the sterile 'Leaders' debate tonight.

Dinosaurs ruled the earth once, they do not do so now as they were unable to adapt to a new reality.

Cameron A Halfway House Libertarian?

2010-04-13T23:51:00.000-07:00

Where a libertarian party would simply decree that it is for the individual to build a strong family, get their children into a good school and find work, Cameron's conservatism wants to actively help people secure those three fundamental building blocks of the good life.

Tim Montgomerie

Yes, it is the Libertarian Party's belief that it is upto you to build your family, get the best education and get work. It is nothing to do with a raft of Quangocrats,Social Workers and politicians setting targets. All of these have removed tesponsibility from the family, along with crushing taxes that would make it financially easier.

Cameron has already stated infront of his party conference, that he does not lead a Libertarian Party. I don't want to be a partner in Government, I do not want to govern anybody else.

I do want Government off my back

Libertarian Party Leader On 'BBC DAILY POLITICS' Wednesday 14th April

2010-04-13T01:07:00.001-07:00

Fresh from the bearpit that was 'The Big Question' on BBC last Sunday (available on BBC iPlayer) Chris Mounsey is on the Daily Politics Show tomorrow Wednesday 14th.

Hopefully there will not be a member of the medical profession on the programme as per last Sunday who said 'I'm a Libertarian too, but I want everything banned' (paraphrasing a bit there I know)

Chris will be putting forward the proposition that the State should get out of our lives.

Appeal For Funds

2010-04-13T00:27:00.001-07:00

I would like to thank everybody members,supporters and non members for their financial support over the last week, however we have to up our income significantly over the next few weeks to support our candidates.

PLEASE DONATE WHAT YOU CAN

Martin Cullip to stand in Sutton & Cheam

2010-04-12T02:34:00.000-07:00

Martin's website will be going live shortly.

Death Of A Democratic Liberal Nation

2010-04-09T01:07:00.001-07:00

General Election Turnout

1992 77.7%
1997 71.4%
2001 59.4%
2005 61.4%

Source UKPolitical Info

Percentage share of the Total Electorate that voted Labour in 2005 21%

Source Railings & Thrasher

Labour Party 35.3% of the Vote 356 seats 55% of total seats
Conservative 32.3% of the Vote 198 seats 31% of total seats
Lib Dems 22.0% of the Vote 62 seats 9% of total seats
Other 8.0% of the Vote 30seats 5% of total seats

Nearly 40% of our fellow citizens are not likely to vote in 2010 because of apathy,ignorance or they are disenfranchised.

If you live in a 'safe' seat and your vote is largely an irrelevance.

These depressing statistics show that we cannot pretend to be a democratic nation, we are an oligarchy. Yesterday Clegg came to Bristol. Big Poster on a truck, swarm of journalists, not one voter! He said with a straight face that he expected to be in No 10 to an open mouthed BBC reporter.

He is lying to himself, to the camera and to the voters and he should hang his head in shame. He knows he will never march into Whitehall under FTP because it is rigged in favour of the big two.
Clegg does not understand the zeitgeist and is weaker for it. He has already flunked his historic destiny for himself and his party.

Stop pretending that the Lib Dems are anything other than 'kingmakers' and set out your stall for proportional representation and an end to this squalid excuse of a gerrymandered 'Representative Democracy', these opportunities only come along once every forty years. Ashdown was conned by Blair, and Clegg has clearly learned nothing from the experience.

All three parties are quibbling over Tax, the real issue is Constitutional Reform, I have never seen such depression in the public and the minor parties, knowing that no matter how hard they try and how much money is spent it will make very little difference to the Political Elite. The Rotten Parliament is about to be replaced by the squalid Parliament, full of party placemen, and with precious little mandate and legitimacy from the Electorate.

Libertarian Party Endorsed Candidate Surges To Third Place In The Betting Stakes

2010-04-08T02:44:00.000-07:00

Ladbrokes comprehensive betting on the General Election website for many constituencies and they appear to be giving David Kirwan the best odds for any Independent or fringe Party. They are consistently giving UKIP, Greens & BNP throughout the 649 constituencies 100/1. In both Wirral South & Wallasey UKIP is on 100/1.

David Kirwan is an independent endorsed by the Libertarian Party

In Wirral West the betting is….

Conservatives 1/10

Labour 5/1

DSK 50/1

Liberal Democrats 100/1

UKIP 100/1

Jury Team 100/1

David appears to be the only Independent or fringe Party etc ahead of the Liberal Democrats anywhere? This is a great opportunity to break the political mould and elect an Independent.

David Kirwan's website is www.davidkirwan.co.uk

2010-04-07T15:02:00.001-07:00

Labour Advert Banned By The ASA As Misleading

2010-03-27T04:33:00.000-07:00

No Votes for Labour In The South West- Wurzel Tax

2010-03-26T01:23:00.000-07:00

I moved to these here parts in Somerset a good few years ago, and I can confirm that cider is part of the 'national' identity and the Wurzel Tax is not going down well here.

This is what we have come to expect from the urban Labour Party partisan,petty, small minded assaults on those that they know will never support them. Coupled with 'Health' campaigners largely funded by this Government they seem set to destroy anything that they do not approve of.

The South West is mobilising the ultimate deterrent The Wurzels, laugh ye not, if you have ever been to one of their outdoor concerts, Alistair Darling is in deep trouble.

In the 1760's they were hanging effigies of Scotsman Lord Bute in Bristol when he first put Tax on Cider and Perry.

Can't Get A Job , Join The State

2010-03-23T09:14:00.000-07:00

This is unbelievable, the Public sector is blithely recruiting whilst the private sector is going down the pan and being taxed to the hilt

SW Meeting Exeter Sat 27th 12 noon

2010-03-22T10:05:00.000-07:00

The Imperial, New North Road, Exeter.

If you come down by train Exeter St Davids is the main station which is about 5 mins from the pub, follow the signs for the University up the hill.

Nic Coome our candidate for Devizes will be joining us. Hope to see you all there for some libertarian chatter.

UKIP Have Been In Weston S Mare This Week

2010-03-19T07:20:00.000-07:00

Send Us Your ******* Money !

2010-03-18T01:27:00.000-07:00

To Quote Saint Bob Send Us Your ******* Money!

We are looking to open a permanent office and employ a part time paid member of staff

We doubled our income in 2009, and I would like to see if we can do this again in 2010.

