Yorkshire Libertarians

New LPUK Website and Blog Goes Live 31st March

2011-03-30T07:58:00.002+01:00

The new integrated LPUK website and blog goes live on 31st March 2011 at www.lpuk.org in a more user friendly magazine version. You should redirect to this site.

Thanks to Ken Ferguson LPUK's Communication Director and the rest of the team who have put so much of their time and expertise into this project in the last three months.

Gregg Beaman To Stand In Oldham East For Libertarian Party

2010-11-05T14:16:00.002Z

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.

2010 Libertarian Conference- 27th November 2010

2010-10-05T14:29:00.004+01:00

This will be held at the Punch Tavern, 99 Fleet Street, London EC4Y 1 DE 27th November 2010 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.

Tax Blunder Rebellion

2010-09-07T11:34:00.001+01:00

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!

Still Fighting 'them' on the beaches

2010-08-22T09:22:00.001+01:00

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……’

Couldn't We All Just Have A Whip Around?

2010-08-08T09:27:00.001+01:00

Fascinating to see Aunty reporting on the return of the milk snatcher this morning:

The government is considering cutting a UK-wide scheme offering free milk for under-fives in nursery or daycare, the BBC has learned.

A few obvious things first:

1. As the ~£60 million price tag shows (no doubt actually costing about £90 after it's churned through HMRC) it is hardly "free".
2. Who it's not "free" to: we've been piling up the IOUs so long it's no longer the kids drinking it that are paying but their children; and we've debt interests eclipsing our Education and armed forces budget they're paying over the odds as is.

That all said is it really beyond the realms of possibility to pay for this through charitable means? The outcry will be state-paid milk being stolen from the poor; is paying through a consortium of private charities at local level with nationally agreed pricing with milk companies really that difficult? Assuming the simple shopper isn't paying over the odds it a little under a quid each a year to keep 5 year olds in milk.

Note From The Treasurer

2010-08-04T08:16:00.002+01:00

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.

Fill Yer Boots

2010-08-03T15:55:00.001+01:00

Has the TV licence had its day?
Free market thinktank the Adam Smith Institute has called for the TV licence fee to be scrapped, arguing that a BBC subscription model would be better for the industry and avoid criminalising poorer people. Is this the best way forward?

Get stuck in.

Next Yorkshire Libertarians Meetup

2010-07-04T23:58:00.001+01:00

I owe you all a massive apology.

The last 3 months have been a fierce battle to put food on the table and keep myself working and I have neglected my post as coordinator.

I would very much like to make up for that and apologise in person to our members at the next regional meeting, after which I hope to make the meetings a considerably more regular occurence.

A general email will go out soon but if people can suggest dates when their free this month and next I would grateful; email me at tjerubbaal@googlemail.com or leave comments in this post - will respond as they come.

Benefits?

2010-07-04T23:53:00.000+01:00

DK provides a succinct rebuttal to Shuggy on the subject of the poor, benefits and choices.

But the money given to the poor is supposed to serve a certain purpose—that is, to allow them to stay alive. Even Beveridge maintained that benefits should only be at a "subsistance level".

If there is a social contract, it is that those of us who work agree to be taxed to ensure that those who have no work are not lying about, starving in the streets. This is a cost of living in a society, and it also answers the demands of basic humanity.

But the money does not belong to the poor to do what they want with it, it is not provided to give them "choices": it is there for a specific purpose—to ensure that they can stay alive. If they want "choices" then they must go out and earn their own cash.

This morning at Breakfast Mrs Tomrat and I discussed the insanity that is out education system; she relayed a story her student teacher told her about one of our youth group members, who's first placement had been at their school- they told us they were one (of many) who was provided with a PE kit whilst the teachers washed and dried their school uniform and any other clothes they had brought. Another needed to be provided with sanitary towels.

In neither case was this a result of financial poverty; were it, the parents could have asked a half dozen agencies for help; no, this was a result of parents not caring- the former being sent in with dirty clothes by work-shy wasters, the latter by a parent telling their daughter to use school toilet roll.

What have we become? I cannot conceive in my head using my child as a meal ticket*. Nor can I fully comprehend the sheer level we have debased ourselves to for a few scraps from our leaders tables, filled ironically from our own pantries.

I've an alternative suggestion that I've mooted before: make the individuals tax free allowance exchangeable, tax-interchangeable and set no minimum/maximum pricing for it's sale (unfortunately requiring an income tax for obvious reasons).

