Have Your Say

(emboldened portions of text my own - Tom)

Dear thomas,

Next week, Ed Miliband, Secretary of State for Climate Change, heads to the international climate talks in Copenhagen. It's urgent that the world signs up to a fair, ambitious and binding deal, and real progress at these talks is crucial. This week, we have a brilliant opportunity to urge the minister to push hard for real progress in Copenhagen.

Ed Miliband has agreed to join a phone call with 38 Degrees members before he sets off. He'll answer our questions and hear our concerns at 10am, Saturday 5th December. Thousands of us dialing in to listen and ask questions will be a great way to send a powerful message - he'll go to the summit with our words ringing in his ears.

Register to join the phone call now:

http://www.38degrees.org.uk/phone-call-with-the-secretary-of-state

Joining the phone call is easy, but you need to sign up to take part. [1] Enter your details in a few seconds, and you'll be sent instructions including the number to dial on Saturday and password to join the call.

Together we can send a powerful message to the government that we want them to do all they can to secure a good deal to tackle climate change. Ed Miliband has agreed to join us for this call because by campaigning together we've got the government's attention. Now we can talk to him directly and send a strong message that we want the government to bring back a good deal.

We know that people power is crucial to persuading world leaders to sign up to a strong deal in Copenhagen. Next Saturday afternoon, thousands of people from all over the UK will march through the streets of London to demand a safe climate future for all. Some of us will be there. [2] For those that can't make it down to London, joining a phone call with Ed Miliband that morning will be a great way to still be part of the pressure.

Register to quiz Ed Miliband on the UK's first public phone conference with a cabinet minister:
http://www.38degrees.org.uk/phone-call-with-the-secretary-of-state


Thanks for getting involved,

David, Hannah, Johnny, Nina and the 38 Degrees team

PS: Please forward this email to your friends and ask them to join the call too by clicking here: http://38degrees.org.uk/phone-call-with-the-secretary-of-state


NOTES

[1] Once you've registered, we'll provide you with a number to dial and a password to join the call. Calls will cost the same as an ordinary national phone call. You can submit your question to Ed when you register. Later this week you'll have a chance to vote to prioritise the most popular questions. Register here: http://www.38degrees.org.uk/phone-call-with-the-secretary-of-state

[2] 38 Degrees will be gathering in Grosvenor Square in central London at 12pm, ready to set off at 1pm. Come and find us - we'll be the ones with the big 38 Degrees banner and we'll have some blue paint if you want to join in with the blue hand stunt around Parliament at 3pm! More info about The Wave and Stop Climate Chaos can be found here: http://www.stopclimatechaos.org/the-wave

38 Degrees brings you together with other people to take action on the issues that matter to you and bring about real change. To find out more visit www.38degrees.org.uk. If you no longer wish to be part of our movement and receive our emails, please click the link below to unsubscribe:
www.38degrees.org.uk/unsubscribe

™ 38 DEGREES 2009 Registered Company No. 6642193


Do your bit for Climate change.

UPDATE: My question to Ed:

Does the recent leak of emails and data from the CRU/UEA groups (dubbed "ClimateGate" in the media) change our position from one supporting mitigation to one supporting adaptation, considering the emails and data cast serious doubt on the entire case for Anthropogenic Global Warming particularly as the main scientists involved represent the scientific arm of the IPCC?

Still need questions regarding what his definition of the Greenhouse effect is, whether he will enforce FoI requests to access all data used in policy formulation and, for fun, Whether he thinks 1 tree rings worth of data from an obscure wilderness in Russia is enough evidence to base a multi-trillion pound, multinational project with the ability to impoverish millions worldwide?

Go on; you know you want to.

Chris Mounsey LPUK At Libertarian Alliance

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

LPUK Conference 28th November 2009

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.

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

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.

Let's Get Together

Dear Yorkshire LPUK members

As your friendly Yorkshire region co-ordinator, I would like to announce an up-coming, to-be-confirmed meeting of members so that we can actually meet each other, have a bit of a banter and start to get the ball rolling for the party in good old God's Country.

I will be emailing members with more concrete details in due course. But this is just a flag up to say 'we're hooking up, are you interested?' and if you would like to express interest and give a shout out to a particular location of choice, please post a comment.

I want to keep things totally democratic as far as venue, location goes, so let's be having your ideas.

These are exciting times for our new, fresh party. We have gathered strong momentum recently, with a burst in new membership applications and also the welcoming of Cllr Gavin Webb (formerly of the Lib Dems) to the party fold.

So this is a good time for LPUK members to get together and have a chat about party and non party stuff and form the beginnings of the culture of the party that has good things in store.

Over and out

JD

Tories & Labour must be running low on parachutes

The staggering trend for the main parties to choose 'high profile' candidates for General Elections continues unabated.

According to the Telegraph, Harriet Harman's husband is being lined up for a safe seat at the next election. Jack Dromey is said to be 'very likely' to get the nod for Leyton and Wanstead. Lucky people. I'm sure you're very jealous, if you happen to not be a resident in the Leyton and Wanstead constituency.

The piece states:

"Labour MPs believe Mr Dromey, 60, would be a powerful weapon in any future leadership bid launched by Ms Harman were he to become an MP."

Do even Labour Party grassroots members want this?

"The pair would...become Labour's second most influential "power couple" after Ed Balls, the Children's Secretary, and his wife Yvette Cooper, the Work and Pensions Secretary."

Great!

And best of all...