Two donors that have agreed to underwrite the costs, which will take the admin load off

the volunteer members of the NCC and ensure a friendly voice at the end of the

telephone for members, supporters and voters.

Please email donate@lpuk.org for a Standing Order Form or

pay direct to

Sort code 40-28-20 A/c 92635313 giving your membership number as a reference, as Donation- (number)

If you are are Supporter- just put Supporter.

Cheques can be sent to Libertarian Party, 33 Castle Road, Walton St Mary, Clevedon BS21 7DA .

Me Too

2010-03-17T08:37:00.000-07:00

H/T Beau Bo D'Or

Get Off Our Backs- LPUK Campaign Slogan

2010-03-14T03:46:00.000-07:00

Whilst the Conservatives have 'Time for a change' (yawn- I can see no radical change a coming, just more of the same, Labour want a fairer Britain ( what as opposed to a vast interfering state run and financed by UNITE) and the Social Democrats want a change to a fairer Britain (puh-lease !)

The Libertarian Party has one simple message, GET OFF OUR BACKS this applies to all members of the two and a half party State.

Stop taxing us to death, stop passing laws every ten minutes creating more criminal offences, replace 'Parliamentary Democracy' with a Referenda based local democracy. Let us decide the best way to spend our money,live our lives Not you

Nick Hogan Released -Official

2010-03-10T08:59:00.000-08:00

It took the blogosphere just four days to raise
the near £10 000 to secure the release of Nick Hogan, imprisoned for
six months for flouting the smoking ban in his own premises and failing
to act as the States unofficial Policeman.

It took a further five days to convince Paypal
that the money collected was not part of some International Money
Laundering, Drugs and Sex trafficking Ring, and for the cash to be
released by a High Street Bank under the Money Laundering
'Regulations', during which time Nick continued to languish in Jail.
This in an age when Billions can be rocketed from London to Tokyo in
seconds by our trusted and well beloved Banking industry.

This was always a Libertarian issue, a civil rights issue rather than a
Public Health issue. The hypocrisy of taxing tobacco and punishing its
users beggars belief. If I choose to inhale noxious substances on my
own property, that is my own decision. If members of the public do not
like it do not come onto my private property, go somewhere else to
drink your own brand of poison (until it is banned next of course)

In an age of political parties queuing up to 'do something' which usually means banning something the Libertarian Party was pleased to support Old Holborn and Anna Raccoon with cash and what publicity and support it could muster. However we were more pleased that this attracted support and money from across the political spectrum and across the world.

We do not have to put up with this, we are the people not this Stasi inclined St

Just Do Something To Fight Back- This Is A Libertarian Issue

2010-03-01T09:17:00.001-08:00

This is a Libertarian issue if there ever was one, for the sake of £1, you can get a man released from prison. Old Holborn is running a campaign to raise £10 000 to get his fine paid.

As of 16.00 Hrs Monday the amount raised was £3144.00

There has been a fair amount of comment in the blogosphere regarding the six month jail sentence given to Nick Hogan for flouting the 'no-smoking ban'.

Outrage has been duly expressed, here, there, and everywhere. Perhaps we can do better than just express outrage?

Nick was actually jailed for non-payment of the fine originally imposed for a 'mass smoke-in' on the day the ban came into force in 2007 in his pub, the 'Swan and Barristers' in Bolton. He no longer has that pub. He was fined again when council inspectors walked into his present pub and discovered a group of customers smoking - Nick wasn't even on the premises.

His wife, Denise, is now managing their present pub in Chorley herself. Their trade is so low that they don't even bother to open the downstairs bar. Nick is bankrupt, and had gone to court intending to argue that he could not afford the £500 a month payments demanded by the council towards their £11,600 bill for prosecuting him. He has already paid off £1,600. The court gave him a six month sentence instead, and he is currently in Forest Bank prison in Pendlebury, unable to help to earn the money which would ensure his release.

Denise has not even been able to speak to him since he was sentenced. She has merely been told to phone the prison on Monday to enquire when she might see him. She is confused, frightened, and feeling very lonely.

If all the people who disagree with the no-smoking ban contributed a few coppers, then Nick would be released. If you can't afford £1, then at least drop Nick a line and let him know he is not forgotten - not surprisingly, he is feeling very depressed.

Denise has just said to me 'all the people who disagree with the ban - where are they now? - and my Nick is in prison'. Quite.

Denise has no idea how to use the Internet, she has no idea how many of us are against the no-smoking ban. Let's show her.

£1 each - just 10,000 of you - let's see if the blogosphere can do more than merely rant in unison. Once the amount received totals the outstanding fine, they have to release Nick.

Nick's address is:

HMP & YOI Forest Bank
Agecroft Road
Pendlebury
Manchester
M27 8FB

OH UPDATE: Under the health act of 2006, it is the responsibility of the owner or the controller of "smoke free" space to uphold the law. It is not illegal to smoke in a shop or on a train. It is illegal for the owner or controller of the space to allow you to smoke.

Reprinted from the OH site

THE DONATE BUTTON IS ON THE OH SITE TOP RIGHT

The Libertarian Party is utterly opposed to people going to jail for offences such as this.

Quote Of The Day

2010-02-25T03:27:00.000-08:00

"In the middle of the coup, the former welfare minister Frank Field went to No 10 to plead with Blair not to give way to Brown. “You can’t go yet. You can’t let Mrs Rochester out of the attic,” he said. Blair roared with laughter."

- Andrew Rawnsley

H/T Guido

Battle Training Ground For The Police Planned In Portishead

2010-01-29T03:45:00.000-08:00

Avon and Somerset Police are proposing to extend their landholding yet again to include a firearms range in an old Quarry, they have recently closed off woodland they have bought adjacent to their Head Quarters.

Project Manager Sue Harvie has said 'a substantial sum of PFI money has been ringfenced for this project' Clevedon Times 27th Jan

How much ? Funding like this when the Public Finances are in the bin, is like getting the credit card out to pay the mortgage.

Why are the Police extending their property holding in Portishead, who are they training against ? The Public are too scared to defend themselves for fear of prosecution, yet the Police are spending millions on this and

Three new Custody Centres along the M5

A New Operations Centre in Bridgewater

Another accomodation facility in Bridgewater (??)

*A public exhibition about the firearms facility proposals will take place in the Methodist church hall in High Street, Portishead, from 2.30-7pm on February 8.

Members of the project team will be on hand from 5-7pm to answer questions.