So married couple want to have a stay at home parent/part time worker; this is made easier to achieve by transfer of all/part of their tax credit, leaving more money for them to make more choices.

A NEET uses his to subsidise training and work placements, bartering for accommodation and a living wage whilst doing so via his company, who use it to lower their corporate tax take.

An unemployed middle-aged man cashes his piecemeal at a negotiated rate to a private friendly society who sell it as a commoditised corporate tax subsidy - charities and business alike shoot up to thrive in this environment; businesses carry charity and friendly-society logos on their websites stating they give competitive rates of exchange/services in return for their tax credits.

Their is a natural cyclical nature to how the subsidy works: in a recession the tax take goes down as does the costs of maintaining the unemployed, carried by those surviving businesses building up the necessary capital to be profitable, invest and create jobs. As more people are laid off there is more tax credits competing for less money, incentivising the owners to seek the best use of their voucher, whether by work or by exchange.

You will not fix the problem of worklessness, faux-entitlement and children-abuse with schemes encouraging sucking at the teat of the state; they need to take charge and see the consequences of their actions - that needn't be starving children because of greedy, frankly evil and conceited parents, nor do we need to put them in such an impoverished state they have few places to turn, merely getting people addicted to responsibility and the freedom it affords will be enough.

* = yes as a father I do claim tax credits and child benefit and I do so with a straight face- as far as I'm concerned this is a tax rebate and would swap it tomorrow if I could for a smaller state, lower taxes and less fanning around.

Whilst I'm sure folks like the Popular Front of Judea would balk at the prospect of taking the man's money so regularly I am perfectly content - I become more or less tax neutral at my current salary and I have no problems with the waste coming out of other peoples pockets, after all, if you don't like it, stop voting the twerps in.

The Target For This Month

2010-06-29T22:19:00.001+01:00

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.

Working For The Man

2010-05-28T15:55:00.001+01:00

Day Of Days !

2010-05-11T16:43:00.000+01:00

Guido has unconfirmed Reports he has gone.

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

ELECTORAL REFORM NOW !

2010-04-30T09:18:00.002+01:00

Something We Should Support

2010-04-30T08:30:00.001+01:00

From my inbox yesterday:

Dear Friend,

As election day gets closer and closer it is vital that the expenses crisis isn't drowned out in promises and spin. Over the last two years the Sunlight Centre's largest campaigns and investigations have been into the Smith Institute and former Home Secretary Jacqui Smith. With your help we want to remind voters about this in the run up to polling day.

Not many people, and certainly not many of his constituents, know the role that Ed Balls played in the scandal around Gordon Brown's favourite, think-tank The Smith Institute, and its breach of the charity laws covering party political activity.

Following the Charity Commission investigation initiated by the Sunlight COPs, the board of the charity had to resign. In the year between leaving the Treasury as Brown's Special Adviser and becoming an MP, Ed Balls was paid close to £89,000 to write two pamphlets for the sham organisation. We want to tell the voters in his constituency of Morley and Outwood about this so the Sunlight Centre will be running an advert highlighting this and his expenses claims throughout the local paper websites in his constituency. We also want to remind Jacqui Smith's constituents of her role as the "poster girl" of the expenses crisis.

Electoral Laws allow us to spend £500 in each constituency, but we need your help in order to raise these funds. If you could please contribute perhaps £10, £20, or £50 then together we can make sure that these two rotten elements of the last rotten parliament are not returned on election day.

Thank you in advance,

Harry Cole

Media Director
The Sunlight Centre

LPUK has asked it membership and friends to donate what they can. Frequently. And it has enabled us to grow, gain new members and expand beyond just being 5 men on the Internet getting together with an idea.

Our membership is not made up of rich City workers managing the bailout money this government has taken from our pockets. Our donors are not rent seeking public sector union proto-communists or big-business lobbyists; our membership is the vast unsung heroes of the real free England, the kind who understand that wealth is more than shiny baubles, but that the pennies are important, including the ones the government takes from them and squanders. It is those who are stopped in the street for no good reason and are imprisoned for telling the agent of the state that what they are doing is none of their business.

I ask our membership, yet again to support a cause out of self-interest; it is in your interests to tell these thieves, these flippers and their petty, flacid authority where to go- the dole queue.

Put what you can towards it.