"In 2007 Ms Harman helped fund her successful £100,000 campaign for her party's deputy leadership by jointly taking out with Mr Dromey a £40,000 mortgage extension on their London house. 

A senior Labour source said: "Leyton and Wanstead is perfect for Jack. It's in London so he and Harriet wouldn't even need to buy another house." Ms Harman is MP for Peckham."

Phew! Well, thank heaven for small mercies! Aren't you proud of British democracy in action, ladies and gents?

"I hope I land on a safe seat.....Weeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!!!"

The fact is, even the grassroots memberships of the main parties are growing sick and tired of the stitch-up nominations of candidates. It is of course bad enough that our parliamentary 'democracy' appears unfit for purpose and anything but democratic.

Our elected representatives, once chosen in our First Past the Post system, disappear off to Westminster and fall swiftly into line. Either by their own choosing, or at the wrath of the Party Whip system.

In Yorkshire, we had a relatively recent example of this sort of thing, which has to be the real cherry on the cake. As reported in the Halifax Evening Courier on the 20th July 2009, a Labour Party official in Yorkshire's Calder Valley has stated:

"'Following the National Executive Committee's refusal to listen to us over the selection of Parliamentary candidates, several of our keenest activists have resigned.

"Most are just apathetic and unwilling to engage – and who can blame them.'"

Why the despair amidst the area's Labour Party rank and file?...

"There has been turmoil since Labour leaders refused to endorse Janet Oosthuysen, of Hebden Bridge, as the Calder Valley Parliamentary candidate, which forced a re-run of the selection process.

The new candidate is Stephenie Booth, of Todmorden. who was unavailable for comment"

Does the name sound familiar? Well it should do - Stephanie Booth is Cherie Blair's stepmother.

I'm guessing you can start to see a trend from all that I'm explaining here.

In a similar vein, David Cameron notably took the decision to open up the selection process for candidates to non-party members. So long as people can prove a 'record' of 'public service', they need not have any traditional ties with the party and can stand on its behalf.

This may sound like a good idea, but it is far from a good idea. It is bereft of logic and it can only encourage the phenomenon of the principle-free, ambitious, self-serving 'career politician', who has the character and ability to charm people, and connections in all the right, high places.

There's nothing wrong with having friends and people skills. But don't we want our politicians to advertise their stripe? To show integrity and loyalty to what they believe in? Everyone's politics falls somewhere on the spectrum and I believe it only honest and right that if people go into politics, they are clear about where they stand and why.

This is classic Cameron, all over. Another smooth talker. Another pretend moderate, who only has one ambition in mind - hoover up as many 'centre' and 'centre-progressive left' votes as possible in order to win. 

It's about winning for winning's sake. Just like under Blair, and just as it will likely be under Cameron.

This is what we have to look forward to. The slow poisoning of the well of British politics, which for too long has laboured under an unworkable and undemocratic system.

Yorkshire LPUK meetup will be held...

.. In York.

The votes that I received were 2 for York, and 2 for Leeds.
I should have known this wouldn't be straight forward, so I have had to cast my own vote. I was going to abstain, given the fact that I am arranging this, and I live in York, but now I have to cast my vote, it is for York.

I'm sorry if this makes things difficult for you, but if we decide to arrange another meetup after this, and I am arranging it, it will be in Leeds.

I think it'd be best, if we want to continue having meetups, that we go on tour. York first, home of Guy Fawkes and the venue of the first LPUK AGM. Next to Leeds, where we can decide where to go for the one after, where we can decide where to go after that, and so on and so forth.

As for the venue, I need to double check to see if it is still open (There was talk of it closing down a while ago, and I haven't been near it recently to see.), but I would propose we go to the same place that some of us went to after the AGM last year, The Spread Eagle.

I'll get back to you with more details when I have them, but for now, mark your calendars on the 15th August for a trip to York.

One Last Question...

... Regarding the meetup.

I have it down to two cities now, people from the Counties of West Yorkshire, North Yorkshire, and East Yorkshire (*) have expressed interest so far, I've heard nothing from anyone in South Yorkshire, so it looks like the meetup will be held in either Leeds, or York as a general central point of those Counties, with easy access by public or private transport.

So, the question is, which City would be best for you?

Please, drop me a line, or leave a comment on this post to 'cast your vote' as it were.

I will post the result here on Sunday 2nd August.

I am looking at Saturday 15th August for this, I hope that will be okay with everyone.

Cast your votes if you're coming!

(*)=At least, I think East Yorkshire is still a County, please politely correct me if I am wrong, I mean no offense!

So where are you?

Just an update for you all regarding meeting up.

I have had a few responses from people interested in meeting up, but what I need now is the location of the people who are interested, so I can figure out a mutually convienient place to get us together.

I have asked a couple of members of the NCC if they will be available to join us, so I am just waiting for their replies, I know that one of them gets up to Yorkshire fairly regularly, and it would be nice to see them again.

There has also been some unofficial interest in a meeting from the Taxpayers Alliance too, with whom we seem to share a lot of common ground. All will be welcome!

Remember, you don’t have to be a member of the LPUK to come and have a natter with us, so even if you just want to hear more about us, you’re welcome to join us when the arrangements are finalised.

Now, for those of you that were enquiring about the minutes of last year’s LPUK AGM, I’m afraid I have had no word of their whereabouts thus far.

I think with the run up towards this week’s Norwich North by-election, that the people who would know, have been very busy. I have asked again today though, and await their response. Sorry about that, I’d quite like to see them myself actually, because, although I was at the AGM myself, I don’t remember that much about it now.