More information about the project will be available online from February 3 at www.avonandsomerset.police.uk/accomodation

Libertarian Nic Coome to stand in Devizes

2010-01-28T07:41:00.001-08:00

Photo Credit Rohen Kapur

The Libertarian Party has today announced its Prospective Parliamentary Candidate for Devizes, Nic Coome.

About Nic Coome

Nic Coome lives in Chilton Foliat, with two children - Jonathan, currently studying for a PhD in Chemistry at Durham University and Juliet, currently an undergraduate in French with Russian at Bristol University.

He has spent virtually the whole of his working life in railway industry. He started on British Rail as a sixteen year-old school leaver in 1973 as a Signal and Telecommunications Department Trainee Technician, and went through that department for several years before becoming a commercially-minded manager with Network South-East.

Since then he has worked for Eurostar and the Office of the Rail Regulator, before joining Railtrack in 2000. He has worked there since, going through the trauma of the demise of Railtrack and the birth of Network Rail. He currently works in the Planning and Regulation directorate on projects for the reform of Network Rail and the wider industry.

As well as experience in the rail industry, Nic Coome has also been the Sound Engineer at The Hexagon Theatre in Reading, working on a very wide variety of different productions. Nic believes he is very much an ordinary working man, not a professional politician.

Interests

Nic's principal interest is music. He also enjoys cricket, rugby (he is a Harlequins fan) and American Football. He recently started learning to play the Saxophone which he believes he will continue forever.

Politics

Nic had been a member of the Conservatives in Swindon for around three years and stood for the then Thamesdown Borough Council on two occasions. He was then, very briefly, a member of UKIP and stood essentially as a paper candidate for Kennet District Council in 2007.

With the formation of the Libertarian Party two years ago, Nic saw an opportunity to be a part of an exciting organisation that truly believes in individual freedom and personal responsibility. He found himself in agreement with the Libertarian Party's opposition to the bureaucratic and expensive European Union, as well as the party's call for much smaller government, and its utter rejection of big taxes and the surveillance State.

Nic Coome has been a member of Chilton Foliat Parish Council for around fourteen years and Chairman of the council for the last six.

If you want to help or contribute financially to Nic's Campampagn please contact donate@lpuk.org

Shelterbox Send aid to Haiti

2010-01-25T08:46:00.001-08:00

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/cornwall/8477713.stm

Shelterbox, a Cornwall-based charity, recently shipped hundreds of boxes of aid from Newquay to the shattered nation of Haiti. What does this have to do with our Libertarian struggle? Well, I’ve been thinking a lot lately about human generosity and how it is perceived by various political schools of thought; I’ve come to the conclusion that Statists are extreme pessimists. This conclusion is, of course, limited by own perceptions and generalisations, but I surmise that the root logic behind state welfare- and in this case, international aid- is that humans are naturally greedy creatures and thus the Government is needed to forcefully take our money, through taxing, and spend it (rather inefficiently) on the unfortunate and disadvantaged. Now, speaking as a moderately pessimistic individual, I can’t fully blame Statists for making this assumption – just the other day I heard about a nearby animal shelter and my brain immediately painted a picture of a seemingly abandoned warehouse full of animals with no humans in sight. However, when I went to this shelter to assist a friend in choosing a pet, I was pleasantly surprised to see the place bustling with people. I saw so many people hoping to adopt a cat, dog or other animal that these animals were actually in high demand. I saw plenty of volunteers working on site and I saw entire legions of people arriving just to volunteer to walk a dog for the day. We all need to see these things occasionally to restore our faith in Mankind, and that day was my wake up call.

Now that my mind has been cleansed of doubt, I see a lot of charities making great strides with an ample supply of people willing to help in any way they can. I saw this news article detailing the efforts of this non-government charity organisation, and I realised that, contrary to what all the Labour-supporting Socialists say, our society would remain a caring, committed one even without state welfare. Remove the welfare state and charities would expand to compensate- organisations with the same goals but with a lot less mismanagement of funds. We supposedly live in a Democratic society and, to me, that entails giving us the choice to do the right thing or not. A system where the funds that we earn are forcefully removed and redistributed conjures up a certain image in my head, of a hammer and sickle, and we all know how that image has come to be construed in the free world these days.

The point to all this is that giving citizens a choice does not necessarily result in a dystopian future where children starve on the streets and this is the key message that our party needs to stress in reaching out to the nation.

First Authoritarian Outing Of Tory Party Policy

2010-01-20T01:46:00.001-08:00

A Prisoners Earnings to Be Taxed
and the money used to fund Rape Crisis Centres

Fabian social control using the Tax system, how novel !

Strengthening Police stop and Search powers, and 'grounding' orders

The Police will love that, and abuse it the same way they did the Terrorism Act

Anybody caught carrying a knife should expect to go to jail

That's me buggered then, I had better start practicing gnawing through stuff as an alternative to carrying a tool to do the job.

Allow Police to use surveillance powers in routine cases without need for authorisation

The Stasi Charter, the DDR did this they bugged and followed people and completedly missed the 1989 revolution. Do CCHQ not watch films like the 'Lives of Others' or read books like '1989, The Berlin Wall, My Part In Its Downfall' by Peter Millar.

The Police will love this

Replace Police Authorities with Elected Police Commissioners.

No No No, Elected Chief Constables. In Swindon when the Authority said they were going to rip out speed cameras, the Chief Constable just said he was not accepting that, and would put more mobile units on the street. The Chief Constable should set out his Policing Priorities in his manifesto, not drafted by the likes of Jack Straw.

VOTE TORY, VOTE FOR AN AUTHORITARIAN POLICE STATE

This crap comes out the same day the Met was chastised for allowing a taxi Driver sexually assault forty women, because they basically could not give a toss.

Magna What?

2010-01-16T17:21:00.000-08:00

This is not directly related to the South West England area but I feel that it is such an important story that has not been given enough attention by the media (thanks for that, Haiti) that I consider it my duty to inform. The gist of this story is that two individuals are to be tried without a jury for the first time in England and Wales for more than 350 years. The reason for this is that previous trials involving these two citizens, who supposedly stole a large sum of money from a cash depot, were interrupted as the jury were intimidated by outside forces.