Libertarian Party Manifesto 2010

2010-04-28T14:21:00.001+01:00

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

Too Good, Or Depressing?, To Let Drift Back Into The Ether

2010-04-27T16:08:00.001+01:00

All freedom-loving peoples should read this; what happens in America happens here a few years later.

What a sad turn of events.

Fools the lot of them.

Right Problem, Idiotically Wrong Solution

2010-04-20T16:58:00.000+01:00

Finally someone gets it

Had a very early morning today when my daughter decided sleep was for the weak at 3am. Still serendipity meant I took a different commute this morning which enabled to pass closer to the uni than usual, in turn passing some beardy wierdy, sandalista's handing out the above; the lower half is here:

Isn't it amazing how so many people arrive at the right conclusion to our present idiots in power- that they are all clones - but end up at radically different solutions?

Where the AGS see a change in who controls the knobs of power I just see a bunch of knobs, needing to be thrown out.

Nice to see common ground though.

When Dinosaurs Ruled The Earth

2010-04-15T13:13:00.001+01:00

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?

2010-04-14T07:50:00.001+01:00

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

2010-04-13T09:09:00.001+01:00

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

2010-04-13T08:29:00.001+01:00

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

2010-04-12T10:33:00.001+01:00

Martin's website will be going live shortly.

Long Overdue

2010-04-12T08:55:00.000+01:00

In my role as regional coordinator I sent out a message to our regions members inviting them out for a drink to discuss views, concerns and the like and be surrounded by like-minded people.

The date proposed was this Sunday, 17th April - as there were some issues last time with some individuals wanting to show up to cause trouble I will refrain from putting the time and place up here, so if you would like tone reminded, or if your not a member and would like to know more then please email me at:

thomas.howell@lpuk.org.uk

If you have any concerns/ideas I'm the interim please do not hesitate to contact me.

See you Sunday!

Brilliant Dilbert Illustrating How The Law Can Pervert Justice

2010-04-11T14:35:00.000+01:00

Remember if it doesn't cover the rights you bear intrinsically it is most likely to screw over someone.

Death Of A Democratic Liberal Nation

2010-04-09T09:07:00.001+01:00

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

2010-04-08T10:47:00.000+01:00

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

2010-04-07T23:02:00.001+01:00

The writing on the wall

2010-04-01T11:55:00.000+01:00

Having just read Guido's post on the subject I felt the urge to write to the Tory PPC for my area, Leeds West, to sound out his views on the subject:

Hello Mr. Marjoram,

As the PPC for Leeds West for the Conservatives your party stands a good chance of forming the next government an you representing the people of this district.

Today the blogger Guido Fawkes at order-order.com has illustrated yet more example of Gordon Brown being economical with the truth in thus piece here:

http://order-order.com/2010/04/01/statistics-boss-stop-lying-mr-brown/

Of particular note is the last few paragraph, particularly the area in red:

"Gordon pathologically lies with numbers all the time, he constantly reels off fudged statistics whenever he is questioned. Crime statistics are massaged and worst of all the government’s real debt position is hidden using PFI and by ignoring public sector pension obligations. When the Tories get in one of the first things they should do is restate the national debt to honestly reflect the dire truth of the position hidden by Gordon’s years of deceit…"

As the Conservative candidate for Leeds West I was wondering if you would commit to pressing David Cameron into restating the national debt in correct context and to hold an enquiry onto the exact extent of our national debt.

Achieving this on day one will usher in a new era of honest, open government, the likes of which Gordon Brown has been measured and found wanting for.

If trust is to be restored and a cure found for the current "rotten" parliament it must begin from the ground up; I urge that if you are successful in becoming our MP that you will initiate/support any early day motions (EDMs) to this end and call on the cabinet to acknowledge any petitions on this subject.

Yours sincerely,

Tomrat

Why not write to your PPCs and incumbent candidates as well?

Should be way enough to determine who they are via wikipedia or use this site as I did.

Change starts from asking question; ask yours.

2010-03-27T14:52:00.001Z

Yet More Indications We Are Ruled By Thieving, Conniving Turds

2010-03-24T10:09:00.000Z

A Labour MP yesterday. Hope he's got receipts for those

Honestly how is it we are still ruled over by thieves, liars and corrupted souls? When was someone going to tell me Byers was still around causing trouble? Whether he's allowing his buddies to loot British car manufcturers and the taxpayer or undermining the privatised rail industry stock price to enable the government to renationalise it on the cheap, putting old retirees on the breadline he's bad news anywhere he goes*.