Perhaps Shades can remember some more, as he played a somewhat comical, but very important role there as I recall, pointing out the little mistakes that were being made here and there!

So, for now, if you could just let me know where you are in Yorkshire, just your area, I’m not interested in any details, then we can look at getting this show running!

Yorkshire is Libertarian - people at last have a decent choice

As a Londoner (or an ex-Londoner as I call myself now) I thought that it would be hard settling into a new life in Yorkshire when I moved up here several years ago.

I am happy to say I was wrong. Not only because so much of my county is beautiful and quintessentially English. Not only because of my love of the dark, dank industrial architecture of the 19th century.

What makes Yorkshire so warming to me is the people - Yorkshire people are probably the finest individuals I have ever met on these shores.

Unlike so many people I have encountered from the South, people from Yorkshire almost always possess certain traits that I find compatible with my own attitude to life.

They are direct and no nonsense. They are generally friendly, respectful and decent. And more so than people I have encountered elsewhere, they are self-reliant, full of self-respect and understand the dividing line between valuing their community and dependence on government for the answers.

Yorkshire is probably one of the most naturally Libertarian areas in Britain today. I have found it interesting that, historically speaking, Yorkshire is one of the few regions in the North of England where the Conservative party have done well at elections.

Yet from what I can see, this isn't because the place is packed out with blue rinse mob Tories - it appears that people have traditionally leaned to the Tories over the years because the party is linked with less interference, less tax, more emphasis on the importance of the individual and family and more emphasis on enterprise and personal endeavour.

I say 'traditionally' for a reason. If the Conservatives ever did really stand for these things to any meaningful degree, they certainly do not now.

The authoritarian element within the Tory party is now joined by a new ally - the wet, Blairite, social democratic David Cameron, who wishes to keep public spending high, keep the role of the state ever present and who will do nothing to withdraw the disgraceful impositions upon the British people that have been placed there by the Labour government.

The people of Yorkshire want none of this, and it is only because everyone is so sick of Labour and Gordon Brown that people may consider the Tories as the last, least worst hope.

It is therefore an opportunity and a blessing that the naturally Libertarian minded people of Yorkshire and the LPUK presence in this region are able to see a way through the malaise. The more people get to hear about us and the more we grow as a party, the better.

For Yorkshire men and women will at last have a party that stands for their beliefs and their ideals. A party that isn't ideological, isn't dogmatic, isn't right or left in the old fashioned sense, isn't pathetic and uselessly 'New Labour'-esque, isn't about special interests and agendas and isn't about state dominance.

People will in the future see our party and see an outfit that offers freedom and liberty. Freedom from the shackles of excessive state interference. Freedom from being told what to do by a bossy, over-dominant Westminster establishment and elite. A party that says - 'you know what is best for you and your family; go build your lives we'll leave you alone'.

The only thing stopping the LPUK from becoming popular in Yorkshire is a lack of awareness and exposure. This, undoubtedly, will come in time with effort and perseverance.

John Demetriou.

Let's Talk...

Let’s talk.

I need your help.

After a conversation with Andrew Withers, chairman of the LPUK, last week, I have taken on the role of regional coordinator for the Yorkshire region of the LPUK.

How many of us are there? How many LPUK members are in the Yorkshire region, and, indeed, how many people are reading this from Yorkshire, who are perhaps considering joining us, or want to know more about us, and the philosophy of liberty?

I’d like to try and arrange a meeting of some kind. Informally, so we can get to know each other a little. We can discuss Libertarianism in a nice pub somewhere.

I was at the LPUK AGM in York last year, and I thoroughly enjoyed the conversations we were all having together. Just speaking, and listening to like-minded people made the LPUK all the more real to me.

I think that is the problem we have at the moment, within the LPUK. So many names, but no faces. No genuine contact.

It feels to me sometimes, reading the LPUK member’s forums and to a lesser degree the main blog, that there are a lot of pissing competitions going on. Schoolyard ‘I’m more Libertarian than you’ nonsense, which can sometimes make me feel like we will never get anywhere.

I believe face to face contact, and a good old natter over a few bevvies is the best way to try and get things rolling. The LPUK internet presence has it’s place, it’s time and purpose, but now we need to be looking at taking real physical action.

We need to be getting the LPUK word out, in preparation not necessarily for the next general election, but for the one after. We need to be arranging meetings, getting our name out there, and getting people’s attention. I believe we need to be looking at getting a few LPUK bottoms into some local council seats if we have the people willing to stand.

I believe there is something for everyone within the LPUK. I honestly believe we can offer the change, a new direction, and next level of ‘democracy’ to this once great Country.

Great Britain has been viewed as the Mother of democracy throughout the free world, but now that democracy has become tainted, and spoiled. It no longer serves the people of Great Britain the way it was intended. It has been exploited, and abused, and manipulated to serve only the few, and not the majority.

It’s time for the next stage of democracy. It’s time for a change, and time for a new kind of freedom to all who would embrace it. A freedom that has been erroded, and withdrawn from us over the last twelve years.

This is where I need your help.

I am no politician, I’m barely any kind of organiser, or coordinator. I’ve stepped up to take this position because, quite simply, nobody else did. If someone more able were to come along tomorrow, and ask to take my place here, I would gladly step aside and watch them do a better job than I.

I am doing this because I believe it is the only way we are going to get ourselves known outside the internet.