So the jury are in danger every time this trial is resumed. Fair enough, but why must we take such extreme measures just to ensure security when there are plenty of other methods available that do not interfere with the rights of the accused? Keeping the jury anonymous or under guard would be excellent courses of action, in my opinion. Unfortunately, the courts do not share this view. Have they forgotten about a little thing in the Magna Carta? It states that no freeman taken, or imprisoned or in any other way destroyed, except for the lawful judgement of his PEERS. Not only is the Magna Carta a vital document in itself, but it is one of the foundations of liberty, which so many of our ancestors have fought and died for. The fact that this case better resembles a show-trial held in the 18th century than a modern day one is quite perturbing. I say that this is not a South West story but I choose to believe that the tiniest crack, no matter how insignificant, can fracture and become a ridge given time. Could this be a predicate for more cases to be held without a trial? Could this new attitude amongst our judges, combined with our manic ‘anti-terrorist- politicians become a weapon against true justice?

These are the questions that many civil-rights groups have posed in response to this, and for a while the courts were willing to reassess their decision. Unfortunately that oh-so-short debate came to a close and the Court of Appeal has ruled that a criminal trial can take place without a jury. What else could this lead to, I wonder? Could another unlucky soul be forced to be judged without a jury on the grounds that the weather is a tad bit too wet and dangerous for the Jury to risk leaving their homes? There are already cases of innocent people being wrongfully accused of committing crimes as it is without the fate of untold thousands being held in the hands of one judge at a time. All this just to ensure ‘security’ and ‘justice’? It is quite a shame that no member of the courts have read up on the history of democracy, for if they had they would have come across a grand quote by Benjamin Franklin, which I’m sure we have all read before: “Any society that would give up a little liberty to gain a little security will deserve neither and lose both.”

Link to Story:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/london/8453318.stm

and...

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/8106590.stm

Tree-bulldozing national holiday declared

2010-01-10T16:22:00.000-08:00

I was reading the Bath Chronicle when I stumbled upon a most controversial plan by the Bath & North East Somerset Council to build 2000 houses on 115 acres of the greenbelt surrounding Bath. What is outrageous about this is that many members of the public have voiced their concerns that such expansion will jeopardise Bath’s World Heritage status. Such criticisms, however, have fallen on deaf ears. Why, you ask? Because it is the Government, not the local council, that has set these housing targets with little regard for anything other than meeting these targets the way a good, bloated bureaucracy should. As one has come to expect in these times, there was little transparency in creating these targets and the method employed to reach such conclusions were anything but fair. The projections were made before the recession, during rapid growth and are thus based on the premise that such growth shall continue unabated. It is obvious that the Government cares little for guaranteeing open space for its constituents. Open fields are a threat to Gordon Brown’s agenda, after all, for he dislikes non-industrious areas of land (unless the non-industrious land is a concrete street block filled with ASBO‘s).

Meanwhile, the city of Bath has an ample supply of dilapidated properties that could be rehabilitated to serve these housing targets. The government has done nothing to encourage such brownfield development; why is this? Perhaps this plan will contribute to the already hefty pile of evidence that suggests that the government has become so bloated that it can’t help but overlook environmental, cultural and practical factors in big decisions. If the critics are right, our nation shall be one greenbelt less ‘green‘, Bath will lose its World Heritage status- along with all the revenue the city makes from tourism- and the politicians will have ignored their constituents yet again. All this just for some more houses? What is more disturbing is that the Government hasn’t released details on the ratio of council-owned houses to privately-owned ones. It’s bad enough that the Labour party have been giving financially disadvantaged individuals incentives to have children and allowing more immigrants in. Now those whom Brown has bribed into voting for him need places to stay, and those places might as well be built to the detriment of our heritage and environment, right?

As I said, a lot of these criticisms are being dismissed by the Government. The Government would defend itself, claiming that people have been given a chance to voice their opinions and have an impact on policy. The problem there is that many would retort that the Government purposefully made the publicly viewable document too complicated for the average constituent to comprehend, let alone gave them enough time to give feedback.

As a Libertarian, my conclusion is quite simple: such matters should not be trusted in the hands of a bloated, national government, but should be handled at the local level by a limited government - taking counsel from local residents, of course - and local businesses. Perhaps then, such embarrassing and potentially dangerous mismanagements of taxpayer’s money can be avoided.

Exciting Times Cost Money

2010-01-06T06:26:00.001-08:00

Things should start getting a bit more exciting for the LPUK in the next few weeks, the NCC have been pondering the publicity blackout enforced by the Main stream Media. Not ones to don spidermen outfits and dangle from the House of Commons roof or a nearby bridges, we needed a cost effective alternative. Chris Mounsey our new leader has this now in hand, and when the go is given, LPUK members will be the first to know.

My job as treasurer is however to prepare for the upswing. At the the Conference I said I hoped that we could open a permanent office staffed by at least one part time official and backed up by volunteers. My target date for this is May 2010. To do this I am relying on a core of donors to guarantee the wage bill and other running costs.

However we will need office equipment of all descriptions, if you think you can donate that Louis XIV desk please let us know asap.

In the meantime we still need to up our donation rate, so please give generously as a member or as one of the LPUK's supporters. Monthly Standing order forms can be quickly set up to our account so please contact us at donate@lpuk.org

Chris Mounsey LPUK At Libertarian Alliance

2009-11-10T23:57:00.001-08:00

LAConf09, Chris Mounsey: "The UK Libertarian Party" from Sean Gabb on Vimeo.

LPUK Conference 28th November 2009

2009-10-21T02:12:00.000-07:00

The Annual AGM/Conference will be held at the Gladiator Room, Gloucestershire Cricket Club, Nevil Road, Bristol BS7 9EJ 10.30am- 4pm November 28th 2009

The Conference will deal with matters of policy and constitutional matters to be put forward by members via their regional coordinators, and the election of officers for 2010, plus party organisation, aims and objectives

A business meeting dealing with end of year accounts and hand over to the new NCC will be held in January.

We need to know numbers attending by November 2nd. There will be a £5 charge to defray costs on registration so please help us by registering early, and as ever Donations will be happily received.

Contact members@lpuk.org

The Sportsman Pub is nearby where I understand the usual fare can be obtained.

There is carparking available for 100 vehicles.

Directions

By Road

From the North:

Exit Junction 19 on M4 onto M32 to Bristol

Exit at Junction 2

Take the 3rd exit off the roundabout, keep in right hand lane and follow brown
tourist signs to County Ground. Continue on Muller Road for approx.1 mile.

Turn left into Ralph Road, opposite Bus Depot.

At T junction, turn left and then take first right into Kennington Avenue.
At top of road, turn left (signposted) into Nevil Road and drive through the Grace Gates into the ground.