Guido and the sunlight centre have him pegged and are petitioning our Buffy to have the "right honourable" bit removed from his name in an official capacity - it was probably removed long ago in the unofficial one. Ofcourse on present form the Queens actions tend not to extend beyond arm waving but we can live in hope.

To make matters worse the Daily Fail is saying that as ex-cabinet ministers they are in line for peerages; this is insult on lasting injury.

What is the panacea to all of this? Politicians will tell you it us mire QUANGOs, more faux-scrutiny and more money to stop them stealing from us or undermining the rule of law; I have a simpler, more elegant solution: a recall law.

Have a localised recall law which comes into effect after the mp's first year in power that allows his constituents to remove him upon collection of more than 51% of registered voters (NOT popular votes; we've all got to want rid of them, not just the ones who are bothered enough to turn up; the right to recall should ensure this figure is closer to the popular one) which immeadiately calls for a byelection.

Likewise a national referrenda (again based on total registered voters not the popular vote) for the removal of a lord which requires a 1% higher than that of the mps who voted to give them a seat in a secret ballot for the lords.

I still think there is some stock to keep the Lords, and that democratising it needs to be done carefully; the only thing that should prevent a Lord entering the upper house is being behind bars and/or being recalled by the citizenry, not the autocracy.

Predictions for #budget2010

2010-03-23T13:32:00.000Z

A KFC in every bucket, and an uninsured vauxhall nova in every yard.

Either that or the party slogan (pick any party, doesn't matter).

Vote same. Get same.

The Non-Ideal Solution to Meow Meow

2010-03-22T22:47:00.000Z

A lot has been made of the use and dangers of legal highs recently, particularly with the deaths of 2 children in Scunthorpe thought to be linked to "Meow meow" or mephedrone as it is known chemically.

Whilst drug deaths, especially those where children are involved are heartbraking I remain convinced that the calls of those directly affected for a ban are misguided whilst those of their political masters are purely taking advantage of the situation; either through more thorough control over us proles or, though a more cynical reason there is none, for political gain (particularly odious considering the cause of these childrens deaths isn't entirely as clear cut); if there were any proportionality to there reasoning why not ban alcohol and tabacco, blowing up distilleries.

Boatang has recorded some of the goings on with prohibition over the last century; he makes the standard libertarian arguements, and I agree with them. All.

Problem is as I found out in very practical terms recently people put very little stock in arguements that are inherently pro-freedom; they are geared to accept a smaller world view and find the path of least resistance in simple punitive arguements of one group or another (Melanie Philips being a case in point).

That is why I would like to propose an alternative to outright legalisation which would reduce the prevalence of deaths attributable to drug taking whilst curbing the spread: expand the powers of the MHRA to include recreational drugs of all kinds (including alcohol and tabacco) and alter the remit of drug laws to inform peoples of the risks involved.

Additionally tax it as you would any other legal recreational drug; weight for weight recreational drugs like alcohol and tabacco mitigate the costs associated with their use many times over - possibly one of the only reasons why they've not been banned outright by a bansturbating parliament, plus the fact that they are populist, attention-seeking scumbags probably figures into it quite heavily too. Either way one of the most egregious aspects of prohibition has been the lack of research that goes into these drugs; a fact that through much of their history has led to pathways of research being controlled by some particularly unsavoury elements, which can never be a good thing.

Drug licencing means that credible research will have to be done into the effects of these drugs in their pure form and delivery methods will be improved - we will swap pharmaceutical-grade talc and polyols for brick dust and cut glass currently used.

All the while drug development can continue in a self-sustaining manner; the burdens of abuse becoming self-mitigated problems.

This isn't ideal; I am effectively calling for the problem of recreational drugs to fall out of one government agencies lap (the police and justice agencies) into another (the regulatory bodies) and to ensure comparisons can be drawn include tabacco (alcohol is covered by strict GMP guidelines making it less worthwhile); the outcome of any credible study would probably make uncomfortable reading for some users of current legal drugs.

All in all though I am advocating a net increase in the individuals freedom; not everyone will make decisions which will be good for them but fewer of those bad decisions will prove fatal or find them taking their life places that will prove impossible to come back from. Drugs will naturally become cheaper and safer, releasing the burden on healthcare and remove the criminal monopsonies that plague our inner cities; the police becoming able to mop up weakened and impoverished criminal gangs.