The current by-election campaign in Norwich North has shown us that the mainstream media has no interest in us. Even as a legitimate, campaigning political party, with the youngest ever parliamentary candidate, we have struggled to get much coverage. Not that this was unexpected, we knew from the start that it would be difficult to get noticed, but what we do seem to have found however, is that the people that our campaigners in Norwich have been able to speak to, face to face, have been reacting positively to our policies, and direction.

I believe we will get the votes that we need to get our deposit back, and you have it here in writing!

But, back to Yorkshire, and the help I need from you.

Where are you all?

Yorkshire is a big region as we are all aware. I myself am in York, in the North riding. I’m fairly certain we have members in Bradford, in the West riding, but other than that, I have no idea where you are.

Who are you?

Are you a leader? Do you have experience in politics that you could share with the LPUK, to try and move ourselves forward? Would you be interested in becoming a parliamentary, or local candidate for the LPUK further down the line?

What can you do?

Do you have contacts, or skills that would be useful in getting the LPUK’s message out there? Can you stuff envelopes, or pound the streets, or deliver leaflets? Can you make a donation to the LPUK, to help us with future election fees?

What do you want from me, your regional coordinator?

Tell me.

I believe that the LPUK is the only alternative now. All the other parties are merely differently coloured rosettes, but with almost the same ultimate ambitions and final outcomes.

They all want to rule you, and tell you how to live your life, while serving only themselves.

They are supposed to be working for YOU, you do not serve THEM.

Only the LPUK would give control of your life back to YOU. Only the LPUK will work to make YOU better off in every aspect of your life.

Let me know how I can serve you best, as your regional coordinator.

The Kirkstall Festival

Was persuaded by my very rotund and frustrated wife to break our normal Saturday malaise with a trip to the Kirkstall Festival this afternoon - weather was nice and I was not much in the mood for housework, so we went, along with our pet labrador, Bonnie.

Amidst the many tents selling their wares for various causes I noticed the following:

• The Labour Party.
• Solidarity With Cuba (replete with Che Geuvera merchandise).
• A group calling itself "Green Labour".
• The UK Communist Party.

Walking along the rest of the Abbey I noticed there was not a single advocate of conservatism, liberalism or libertarianism, and I ask myself why political dialogue was confined to rabid, left-wing ideology.

What was most striking about the event was that these stalls were in the order above as I passed them; reading up on the similarities and differences between the 2 before coming to write this I found the following article; this in particular is telling:

"Socialism is the first step in the process of developing the productive forces to achieve abundance and changing the mental and spiritual outlook of the people. It is the necessary transition stage from capitalism to communism."

Compare and contrast:

"Socialism may be established by force, as in the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics—or by vote, as in Nazi (National Socialist) Germany. The degree of socialisation may be total, as in Russia—or partial, as in England. Theoretically, the differences are superficial; practically, they are only a matter of time. The basic principle, in all cases, is the same."

I will be in contact with other members of LPUK next year to see if we can organise something to appear at this and other local fairs; if you like me are few up of a closed-off narrative that merely offs varying levels of theft from your pocket for varying reasons. Then try something different; try LPUK.

cross posted here.

One Death Is Too Many

Driving home from work last night I often turn on to Radio 4 to listen to Eddie Mair- he tends not to give politicians an easy ride, which is why they must be lining up to take on his standin Carolin Quinn in his absence.

Yesterday evening Rita Donaghy talked about her enquiry findings into fatalities in the construction industry and how they amounted to an equivalent of 1 per day in the UK. She recommended greater protections for workers and the responsibility for good health and safety planning given to the director of any building project, making him prosecutable if the worst happened. Good, I thought. You can read the report here; 365 deaths stopped a year is a noble goal but in the running of things this is quite a good record considering the nature of the work.

It got me thinking about something I read last year here. According to a TPA report based on WHO data were the NHS to have the same “mortality amenable to healthcare” as the average of the other European countries studied (Germany, France, the Netherlands and Spain), there would have been 17,157 fewer deaths in 2004, the most recent year for which data is available.

1 death per day in the construction industry attributed (but not proven) to bad health and safety management.

vs.

47 deaths per day (at the last count) caused by poor management of disease and by a system that champions scarcity & rationing as a virtue over good healthcare outcomes - you need only look at Jade Goody's case to understand how this comes about.

Do not get me wrong; I have several friends in the health service who do many difference jobs; doctors, nurses, admin (in my younger days I temped in admin roles in many hospital departments - at one point for over a year in one) and in many of these cases deaths are not always down to poor treatment; the reason for these death I believe are 3 fold:

1. Risk is supplanted by regulation; regulation leads to more i's dotted and t's crossed but dont account for the rules not covering every possibility that good common sense would; frontline staff merely wish to avoid incurring the wrath of the clipboard wielders and, as our MP's expenses scam proves, it so much easier to state you were playing "within the rules".

2. As far as users of the NHS are concerned it is a free service; you dont have to pull out your wallet to pay for treatment ergo it must be free. This assumption is not just an oddity within the NHS but widespread socialist consensus-think has taught us - that nothing important in this country can function without the government sticking its oar in. Thus we do not value our own health or the services which help us when we are sick.

3. The governments attempts to use the private sector as a means of palming off responsibility which rightfully belongs to it (it deeming to control our healthcare system after all) in areas like cleaning, or the more insidious use of PFI or "management consultants" to reduce levels of nursing and support staff leading to faster turnaround for beds and greater risks of infection.

In all 3 cases it is the system that is at fault; you are compelled to buy into 1 system at the barrel of a gun and treated as a right-wing nut when you question the percieved wisdom that 47 deaths per day is a worthy sacrifice to keep this "wonder of the world".