From Central Bristol :

From St. James Barton roundabout in the City Centre, take exit marked Horfield (A38)
Continue along Stokes Croft Road and onto Gloucester Road

After approx. 1.5 miles turn right into Nevil Road (Signposted)
The Grace Gates are at the end of Nevil Road

By Rail :

Bristol Temple Meads is in the centre of Bristol, approx. 2 miles from The County Ground
Bus no. 8 or 9 will take you from the station to the bus station and then take any of the buses as below

Bristol Parkway is on the northern side of the City and approx 4 miles from The County Ground

By Bus :

The Bus Station is located in the centre of Bristol.

Outside the Bus Station from The Travel Inn, services, 72, 73, 74, 75, 76 and 77 will take you along the Gloucester Road. The stop is Nevil Road, which is within 100yds from the Ground.

Watch And Applaud

2009-10-20T09:59:00.001-07:00

H/T Tom Paine

Devon & Cornwall Police Have CCJ's ??

2009-10-15T03:44:00.000-07:00

This makes interesting reading !

The Devon & Cornwall Police are not a private business and should not be allocated an unregistered business number.

The sooner ACPO is wound up and Chief Constable's are directly elected the better.

H/T Old Holborn

SW LPUK Meetup Saturday 17th October 12 noon

2009-10-12T05:47:00.000-07:00

Ye Shakespear, 78 Victoria St, Bristol, Avon, BS1 6DR 12 noon.

Hi all. At last and last minute! Always the best. A get together for philosophy, policy, strategy and drinking. Everyone is welcome to come along. See you all there. It's five minutes from the station.

email sw@lpuk.org for further info

Something To Be Really Worried About On May 6th 2010.

2009-09-29T02:38:00.001-07:00

I listened to Radio 4 this morning, to Austin Mitchell after his fringe meeting at the Labour Party Conference yesterday. Eight people turned up at his meeting, and one of those was his wife.

I saw the empty seats, the closed off areas at Brighton

I saw the photographs of half dead, half asleep Lib Dem supporters whilst Cleggy gave his all at the Lib Dem Conference.

UKIP and BNP are in dire straits financially; the LPUK is examining the pointlessness of contesting seats at Westminster in favour of building a grass roots local authority base.

Next week I am going to be watching the glassy eyed adoration of no policies Cameron and the Conservatives.

Basically Party Politics has collapsed in this Country, dwindling party memberships, over centralisation into Westminster, the recession, the expenses scandal etc has traduced democratic politics that has taken four hundred years to build up in less than twenty years.

The Public know it’s a fix, the Public want Radical Change and a New settlement, that was evident at the Forum on Modern Liberty, but that clamour for real progress has been stymied by the big three parties, and the growth of smaller Parties and pressure groups will never have a voice under this Electoral system. The British just don't do the 'Summer of Rage'

The Public has withdrawn from even voting, because ‘the Government’ always gets in. This has produced the bizarre situation where corrupt faux aristocrats lead the Labour Party. Has it really got to the point where Mandelson is the saviour of the Socialist Left? Is there nobody left in the Labour Party that can see what a travesty this is. We have now got a situation were Esther Ranzten and a baggage handler from Glasgow, are now seen as the authentic voice of politics. Don’t get me wrong anybody who takes on somebody who is trying to explode a car bomb has physical courage, but I am not sure that I want my politics to be along the lines of ‘fisticuff’ Prescott. A man who can barely string a coherent sentence together.

Politics is dead, the only option on offer is Mandelson’s ‘post democratic’ age. This is just an Oligarchy by another name with the rest of us condemned to the role of exploited serfs.

Unless the Radical smaller Parties start to coalesce around the concept of a new constitution, a new settlement and a new voting system, we are going to see the gradual sapping of the life blood in our democratic institutions, with the Police and the EU taking up the slack and running the country by default. The Army is now a degraded institution, loved and respected by the people. Hated and kept short of funds by the political classes and sent to fight illegal wars and to occupy foreign countries, the police on the other hand seem to have no shortage of equipment and helicopters, because the political classes see them as the only thing between us and them.

I spent the weekend as a Libertarian, with a Socialist, a near BNP supporter two Tories and a Liberal Democrat. We discussed politics we all had strong points of view that we could never agree on, but we had a forum to discuss politics because we had respect for each other and ‘ground rules’ that everybody was entitled to their say. What we did agree on that this was not replicated at either National or Local level. There is no forum. If nobody is prepared to listen to my point of view, why the hell should I listen or engage to somebody who wants to talk ‘at’ me about their politics.

That is the position that the Public now have with the current political structure.
There may be only 646 of them and sixty million of us, but nobody is listening to the sixty million, only to the 646, and pretending that this the body politic.

Personally the prospect of a Cameron Government on May 6th fills me with dread, as it will not be any different to Blair/Brown.

Irrespective of each of our political standpoint, we have to fight for a New Constitution, one that comes from below not imposed from above.

Our Politics are Moribund, and worse still has absolutely no mandate from the people of this Country.

The Last Days Of Labour 1989 Remix

2009-09-16T08:45:00.001-07:00

H/T Guido

Pretty Vacant

2009-08-17T06:14:00.000-07:00

Quis custodiet ipsos custodes?

2009-08-10T03:58:00.001-07:00

So the plan is we all commit a crime that so overwhelms the Police that they cannot lock us all up.

What sort of crap is this, when 1000 Met officers commit fraud against the taxpayer the the 'investigating authorities' are so overwhelmed that they have a secret ammnesty for all the fraudsters in their ranks. I suppose its the same 'secret ammnesty that means that serving Police officers never get speeding tickets or can appeal to 'the boss' to let them off.

Something the rest of us cannot do, we have to go to Court.

The Stasi State using Nu Labour's RIPA legislation is spying on 504 000 of its citizens, discounting children (but who knows) that is roughly 1% of the population are considered 'terrorists' of some kind. The IRA was deemed at the height of the troubles was estimated to have six hundred members, terrorists resort to terror because the chaos caused is disproportionate to their size.

The only conclusion that I draw from this is that if you are politically active,a member of some organisation that Whitehall does not 'control', active in the community, a member of a professional body, you will be watched.

This is unacceptable and if the watchers are not being charged with their 'crimes' the watched should not accept the authority of 'those in authority' , did you elect these bastards ?

(2) The Secretary of State shall not issue an interception warrant unless he believes—

(a) that the warrant is necessary on grounds falling within subsection (3); and

(b) that the conduct authorised by the warrant is proportionate to what is sought to be achieved by that conduct.