If the war on drugs teaches us anything it illustrates where denormalising behaviour eventually takes us; to disenfranchise and criminalise an entire subculture merely impoverishes us all.

I am no fan of drugs; I think it is pure escapism, but as a drinker and resident of the UK I have to say of late we have all needed an escape; making drugs pay their own way will only reduce the dependency on them overall and help those who use them become responsible for their own actions.

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

2010-03-18T08:28:00.001Z

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 .

Panic Buying

2010-03-17T12:45:00.000Z

Good God is there no group Gordo won't beat up on and then pander to the next minute like a deranged schizophrenic ex-girlfriend off her meds?

London’s hedge fund and private equity industry won a last-minute reprieve from contentious new European regulations on Tuesday, after Gordon Brown pleaded that the issue be shelved until after the general election.

The personal intervention by the prime minister staved off certain defeat for Britain at a finance ministers’ meeting in Brussels, where France leads a powerful coalition that is calling for tough regulation of the sector.

Having realised the enormous amount of wealth and money these funds generate in the capital he suddenly realises that letting rival countries having a say in the way one of the last best functioning industries in the UK works may not be in the best natural interest. Do I hear a mea culpa? Do I chuff.

But the confrontation has only been deferred. Spain, holder of the rotating European Union presidency, signalled that it intended to secure a deal on proposed legislation on the “alternative investments” sector before its term ends in June.

The grandstanding hasn't stopped, but merely delayed- why you ask?

That could create a bruising early test of relations between an incoming Conservative government – if the opposition party wins the election expected on May 6 – and the rest of Europe on an issue of vital economic interest for Britain.

France and Germany have led calls for regulation of hedge funds and private equity, arguing for more disclosure of trading information to supervisors as they pose a systemic risk. Britain accepts the need for regulation but argues that draft rules would be too onerous.

The proposed EU directive mainly affects Britain: an estimated 80 per cent of Europe’s hedge funds and 60 per cent of private equity firms are based in the UK.

To create problems for the Bory's; typical ZanuNuLayabout gerrymandering skeelitness.

So what does this new directive intend to achieve?

The so-called Alternative Investment Fund Managers directive would regulate private equity and hedge funds as well as various other “alternative” funds – such as for commodities, real estate and infrastructure, writes Nikki Tait.

Core measures include requiring fund managers to obtain authorisation before they operate in the EU; satisfying authorities about their internal risk management arrangements; providing certain information to investors; rules on leverage and custodial standards; and rules for offshore funds and managers located in so-called third countries.

The directive must be approved by member states and by the European parliament before it can become law.

So fund managers, with billions entrusted to them by investors to whom they are accountable, to look after their money and make it work for them, are expected to be answerable to an unelected, unaccountable quango in Brussels? Part of the same quangocracy and mediocracy that hasn't had it's own accounts signed off for God knows how long?

The European Commission says the AIF sector in the EU managed about €2,000bn ($2,720bn, £1,900bn) in assets at the end of 2008.

€2 TRILLION is a lot of money from which to cream off a healthy crust (not accounting for all this other points the cash is striped from our unwilling hands. Kerching!

Knowing that Britain would be outvoted in Brussels on Tuesday, Mr Brown made a last-ditch appeal to José Luis Rodriguez Zapatero, his Spanish counterpart, to defer a decision by finance ministers on the directive. Downing Street rejoiced at what it portrayed as a diplomatic coup for Mr Brown. “Gordon has spent years building up political capital with key allies in Europe,” said one aide. “Mr Zapatero was very understanding.”

Spain said it wanted to take more time to get a better result.

Pure political point scoring being played by Mr Brown - in the short term he has mitigated the effects of an unelected quangocracy's decisions to further ruin the finance industry of the UK by palming off any decision to the Bory's (potentially) in the next parliament. What's the betting limpet Brown will be on the opposition benches after the GE heckling them about not protecting the finance industry?

And just to prove where the "opposition" lies on this:

However, Mark Hoban, Conservative spokesman for the City, said Mr Brown had been forced to plead for a deferral because he had failed to dilute the directive at an earlier stage. The Tories would base a Treasury minister in Brussels to monitor future legislation.

Notice this is an admission that, either way there is nothing either party can do to stop this; if the EU wants control of this area they will regulate it into submission; this is it's modis operendi since day 1. Also notice that the Bory's actually welcome the chance to interfere in yet more things.

The key issue holding up a compromise deal was disagreement over the conditions on which funds and fund managers based outside the EU – including London-based managers running offshore funds – should be allowed to market to professional investors within the 27-country bloc.