BUT THERE IS ANOTHER WAY

The Libertarian Party manifesto for health is deceptively simple; government doesn't hold the key to the best healthcare system; you do - if you care about your life then you need to take responsibility over it. Understanding your own mortality, accepting it and the cost it takes to keep you healthy in terms of what you do to yourself and how you mitigate the risks when the worst happens is part of that.

For me I believe the best outcome would come from combinatorial medical savings accounts and insurance; considering fully comprehensive insurance for me, my wife and the little one due to arrive any day now would be approximately £80 for all of us (compared to roughly £200 each from my wife and me for NI contributions, considering our employers double these) the cost to offset our insurance against a tax free medical savings nest egg we could take to any provider would ensure the best outcome; the one we want. For those of us unfortunate to have long term ailments this could be covered by a fairer national insurance tax which also covers emergency and maternity services (accidents and healthcare for people who have had little say in needing it should not be forced to pay for it); the costs of these relative to other sections of the NHS are relatively small and manageable.

For a better idea of how this would work; look here.

Press Release 7th July 2009

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

Fair Use Expiry Notificiation #2

WORD #2: Regulation: the wiktionary describes the term "regulate" in the following way:

To dictate policy; To control or direct according to rule, principle, or law; To adjust to a particular specification or requirement: regulate temperature; To adjust (a mechanism) for accurate and proper functioning; To put or maintain in order: regulate one's eating habits

Regulation should be an extend from our negative liberties, i.e. be the consequence to infringement on the rights of another, i.e. prison for a thief or murderer agreed upon by all as a means to resolve issues.

EXAMPLE OF COMMON MISUSE: Many believers in the sovereignty of government over our lives rather than over our laws believe that regulation to be a means of correcting "inequality"; this comes from the mistaken belief that laws should be formed to enable positive liberty and/or "equality" - that is "equality of outcome" rather than "equality of opportunity". They develop "regulations" which deprives wealth creators of the fruits of their labours in order to distribute these to others less able.

More so they erect "regulations" which impede the ability of the better able to create wealth so that the less able are led to believe they can compete, ignoring the obvious caveat that it is not through their own ability but by their recognition with those in authority as being less able, or worse, being a group with pull in political circles.

ALTERNATIVE WORD/TERM FOR IMMEADIATE REPLACEMENT: Regulation should form the bedrock of our liberty and should give us all an equal footing to pursue justice; if a manufacturer knowingly hides a fact about their product which lead to a persons injury or death, or a company pollutes land that does not belong to there should be a means of pursuing justice within the court; it is not a perch for others to gain a foothold over others, such as is happening with the CFP, CAP, the BPD or REACh; all of which enable certain groups to gain advantages over others without having to rely on their own natural abilities, but government pull. Regulation at the point of a gun is no longer regulation - it is:

DICTATULATION

i.e. "You will behave have in a certain way in order to constrain your natural ability, so that others less able and/or with better political pull will be able to compete with your reduced ability rather than their equal one; your ability to create wealth is less important than our pursuit of "equality"."

From now on, any use of the word "regulation" when describing a means of constraining human activity where it does not necessarily infringe upon anothers liberty or "equality of opportunity" shall henceforth be corrected with the above term.

Next time: democracy

cross-posted here

Fair Use Expiry Notificiation #1

THIS IS A NOTIFICATION THAT THE FAIR USE OF THE FOLLOWING TERM UTILISED BY THE LEFT AND OUR POLITICAL MASTERS HAS NOW EXPIRED; YOU HAVE ABUSED IT TO BREAKING POINT AND IN THE INTERESTS OF SOCIAL JUSTICE FOR THE CITIZENRY AND USERS OF THE ENGLISH LANGUAGE IT IS BEING REMOVED FROM YOUR USE: FURTHER ATTEMPTS AT DOING SO WILL BE CORRECTED BY YOUR BETTERS BY THE FOLLOWING NEW WORD OR PHRASE CAREFULLY SELECTED TO DESCRIBE THE ACTUAL CONCEPT YOU ARE TRYING TO EXPLAIN.

WORD #1:  Privatisation: Privatization is the incidence or process of transferring ownership of a business, enterprise, agency or public service from the public sector (government) to the private sector (business). In a broader sense, privatization refers to transfer of any government function to the private sector including governmental functions like revenue collection and law enforcement (wiki article here).

EXAMPLE OF COMMON MISUSE: Most common misuse today is to describe the actions of our government with regard to the rail network, e.g. here. The problem being that this is by no means a service that is run privately, i.e.  with complete autonomy over the running of there business, their routes and their fees, all of which are set by political diktat with little wiggle room. This concept is best exemplified by a fruit seller who is told he may only sell one particular type of fruit, at one particular price, irrespective of the cost or desire of the customer. This program is largely administered by corporate groups who know full well that without full control over the running of their business they are destined to fail - to this end they can continually rely on government support to keep them ashore - the benefit to the politico is they can blame "capitalist greed" for the failure of such a service; the "capitalist" themselves just keep taking the millions - the taxpayer just gets screwed.

Other examples of its misuse has been identified when describing (either fearfully or fervently depending on the group you are talking to) what is happening to the NHS or any of our social or welfare services under a Bory government. 