(3) Subject to the following provisions of this section, a warrant is necessary on grounds falling within this subsection if it is necessary—

(a) in the interests of national security;

(b) for the purpose of preventing or detecting serious crime;

(c) for the purpose of safeguarding the economic well-being of the United Kingdom; or

(d) for the purpose, in circumstances appearing to the Secretary of State to be equivalent to those in which he would issue a warrant by virtue of paragraph (b), of giving effect to the provisions of any international mutual assistance agreement.

RIPA ACT 2000

It would be interesting to see how many of these warrants are made on behalf of 'Foreign Powers' under 'the provisions of a international mutual assistance agreement ?

You do not need to send spies to this country anymore the British State will do it for you, and arrange free flights to a nice cell abroad.

The Power V HM Court Service has established in Law the two tier legal system. The Public cannot hold the State and its servants to account.

Do you seriously believe that the British State does not condone torture ?

The State has been torturing people for decades, Mau Mau suspects,Irish Republican suspects etc, the only result is the further radicalisation of as yet uncommitted sympathisers.

No doubt the torturers also have written ammnesties, everybody else working for the State has.

Are they malicious or just stubborn?

2009-08-08T10:42:00.000-07:00

The Guardian, which despite the lefty economics, Polly Toynbee, and a general stench of Champagne Socialism, occasionally gets it right when it comes to civil liberties, gives us this piece of bad news:

Chief constables across England and Wales have been told to ignore a landmark ruling by the European court of human rights and carry on adding the DNA profiles of tens of thousands of innocent people to a national DNA database.
Senior police officers have also been "strongly advised" that it is "vitally important" that they resist individual requests based on the Strasbourg ruling to remove DNA profiles from the national database in cases such as wrongful arrest, mistaken identity, or where no crime has been committed.

This is despite the ECHR ruling last year* that keeping DNA samples indiscriminately from those not convicted of anything breached Human Rights (Specifically, article 8, right to a private and family life).

The advice to senior officers comes in a letter from the Association of Chief Police Officers criminal records office. The letter, seen by the Guardian, tells chief constables that new Home Office guidelines following the ruling in the case of S and Marper are not expected to take effect until 2010.

As usual, not good enough. This database needs to be ended now. No DNA should be taken until being charged with an offense, and even then, it should be destroyed if the accused is cleared or the charges dropped. There's not much chance of that happening though; our government is just too stubborn. It won't back down on its "no referendum" stance for The Lisbon treaty, and it won't back down on the database and identity cards. It'll just repackage them up again and again until we all fall for it.

At least Chris Huhne has found a pair and is attacking ACPO's little scheme:

"It is not up to police forces to ignore court judgments because they or their masters do not like them."

Excellent.

*That'd be S and Another v UK, aka S and Marper. In that case, some kid of ELEVEN had his DNA taken from him. Eleven.

The Reality of Brown And The Lisbon Treaty

2009-08-05T00:29:00.000-07:00

is that clapped out politicians are heading for the sinecure of Brussels. Blair wants the top job, and Patten wants to be EU Foreign Minister.

Do you and I have a say in any of this ? No we do not. This is a big boys club, invitations only.

As Sound Today

2009-08-03T09:08:00.001-07:00

'Gay' Marriage and the Quakers

2009-08-01T06:40:00.001-07:00

As a Quaker, I struggle with sentences that begin ‘it says in the Bible’ – to me the Bible is a historical document, as are Shakespeare’s plays, and I read both with interest, but I cannot take seriously that any man, nor any book, is the ‘word of God’ – the bible is the word of man as those men interpreted God. I interpret God in my own way, and I simply don’t accept that anyone else has a greater right than I to dictate what I believe.

The basis of a Quaker marriage is a declaration of a life-long commitment in the eyes of God of a loving relationship between two people, those people present are merely witnesses to that commitment, not some form of state or religious ’sanction’ for the marriage. So it is little surprise that the Quakers should have been amongst the first to form the view that it is the value of that commitment between two people that counts rather than any stricture as to what, or whom, constitutes a marriage.

Children being the only means of replenishing the basic stock of society, quality control of those children has been the main reason for society to demand the role of quality controller. Religion, in all its forms, has held the post for thousands of years, with strictures on how, with whom, and when, children might safely be created with the best chance of growing up to be useful members of society.

So the argument that marriage is for the continuation of the species is a societal construct – the species would have continued in any case, but the quality control of the outcome would have suffered; nor could the cost of rearing the outcome have been reasonably fairly placed on the correct shoulders without the intervention of the priestly seal of approval. Children should without doubt be reared with both male and female committed role models, sadly, many are not, through death and divorce, but that does not prevent us from recognising a marriage between man and woman, nor is the inability to have children a bar to marriage.

Now that the quality control is achieved by means of abortion, and medical intervention undreamed of in previous centuries, and quantity control by artificial means, you have to wonder what is the actual point of marriage and why should the religious institutions, or the state, have so much say as to whom, when, and how.

What is the ‘point’ of marriage now?

It is surely the moment when a private relationship becomes public, when the support of society is sought to help cement that relationship, a celebration of that commitment.

Quakers were given the right to conduct marriages in England and Wales in 1753, but case law before that recognised the validity of Quaker marriages. Following the Civil Partnership Act of December 2005, same sex couples in England, Wales and Scotland, who share Quaker beliefs may opt for a blessing or commitment ceremony after entering a civil partnership. The Civil Partnership Act allows same sex partnerships to be registered as civil partnerships in law, but such registrations cannot take place in the context of religious worship.

Yesterday, after intense discussions at the AGM for the Quaker organisation, the Religious Society of Friends decided that :

“We are being led to treat same sex committed relationships in the same way as opposite sex marriages, reaffirming our central insight that marriage is the Lord’s work and we are but witnesses. The question of legal recognition by the state is secondary.

We therefore [...] take steps to put this leading into practice and to arrange [...] that same sex marriages can be prepared, celebrated, witnessed, recorded and reported to the state, as opposite sex marriages are.

We [will] [...] engage with our governments to seek a change in the relevant laws so that same sex marriages notified in this way can be recognised as legally valid, without further process, in the same way as opposite sex marriages celebrated in our meetings. We will not at this time require our registering officers to act contrary to the law, but understand that the law does not preclude them from playing a central role in the celebration and recording of same sex marriages”

I have little doubt that by the time the main stream media wake up to this declaration, we will have headlines screaming ‘Quakers to marry gays’, and all the familiar knee jerk reactions and quotations from the bible condemning homosexuality. They will be missing the point.