You know all that money we've been buying up Chinese and far east goods with al these years? Now that there is a way of investing that back into the West they want to stop it.

Let me say this as plainly as I can; there was a time long before governments, national or federated, thought their job was to interfere in every facet of our existence; they knew their only role was to protect mens freedom to go about their business without harressment - if a Bernie Madoff-type defrauded you of your lifetime savings he could be tried and put in choky and his assets stripped to pay you back.

The crunch, heck me losing my job, was not caused by greedy bankers and hedge funds; it was caused by the housing being overinflated in an environment of low central-bank interest rates - Brown even then was on course for screwing up the competitiveness of our finance industry and needed an "opiate" to distract us- he was quite happy to let us think the price of bricks and mortar were rising whilst we bet the value of them on our credit cards and the never-never. It is ironic that Spain holding the big seat in the EU and trying to make these laws is also the country which proves it had nothing to do with the banks as that link shows.

When the dust on our country finally settles and we are left impoverised as a result of strangling regulation and job losses, cold when practical proof of the fact that climate change was a con comes in the form of freezing winters and a decrepit, failing energy infrastructure and angry at our increasingly worthless mps, their troughing of the few remaining taxpayers and wonderment that noone in the market wants to buy the hard work of our children and grandchildren (don't get me started on GILTs), when all this has come about the only people to blame will be the ones who felt that these things didn't matter, that all we needed was to change to the "other guys" intent on fixing our broken society without understanding why it was broke in the firstplace.

You vote the same, you get the same.

Get Off Our Backs- LPUK Campaign Slogan

2010-03-14T10:48:00.002Z

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

2010-03-10T16:58:00.001Z

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 State

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

2010-03-01T17:23:00.001Z

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.

I Like This Idea...

2010-02-09T10:04:00.000Z

I like it a lot.

Public spending as a percentage of GDP would obviously fall sharply, and those that depend on public spending would certainly feel the squeeze (although social welfare recipients could be given the option of staying on benefit if they relocated outside the City). But against that, Hull would attract entrepreneurs and private investment on an unprecedented scale - and with its easy European access, much of the inflow would come from overseas. There would soon be jobs for all.

I've had to turn down several job offers from several Hull-based companies as the returns quickly diminished when I factored in the cost of travel and tax making my take-home wage significantly lower than minimum wage; but significantly reduced taxation? That alters things quite a bit.

A future consideration for LPUK policy? I don't want to live off the back of you shandy drinking southerners- I want to compete and reclaim the revolution the collectivists have eroded over the last 3 centuries.

You Can't Have It Both Ways

2010-02-04T09:58:00.000Z

Having left my car in the drive for fear of crashing it on my hill (partly because it's an icy death trap, partly because I'm a coward) I read in this mornings Metro that North Yorkshire county council is planning on cranking up their council tax to pay for snow damage (no link yet but the tax payers alliance has one from a few days ago from the Northern Echo.

No.

Presuming other councils are planning similar rises I have to say that with the amount of money they are squirreling away to make up for their own inadequate pension funds and their cowtowing to central govt. diktat this is beyond the pale.

NYCC predict the cost of pothole and road repairs to be £1m; I wonder how much they've spent on climate change advisers and consultations? You know, that thing that was supposed to usher in snow free Christmas' and Winters? Here in the midst of the coldest winter since global warming beganwe find these self serving, meeley mouthed fools again demanding money for a problem they claimed, with the pride of King Cnut, that we would never see again.

Remember as sad as it is your local council is the states representative to it's people; it derives the majority of it's funding directly from central government-fleeced taxpayer money (or, as is the case with our current structural deficit, IOUs in you children and grandchildrens names).

May I humbly suggest to my North Yorkshire colleagues that prior to February 17th (the date the proposals are debates with the full council, if they can get there through the snow) that you let David Cameron's conservatives know anything less than a funding neutral transfer of funds from their global warming shibboleth to road repairs and winter protection will result in them being (r)ejected at the next (local & general) election.

Grips have got to be got; here's a start.

First Authoritarian Outing Of Tory Party Policy

2010-01-20T09:47:00.001Z

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.

Yorkshire Region Coordinator

2010-01-18T17:16:00.001Z

As you are no doubt aware the regional coordinator for Yorkshire stood down recently and left the Party. As Libertarians it is important that the Party is a grass roots body with its members having a big say in how their region/county/district is run.