ALTERNATIVE WORD/TERM FOR IMMEADIATE REPLACEMENT: As this is, effectively, a means of politicos keeping control of something but diverting the vitriol of the public onto "private" business this will require a term rather than outright work - the recommendation for immeadiate correction of the misuse of the term PRIVATISATION is:

POLITICAL-FAILURE-MITIGATION

Users of the term "PRIVATISATION" are reminded that, with regards to the fair use of the English language, they will now be expected to use the new term to describe, accurately, what they mean when they describe what is happening to the railway network and, more extensively, what is happening to public transport in general in this country.An example of a private system used to great effect in many countries (and which has raised living standards in the developing world especially) is the "share-taxi" system. Any concept related to this, where the emphasis is on results and require minimal state intervention, may be described under the rules of fair use as privatisation.

tomorrow: Regulation.

Cross-posted here.

Thomas Burridge, LPUK.

Following the resignation of the thieving fraudst.. er, I mean, Labour MP Ian Gibson, I just wanted to offer my best wishes to the LPUK's parliamentary candidate for the upcoming Norwich North election, Thomas Burridge.

Good luck Thomas, we're all behind you.

Dead Men Walking

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.

2 Crocodiles

Spotted over at Guido's:

Two Crocodiles were sitting at the side of the river Thames

The smaller one turned to the bigger one and said, ‘I can’t understand how
you can be so much bigger than me. We’re the same age, we were the same size
as kids. I just don’t get it.’ 

‘Well,’ said the big Croc, ‘what have you been eating?’ 

‘Politicians, same as you,’ replied the small Croc. 

‘Hmm. Well, where do you catch them?’ 

‘Down the other side of the river near the parking lot by the Houses of Parliament .’ 

‘Same here. Hmm.. How do you catch them?’ 

‘Well, I crawl up under one of their Jaguar cars and wait for one to unlock
the car door. Then I jump out, grab them by the leg, shake the shit out of
them and eat ‘em!’ 

‘Ah!’ says the big Crocodile, ‘I think I see your problem. You’re not
getting any real nourishment. See, by the time you finish shaking the shit out of a Politician, there’s nothing left but an arsehole and a briefcase.’

Brilliant joke, shame it just doesn't overtake life as yet for true hilarity though...

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

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.

Seemed fitting...

...that I post this message I have sent to members of a facebook group I belong to to my blog so more people can get involved (if your interested in joining send me a message); the group is concerned with entreating our monarch to dissolve parliament. Read on:

Hi all,

If you have a spare few minutes please have a read of this; it is written by the leader of the Libertarian Party, Ian Parker-Joseph.

Of most interest is the following line:

"There are now 7 unelected members of the cabinet - Mandelson, Adonis, Malloch-Brown, Drayson, Scotland, Royall, Kinnock. This is very quickly becoming the executive of a Dictator."

7 members. Constitutional law states that a cabinet can only have 22 paid members - nigh on a third of the cabinets paid executive have never been subject to a popular vote, never had the scrutiny of the electorate during a surgery nor had to give answer to anyone despite being responsible for spending not only 50+ PERCENT of our salaries, but, with unfunded pension liabilities (in a nutshell, they've been taking public sector workers pension funds, spending it, and expecting the public to fund them), PFI (buying services off the private sector which enables some clever Enron-style off-balance sheet hijinks) and the financial/auto/charitable (pick any) bailouts they've been stealing from your children and grandchildren.

This cannot go on.

You have all signed this and there have been several instances in the media and calls for the Queen to dissolve parliament without the "advice" of this unelected, unmandated cretin who deems to ruin this nation, deny its sovereignty, and worse, erode personal responsibility, autonomy and liberty; giving it all over to unelected beauracrats in Europe (NOTE: for those who voted for your MEPs please note: THEY HAVE NO LAW-MAKING DECISIONS THEMSELVES! they simply vote on laws passed down by "the coleagues"; an unelected elite group who formulate laws on the basis of "expert" opinion groups and personal conviction- IT IS NOT DEMOCRATIC IN ANY SENSE OF THE WORD).

I ask that you do 2 more things:

1. Spread the word - promote this group to others via Facebook, word of mouth, carrier pigeon...any means necessary. If people are not willing to join then fair enough - get them to send a letter to the queen to show her that the silent majority would be with her in this historic decision.

2. Please join LPUK's fight to end this madness:

http://lpuk.org/

If you find the idea of politics boring, think of politicians as being venal, corrupt and destructive and government as not being your friend then this is the political party for you; I am not saying we will put an end to corruption or the government or those who occupy parliament, no; what I am saying is that there is a natural place for government, for parliament and for its politicians, and that place is to serve at the behest of the electorate, to make laws based on protecting the individual and to protect the efforts, the labours and the rights that you hand to government, but of late they have abused horribly.

LPUK is the only party that does not believe in forests, only trees; whilst the other parties are willing to let a few trees be cut down for the good of some imaginary forest LPUK is heartily opposed to the practice, and will fight them, oppose them and ultimately overcome; there approach to "rule" is like team figure skating; once a few object the whole troupe fail.

Join up, donate*, or better yet take part; we are a small party that needs butchers, bakers, plumbers, pie-makers who understand they are not economic units to be taxed and squeezed for the benefit of the elite.

If you want to know more send me a message.

God bless,
T

If you yourself are interested join here:

Better yet tell others! You are on this site because you are looking for an alternative to politics and the sham that is democracy - you dont want the current bunch to tinker around the edges of the current state machine; the machine is broken and will not work until we re-establish just what we want the machine to do and what we want ourselves to do. 

Cross posted here.

The Spoilt Party

With the polls starting tomorrow on our real government and on who cleans the streets you may be wondering who if anyone you should vote for - LPUK's firm stance is to not field a candidate at a European level because it does not recognise the legitimacy of the European Commission or its bought and paid for (with our money) parliament who merely rubber stamp rules which our national parliament then have to dress in local garb before forcing upon us. 