Society has contrived through various means, medical and otherwise, to take away the role of marriage, and ‘parents’, in the production line of children.

What is left of marriage has nothing to confine it to a man and a woman. The Quakers, not being controlled by a ‘book of rules’, nor a man in a floor length party frock, are merely acknowledging that.

It’s a decision I applaud.

Norwich North By Election

2009-07-24T09:14:00.001-07:00

Was this a poor result for us- yes it was, but everybody lost bar Chloe Smith, and even she cannot go to take her seat until October.

Did all of the parties have equal access to the media, no they did not, sorry as I am to say this the Monsters have a far higher ‘profile’ than the LPUK.

Was Norwich the best place for us to campaign, absolutely not, we had two members in Norfolk at the beginning of the campaign, we now have twenty four and at least thirty six people who now understand the difference between Liberalism and Social Democracy.

This campaign was not about politics, it was about the need to tell Labour that their time is up. The result showed that. This was not a ringing endorsement of the Conservatives, but certainly showed the depth of loathing of the Darien Labour Party.

Do we give up and wring our hands, no we do not, however bad this result was, Tom was a good performer when he was allowed near a microphone despite his years, it gave our activists a chance to engage with the public, some travelling as far afield as Cornwall.

This afternoon a former Lib Dem Councillor has rung me to say that he is resigning from the Lib Dems and is joining the LPUK, as he sees that in this two and a half party State, he can no longer get the 'half' to accept classic Liberal principles

At the end of the day a High tax, High Spending, Centralising, Authoritarian Party won the day. So not much has changed.

Andrew Withers LPUK Chairman

Truro 25th July Wig and Pen 1pm SW Libertarian Meetup

2009-07-19T06:39:00.000-07:00

Lets get a good turn out for this meetup.
It should be very interesting after the Norwich North by-election campaign.
There is loads to discuss and lots of beer to drink. 5 mins from the train station
Hope to see you all there.
New faces would be most welcome.
We are after all making it down into the depths of the South West. Come along to check us out. Wig and Pen 1 Frances Street, Truro, TR1 3DP‎ - 01872 273028‎

email sw@lpuk.org for further info

Let's play "Join the dots"...

2009-07-17T00:44:00.001-07:00

"Switch to Ecotricity & help fight climate change with your electricity bill. £20 will also be donated to The Converging World on your behalf." boasts the Ecotricity website. The Converging World? Who they, you ask? Good question.

We are a UK based charity that invests in renewable energy projects in the developing world. All the profits from these investments are used to fund community-based sustainable development and social projects around the world.

That would be the Tamil Nadu Wind Farm, India. This being an industry which gets government soft loans in India, tax holidays and the RPS:

In India, under the renewable portfolio standard (RPS), utilities have to purchase a certain proportion of their energy from green sources like wind.

Sound familiar? Yep. It's the ROC!! I smell global governance. And no, it ain't tinfoil hat time either. One of the major pushers of wind in India is EIWEN supported under the ECCP.

EIWEN is a network of European and Indian industry and (Small and Medium-sized Enterprises) SMEs, financial institutions, universities, research institutes and civil society associations in the wind energy sector.

Co-funded by the European Commission, the network, has been established under the EU-India Economic Cross Cultural Programme, and is being implemented by a consortium led by the Energy Research Centre of the Netherlands. The partners include EWEA (Belgium), Risø National Laboratory (Denmark), the Confederation of Indian Industry (India) and the Indian Wind Turbines Manufacturers Association (Chennai/India).

Yes, its all the same jolly little scam from the same pigsty. Why wouldn't Ecotricity want their nose in that trough too? But so long as "the profits from these investments are used to fund community-based sustainable development and social projects" (that the being two of the ten turbines actually constructed) then its ok. So long as they don't mind paying double for their electricity that is.

Something fishy on the wind...

2009-07-16T23:17:00.000-07:00

I'm not suggesting anything, but it does seem a little odd.

Labour Justice- Oxymoron Alert

2009-07-16T08:35:00.000-07:00

Kerry McCarthy should hang her head in shame

Press Release 7th July 2009

2009-07-07T09:44:00.001-07:00

NEWS RELEASE

Libertarian Party fields
youngest ever parliamentary candidate
at Norwich North

Thomas Burridge, aged 18, is the Libertarian Party candidate for the upcoming Norwich North by-election, and is set to make history as the youngest person ever to contest a Westminster seat. Thomas was accepted offically by the Returning Officer today.

Thomas is aware that his age may raise a few eyebrows. “People may ask what can I possibly know about anything at my age? Well, one thing I do know is that Labour excesses have left my generation with a massive debt that will take generations to pay off.” “It’s all the more painful because we were not given any say in the decisions that have forced us to spend the rest of our lives in debt.”

“Currently, the Tories and Labour are squabbling about cutting state spending by a pathetic 5 per cent. Whereas, the Libertarian Party want to scrap the whole rotten system. A system that has given us high personal taxes, squalid services and a corrupt parliament.” “I may not win this time, but I will be back in five years, and in another five years, if necessary. By which time, the guilty ones will be wallowing in their generous pensions – while my generation – The Debt Generation – will still be paying back the money that was squandered.”

The Libertarian Party believes in individual liberty, personal responsibility and freedom from government. Its most prominent policy is to scrap income tax, and transfer taxes to non-essential goods, leaving items such as food, heating and rent tax-free.

ENDS

For more information, or to arrange an interview, contact the Libertarian Party Norwich North Campaign Office on 01603 850573 or the media enquiries mobile on 07505 228618.

Further details are available on our campaign website: http://www.thomasburridge.com
Alternatively, visit the Libertarian Party website: http://www.lpuk.org

Open Your Mind

2009-07-07T08:47:00.001-07:00

Mandelson Kicks MG Rover into the Long Grass To Save His Hide

2009-07-05T03:32:00.001-07:00

Poppet Peter is kicking the investigation over to the SFO, despite refusing them to lead the enquiry from day one if there was a suspicion of fraud, despite the administrators finding there was no evidence of wrong doing by the Directors, despite refusing several requests under the Freedom of Information to reveal the Governments role.

This investigation has cost £16m to date, and Mandelson is still determined to cover up the role of Nu Labour, because publication of the report will show glaring holes in the Governments story (ie a pack of lies) in the run up to a General Election, starting a criminal investigation is a way of ensuring publication will be delayed for years.