Yorkshire Libertarians are a reasonably sized and active group within the Party and we looking for a regional coordinator to step in to the role quickly. The task isn't onerous and we can provide support from the NCC. As he lives in the North West the Chairman, Gregg Beaman, (gregg.beamann@lpuk.org) has volunteered to help and work closely with the co-ordinator. Typical duties include:

· Organise local meetings and stir up activism and local recruitment

· Greet new members and make them feel welcome - I copy the coordinator on introductory emails

· Vet anyone who wants to stand for office in any of the assorted elections that we have. Again the NCC will be involved and we need someone with local knowledge and personal contacts to help us

· Attend NCC meetings. These will be held every two months or so and assistance with expenses is available. Unfortunately they are like to be in London as all roads lead to London and it is easier for the South West and Scotland teams, for example, to get there

If you would like to consider this role please feel free to contact Gregg or me and we can discuss it with you.

It has also been suggested that if we cannot find anyone for the role that we merge Yorkshire and North West as they are also active with a coordinator. Being a Yorkshireman myself I'm not sure restarting the War of the Roses is the best solution, so give the position some thought.

mailto:simon.fawthrop@lpuk.org

Exciting Times Cost Money

2010-01-06T14:26:00.001Z

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

Have Your Say

2009-11-30T11:40:00.000Z

(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

2009-11-11T07:56:00.001Z

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

LPUK Conference 28th November 2009

2009-10-21T10:14:00.001+01:00

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.

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

2009-09-29T10:42:00.001+01:00

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.

Let's Get Together

2009-09-26T13:22:00.003+01:00

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

2009-08-15T22:17:00.005+01:00

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...

2009-08-02T13:46:00.002+01:00

.. 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...

2009-07-30T19:15:00.005+01:00

... 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?

2009-07-25T14:02:00.003+01:00

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

2009-07-19T19:21:00.010+01:00

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...

2009-07-18T00:20:00.004+01:00

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

2009-07-11T18:23:00.001+01:00

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

2009-07-09T23:41:00.001+01:00

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

2009-07-07T17:44:00.000+01:00

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

Fair Use Expiry Notificiation #2

2009-07-04T00:01:00.000+01:00

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

2009-07-02T19:37:00.001+01:00

Fair Use Expiry Notificiation #1

2009-07-01T23:35:00.000+01:00

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.

2009-07-01T21:13:00.001+01:00

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

2009-06-27T17:28:00.001+01:00

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.

2 Crocodiles

2009-06-22T18:36:00.002+01:00

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

2009-06-11T09:49:00.000+01:00

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.

Seemed fitting...

2009-06-06T17:21:00.001+01:00

...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

2009-06-03T19:54:00.004+01:00

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

2009-06-03T07:35:00.000+01:00

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

2009-05-22T22:46:00.002+01:00

.. 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%?

2009-05-20T21:31:00.005+01:00

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:

LPUK: a party that speaks for the silent majority.

The difference between MP's and us.

2009-05-20T18:48:00.001+01:00

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

2009-05-14T12:26:00.000+01:00

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

2009-04-22T21:04:00.001+01:00

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

2009-02-11T20:30:00.001Z

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.

2009-02-10T23:44:00.003Z

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

EDIT: Source URL changed and updated.

Calling all Yorkshire Libertarians...

2009-01-30T20:15:00.004Z

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

Why your Post Offices are really disappearing

2008-12-16T23:29:00.000Z

(From Ian PJ)

It was back in 2006
the EU commissioner for the internal market who was then the Irish
Charlie McCreevy told Member State governments across the European
Union that they must scrap their monopoly on delivering letters by 2009.

That
is the real story behind the Lord Mandelson spin today. The report by
Richard Hooper describing the current Royal Mail as "untenable" and
that it is under threat without modernisation.

Really means it is untenable because the European Union says so.

Read more Here

and then click on image below

Never stand behind an elephant
Anoneumouse

So more duplicity by the politicians in Westminster. Pretending to campaign to save the Post Offices whilst all the time giving you Smoke and Mirrors served up with a liberal dose of bullshit.

Ask your MP why they do this in such an underhand way, why they need to lie to you, because it only reinforces that the EU really does have something to hide, and we do have something to fear.

Ask your Tory and LibDem candidate at the next election why they have participated in and gone along with this duplicity and fraud.

Hattip Anglo Saxon Chronicle