I would like to offer a piece of sagely advice by telling you who exactly I will be voting for party wise:

The Spoilt Party.

"But Tom, o master of sagely wisdom, there is no Spoilt Party on my ballot party! what am I to do?" You may say. Worry not - you have just not looked close enough.

In the interests of equality I will be placing a tick against all the possible party options. This is how you vote for "the Spoilt Party".

This may seem a little strange to some - you may counter "but Tom if you vote Spoilt you might as well have just stayed at home and not voted at all!" - not so, I vote spoilt because I believe in the message it sends to our masters who, still having the veneer of democracy have to let us know how many of us voted for the Spoily party in the interests of a "fair and democratic" election - they just dont have to answer whether or not it is just that we allow an unelected beauracracy write all the rules.

I mean, can you imagine what a vote for Spoilt Party would do to Europe? The spoilt party is the only one at a European level that will show us how much of a sham the democratic process really is and how many of us have realised this.

As with my previous post, there is a growing number of us with leanings to vote spoilt but dont realise that this is an option; I say this to you:

Every non-vote is a vote for the winning party, whether you agree with them or not.

If you have seen through the sham that is the EU dont entertain it with the veneer of tribal voting, protest votes or voters paradox (otherwise known as voter apathy); let them know who you want to represent you after the election: you.

You know I'm right, and if you want to see real change when it comes to a general election, for candidates who you actually want to represent, not dictate to you then why not try here?

Join up, donate, take part, LPUK represents that most undermined and forgotten of voters - not the liberals, not the conservatives, not the national-socialists or the social democrats, not the Judean Peoples Front, the Peoples Front of Judea; not even the Popular Front of Judea.

The individual.

Libertarians believe in individual liberty, personal responsibility, and freedom from government—on all issues at all times. We don't say government is too big in one area, but then in another area push for a law to force people to do what we want. We believe in individual liberty, personal responsibility, and freedom from government—on all issues at all times.

We Still Need Your Donations

This Darien Government is now in freefall, an Election is sooner rather than later. We are hoping to put ten candidates forward in the South-East alone, and other are throwing their name in the ring.

The widget is now up and running on the blogs showing monies received since the appeal ten days ago.

We can only repeat the appeal for whatever you can spare.

Last year we set up a pledge bank in case of an Election. We would like to go down the same route again. The pledge will be called in on the morning that the GE is called.

Make your pledge at donate@lpuk.org

People Like You Voting BNP

.. Or so the bile-filled leaflet that came through my door yesterday told me.

My first question, before even reading any of it's contents was 'Who exactly, likes me voting BNP? '

Which people?!

The British Nationalist Party can't even get our written language correct!
I do not pretend to be some kind of linguistic expert, but surely a campaigning political party would get it right, right?

Well, upon further inspection, I realised, without surprise, that the leaflet was full of shit anyway, so I put it to good use...

Turbo and Rhea started to eat it, but they said it left a nasty aftertaste.

I suspect that will be the case if you vote for them too...

Are You Part of the 46.4%?

Looking at the wiki page for Leeds West, the constituency in which I live, I come across a profound miscalculation - it states that John Battle (Labour) was returned with 55.5% of the vote.

This is profoundly wrong and misleading - this is only based on the number of people positively voting for labour out of the total turnout, as if those who decided not to vote somehow do not matter. If you weigh in the total number of available votes the figure looks considerably less impressive: 29.73%.

Less than a third of my fellow constituents returned the Labour party to power of their own volition at the last election.

Less than one in three people brought Labour back to power in Leeds West; less than a quarter brought them back country-wide at the last election - one in 4 people have empowered the Labour party to bring this country to its knees intentionally!

And all because 46.4% of you wouldn't, or couldn't, vote for those in power in my constituency.

There are 2 fatal flaws with democracy - the first comes when people stop voting consciously, allowing bad decisions to be made by flawed people; they cry "voting changes nothing" and make it true because nobody they deem to protect our laws is changed - that is how this present autocracy can rule with a mandate of 1 in 4 people.  The second comes when those self-same flawed MP's foolishly forget that their primary job is not to create laws (bad or good) but to uphold just ones instead; I believe that if LPUK is ever to achieve any real positive change in this country it must not forget this; that we champion the individualist, and by association, laws that let him thrive, above all else.

It is my hope that at the next election - whether that be in 2 or 18 months time, depending on who you believe - I will stand for Leeds West as LPUK's PPC; I have just forwarded my details on to the coordinators to start the ball rolling. In the interim I ask the following:

• If you dont vote, do: if you yourself, or anyone you know, doesn't vote, please do - I am not suggesting you vote for a party you hold only contempt for - in that case vote for all of them; I will be doing so in the upcoming Euro-elections; would the winning party be able to hold any kind of valid mandate if the number of spoiled votes was greater than what brought them into power? Look at it another way - you vote by proxy for the winning party when you do not vote at all.

• If you do not vote because you believe that voting changes nothing, it is because you have voted away too many of your freedoms? I recommend you watch the following videos to understand this; your rights and freedoms aren't given by government - they are yours, and the government exists to serve them and you - anything more, and as we are fast seeing, we become slaves to it. LPUK came into existence to ensure this fact isn't forgotten and government is put into its rightful place, championing liberty, not granting it.