Mandelson is already facing meltdown in the West Midlands, this is just crude damage limitation.

The 'Man' is a curse to British industry, we have been down this line before with the Tories over Matrix Churchill, it was only when Alan Clarke told the unvarnished truth in Court about the Government's role did the action against the Directors collapse.

In the Stasi State that is the UK now being a Director of a company is morely likely to be a road to financial ruin that financial wealth, I would advise nobody to sign up to being a Director of a company without looking at what the BERR can do to you.

In fact I would strongly advise you to move your business out of the UK while Mandelson is anywhere near the levers of power.

2009-07-02T11:39:00.001-07:00

Libertarian Party at 500/1 Norwich North By Election

2009-06-29T23:53:00.000-07:00

So we start at 500/1, bloody marvellous, we are looking at this as the first real opportunity to get the idea over to the public that the State is bloated, unproductive and is bringing the country to its knees. With its twin parasite Corporatism in the form of the Banks sucking us dry, its about time that the simple idea that we are all free, it is not neccessary for this country to thrive by being over governed by people who are personally corrupt and think that spending vast swathes of our cash is normal.

My name is Thomas Burridge and I am eighteen waiting to go to University, I am the Libertarian Party Candidate for Norwich North.

Most sensible people will be saying what the hell does he know about anything- This is what I do know the last twelve years
of Labour has left my generation in massive debt, my generation will be paying off the excesses of the last twelve years for the rest of our lives,
not only my generation, by our as yet unborn children. Did we have any say in spending the rest of our lives in debt ? No we did not.

Currently the Tories and Labour are arguing about cutting a pifling 5% of our current bloated State spending. The LPUK are talking about
scrapping the whole rotten system, that has given us high personal taxes, squalid services, a corrupt Parliament and starting again.

I may not win this time, but I will be back in five years, and in another five years and in another five years, by the then guilty ones will
still be wallowing in their pensions or will be long dead, but the debt will be there.

I am from the Debt Generation only the LPUK has fresh answers from a new Generation.

It starts from here

A Barrage Of Spin

2009-06-28T07:52:00.001-07:00

"Public to have a say on plans for Severn barrage" apprently.

“During this consultation, we plan to hold public meetings on both sides of the Severn estuary. Before the consultation begins, a hand-picked audience, including members of the public, will be invited to a separate “small-scale public meeting”, Mr Kidney said.
“This work is intended to provide a representative view on Severn tidal power at this point, the priority issues for people and how best to communicate information in the consultation,” he said.

Something tells me neither democracy nor common sense will prevail.

Dead Men Walking

2009-06-27T09:25:00.001-07:00

In September The House of Lords will determine its decision on the ongoing OFT v All the Banks over unfair charging.( Last Chance for the Banks)

Listening to the commentators on the Banks Legal Team, 'They have given up' 'The Banks are dead men walking' 'The best they could come up with was the dire warning of what would happens to the Banks if they are compelled to refund all unfair charges going back to 1997 when the regulations came in.

If Labour are hoping that the economy is going to improve by the time of their conference, think again. The economy will implode as the Banks squeal for more of our money, and we collectively tell them to fcuk off.

Brown is already preparing his exit strategy, I am going to teach ! FFS

Between now and the Autumn , the Banks will be calling in loans, restricting credit,driving businesses to the wall- waiting for the Armageddon to come in September.

Home Education: Badman Bad Report

2009-06-12T05:52:00.000-07:00

Graham Badman's Report to the Secretary of State on the Review of Elective Home Education in England has now been published.

You may not be particularly interested in home education. You may think that because you don't home educate your children, this doesn't affect you.

But, as Renegade Parent writes, "This is not a home education issue, it is a fundamental civil liberties issue. Dressing it up as the mark of a civilised nation, as Badman does, is simply propaganda. The recommendations, if accepted, essentially change the nature of the relationship between child, parent and state as it is currently enshrined in law."

It is an excellent post. Read the rest of it here.

Ian Parker-Joseph, leader of the Libertarian Party says: "LPUK will oppose changes to HE. Parents must be free to educate children as they see fit, they are yours not the State's."

That is the position of the Libertarian Party. The state does not own your children. For more on LPUK education policy, see here.

Choose Liberty Instead

2009-06-12T02:11:00.000-07:00

Beau Bo D'Or

South West Libertarians Meet Up, Saturday 27th June, 12 noon.

2009-06-11T06:46:00.000-07:00

The Imperial, New North Rd, Exeter, EX4 4HF

If you come down by train, Exeter St Davids is the main station, which is about 5 mins or so from the pub.

Follow the signs for the University up the hill. If its warm we will be in the beer garden.

Hope to see you there for a social, a beer and some serious talking.

The next meeting should be coming to Cornwall.

email sw@lpuk.org for further info

And Then He Goes And Ruins It By Saying Restore The Authority Of Parliamemt

2009-06-11T01:46:00.000-07:00

As much as I find Hague amusing and erudite, making Cameron look the twit he is, Hague ruins a perfectly good speech by saying we must restore the Authority of Parliament by having a General Election.

Two points Billy Boy, the People have the Authority in this setup, not Parliament. Parliament is only loaned Sovereignity by the electorate, that is the bit the 646 always forget, this sustains their arrogance and their theft. It sustains their view that only they can provide 'essential services'. Secondly it betrays that the Tory Party is still deeply Authoritarian at its heart and will never give way to Electoral Reform.

The two major parties have been caught with their collective hand in the Taxpayer's wallet.

Devolving all power apart from Defence and Foreign affairs away from Westmister is the only way forward, only when power is devolved closer to the electorate, will things ever change.

There is no service that is essential that cannot be done better and cheaper by anybody than by the corrupt,bloated inefficient State.

Westminster does not know how to do anything different to the way it is doing it now, until the 646 are brought to heel, nothing will improve or change.

Going For A Picnic In Totnes

2009-06-10T09:13:00.001-07:00

Ceauşescu At Least Had the Good Grace to Do A Runner

2009-06-07T06:50:00.001-07:00

The reports and rumours of moves against Gordon in the next twenty-four hours are coming thick and fast. Falconer being the layest to put the boot in.

If and it is a big if Gordon goes, the Labour Party cannot 'appoint' another Prime Minister in another 'palace coup'. What sort of Constitution do we have where the people of this country are completly sidelined.

If I was a betting man, either Gordon is going to call an election so that he stays in post, or he will be replaced and that caretaker will have to call an election.

A second imposed PM is completly unacceptable,