Running a campaign for election is expensive; there are several candidates for LPUK so if you are interested in helping please donate here:

Better yet, join up to make a positive change for Britain:

And if you think you know someone who doesn't vote - tell them about LPUK, show them the website if you have any of the business cards hand them out:

Libertarians believe in individual liberty, personal responsibility, and freedom from government—on all issues at all times. We don't say government is too big in one area, but then in another area push for a law to force people to do what we want. We believe in individual liberty, personal responsibility, and freedom from government—on all issues at all times.

LPUK: a party that speaks for the silent majority.

The difference between MP's and us.

Hat tip to Trixy for this one.

The Hair Cut.

One day a florist goes to a barber for a haircut. After the cut he asked about his bill and the barber replies, 'I cannot accept money from you. I'm doing community service this week.'
The florist was pleased and left the shop.
When the barber goes to open his shop the next morning there is a 'thank you' card and a dozen roses waiting for him at his door..

Later, a cop comes in for a haircut, and when he tries to pay his bill, the barber again replies, 'I cannot accept money from you. I'm doing community service this week.'
The cop is happy and leaves the shop.
The next morning when the barber goes to open up there is a 'thank you' card and a dozen donuts waiting for him at his door.

Later that day, a college professor comes in for a haircut, and when he tries to pay his bill, the barber again replies, 'I cannot accept money from you. I'm doing community service this week.'
The professor is very happy and leaves the shop.
The next morning when the barber opens his shop, there is a 'thank you' card and a dozen different books, such as 'How to Improve Your Business' and 'Becoming More Successful.'

Then, a Member of Parliament comes in for a haircut , and when he goes to pay his bill the barber again replies, 'I cannot accept money from you. I'm doing community service this week.'
The Member of Parliament is very happy and leaves the shop.
The next morning when the barber goes to open up, there are a dozen Members of Parliament lined up waiting for a free haircut.

And that, my friends, illustrates the fundamental difference between the citizens of our country and the Members of Parliament.

Publish the MPs Expenses in Full

A petition to publish the full receipts behind MPs claims, can be signed here. We've only seen some of the expenses we should be able to see. There have been many terrible claims, but there have been those who have claimed nothing (or next to nothing) on their second home allowance.

So, the more people that sign it, the better chance we all have of seeing what our MPs are claiming on. Rightly or wrongly, it's our money being used.

Taking the Shirt off your Back Campaign

Its started off on Old Holborn's site Don't just sit there and accept this crap budget designed to bail out this corrupt Government and its Banker friends.

Dig out that old shirt and send it to 10 Downing Street with a note of what you really think of this budget- let us know that you have done it on 1984@lpuk.org

Gordon Brown
10, Downing Street
London
SW1A 2AA.

Designing out Crime

Browsing the Bradford Council Public Access Portal, I was interested to read a lengthly response from the West Yorkshire Police as a consultee to a planning application for an office block. (I won't link to it as technically I have a pecunary interest). In the course of six pages (although much is of course boilerplate) they effectively objected to the scheme unless the developer "designed in" crime prevention to the structure.

What does that actually mean? Well there is a helpful website, www.securedbydesign.com. Interestingly, this is an offshoot of ACPO, the Association of Chief Police Officers which isn't actually an association at all, it is a business and not subject to public scrutiny.

There are a core set of principles around the scheme which I will distill into a few pertinent areas, the intention of which is to deter criminal behaviour aided and abetted by the built environment. For the site in question, the Police think that the design is over-complicated, i.e. far too crinkly, giving opportunities for crime in recesses and covered areas. Some bits round the back are not covered by natural surveillance, i.e. inadequately overlooked. They are not prepared to support undercroft parking on a large development. They suggest anti-ram bollards all the way round the site (something I'd imagine the Fire Brigade might be less keen on). The CCTV has to be ubiquitous and high quality, even supervising the bins. An approved lighting scheme has to be submitted. An access control strategy needs to be submitted and approved.

The Police don't actually say that they can stop the scheme, just that the submission doesn't comply with numerous regulations about giving these things due consideration, certainly enough to make a Planning Officer keen to cover their bottom.

Planning in the UK has gradually distorted itself from a position of assumed consent unless there are valid reasons to oppose the scheme to the present position of assumed rejection unless numerous hoops are jumped through to keep the Council happy. The most iniquitous of all these is Section 106, a Robin Hood type scheme for only allowing permitted developments provided that there are other (sometimes tenuous) community benefits. Councils call it Planning Gain, I call it legalised bribery.

If you spend any length of time looking at planning submissions, you begin to realise that it is all a big game and the various specialists the developers use are able to cover off all these nebulous topics with flowery words to get stuff through, but at great expense on both sides.

I have a much more pragmatic view of the Town & Country Planning Act- most of it should be swept away. The best sort of town planning happened in the Lassez faire days before Town Planning existed. I'd much rather live in Cheltenham than Milton Keynes.

If I wanted to build something with my own money, I'd make it as crinkly as I like. I'd happily take advice from others but at the end of the day it is my choice, not the State.

A Libertarian Government would make the planning process faster, fairer on the property owner and back to a position of implied consent.

(This post also appears on Shades of Grey and Libertarian Party Blogs)

First Publicity Video.

Thanks to Max Andronichuk for this, via Meetup.com.



EDIT: Source URL changed and updated.

Calling all Yorkshire Libertarians...

There are now several member blogs around the Country. LPUK members are encouraged to contribute on the regional blogs as well as lpuk.blogspot.com.

A North East and a West Riding blog have been created and tucked away, awaiting more local members.

Anyone wishing to have posting rights- please email me at ian-at-iangrey-dot-org