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Tom Wales from the newly formed University of Warwick Libertarians has penned a great opening blog post on why students should stand up for liberty.
“You may be excused for assuming that the pursuit of liberty is old hat.
Global intervention to save faltering banks, massive Government debt and a national ID card system costing more than five billion pounds all seem to signify a shift of power from people and business to Government.Why should students seek to challenge such paradigms? What is in it for us in our cosy little bubble of Warwick?
As students, we are affected by the controlling grasp of Government in many more ways than others. From next term, all international students will be forced to hold ID cards. On this issue, NUS President Wes Streeting hits the proverbial nail on its head: “By singling out international students from their peers with biometric identity cards, a group already at risk of stigmatisation will be indelibly marked as different.”
The issue is even scarier if we assume that Gordon Brown gets his way and they start to roll out amongst the general public from 2012. The implications of denial of rights to those who refuse to take them out and a national ID register containing DNA and other biometric information gives the power to Government to follow every aspect of our lives.
“Function creep”, the inevitable use of the system for more than just identity checking, and the demands of the security services in the “War on Terror” would no doubt encourage any weak-willed Government to curtail the civil liberties of card-carrying citizens even further. It is the start of a slippery slope for the future of Britain.
A poll last year by the Joseph Rowntree Reform Trust measured that a majority of citizens are against the cards and a quarter strongly against them.
In addition to this, massive spending and borrowing under Gordon Brown’s government has particular relevance to every student that wishes to stay and work in the UK. We will be servicing the debt for years to come, just as the generations before did so to pay for the Second World War.
Labour has amassed debts equal to £23,000 for each man, woman and child in the country. Government debt repayments alone equal the amount currently spent on the Police Force. Whilst Labour and Conservatives argue about how many public servants have to be sacked in order to reduce the budget deficit, better financial management in the past means that we could afford to employ even more if we so wished.
In order for this situation to change we don’t just need a change between the two parties in Government, we need a greater cross-party clamour for change. The formation of a libertarian society here at Warwick will give us the chance to broaden our understanding of Government and its many failings.
In addition to the questions of civil liberties and massive Government spending, libertarian politics question the very assumptions that exist in society. Why should certain drugs be controlled? Is internet piracy a bad thing? Should Government be involved in curtailing prostitution?
Consequently, in order to shape the future of British politics we shouldn’t be scared to think outside the box. Rather than acting as a fringe party, Warwick Libertarians will be open to members of all parties as well as people who hold just a passing interest on the issue.
The root of the many branches of libertarianism is a belief in freedom. However, as the actions of Government become more and more authoritarian that basis is becoming increasingly fragile.
I hope you can join us in supporting that the metaphorical tree of libertarianism, and having a damn good time in the process.”
Students should get involved with Warwick Libertarians here.
At the invitation of the Young Britons’ Foundation, I’ve written a guest post over at YBF.org.uk. Given a free rein as to topic, I took my inspiration from a bumper sticker I found at the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) in February. In the article I argue that Britain doesn’t need change, it needs liberty.
“In the wake of recent events, and for as long as politicians have sought votes, the buzz words have been ‘reform’, ‘change’, ad nausea. But all this is just so much window-dressing. Brown can fiddle with how they’re elected, and Cameron can fiddle with their roll call, but none of this gets close to the heart of the problem: Government is the problem.”
Continue reading the full article over at the Young Britons’ Foundation website
The Manifesto Club launches ‘Freedom Summer: What Next for Freedom?‘ this Thursday, 14th. Their May Club Night will be the official start of Freedom Summer, a pan-European series of events standing up against the Hyper-regulation of everyday life.
Following on from the discussion begun by libertarians and freedom campaigners at the Convention on Modern Liberty in February, they will kick-start Freedom Summer by asking What Next for Freedom? What are the key limits to freedom today, and how should we begin to organise against them?
They have invited a range of civil libertarians from different campaigns and perspectives to debate the key challenges to freedom in contemporary society, including Josie Appleton (Manifesto Club), Anthony Barnett (Convention on Modern Liberty), Phil Booth (No2ID), Suzanne Moore (columnist, Mail on Sunday)
When: 14 May – doors open 7pm. Discussion begins 8pm
Where: Downstairs at The Evangelist, 33 Blackfriars Lane, EC4V 6EP (Blackfriars and City Thameslink stations, St Paul’s and Mansion House tubes)
Cost: Free for Manifesto Club members; £5 non-members.
Freedom Week is an annual one week seminar Cambridge University. Running from 13 to 17 July 2009, 30 lucky UK students will live and learn liberty at Sidney Sussex College, Cambridge University. Renowned lecturers teach students about the basic philosophy of a free society based on individual liberty and the free market.
The one week format allows students to form a network with fellow students, lecturers and think tanks which will help them to defend freedom at university and in their future careers.
Freedom Week is free for the students, and paid for by private donations. All you need to do to attend is apply – quickly – before the places are all allocated.
To apply go to www.freedomweek.org.uk and send in your application. The deadline for applications is 25 May, but the earlier you apply, the more chance you have of being accepted. For any questions, please contact JP Floru , or Xander Stephenson
Facebook reference: http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=76503354025
Freedom Week 2009
Do you want to learn about individual liberty and the free market?
Is the free market the cause of the economic crisis? Or is there another explanation?
FREEDOM WEEK is an annual one week seminar for 30 UK students at Sidney Sussex College, Cambridge University.
Renowned lecturers teach students about the basic philosophy of a free society based on individual liberty and the free market.
Free market think tanks come along and introduce themselves.
The one week format allows students to form a network with fellow students, lecturers and think tanks which will help them to defend freedom at university and in their future careers.
Freedom Week is free for the students, and paid for by private donations.
Freedom Week is organised by Freedom Alliance, a not for profit organisation.
Freedom Week 2009 will take place from 13 to 17 July 2009.
APPLY NOW !
Go to www.freedomweek.org.uk and send us your application.
The deadline for applications is 25 May, but the earlier you apply, the more chance you have of being accepted.
For any questions, please contact JP Floru , or Xander Stephenson
Sunday, 22nd February - 2pm – Marlborough Group meeting, The Town Hall, Marlborough, Wiltshire SN8 1AL. Dr Sean Gabb of the Libertarian Alliance will speak about the need for conservatives to bear in mind that all the things they have defended for the past hundred years have now been destroyed or co-opted, and that conservatives must start to think how conservative values in the future can be embodied in what may have to be a revolutionary settlement. If you are interested in attending this meeting, please contact Robert Francis.
Thursday, 26th February – The Oxford Union. Dr Sean Gabb of the Libertarian Alliance shall oppose the motion “This House Would Restrict The Free Speech of Extremists”.
Tuesday 17th March - between 6.30pm and 8.30pm - The Second Annual Chris R. Tame Memorial Lecture and Drinks Reception, at the National Liberal Club, One Whitehall Place, London SW1 (nearest tube Embankment). Professor Kevin Dowd: Lessons from the Financial Crisis: A Libertarian Perspective. Full details at: http://www.libertarian.co.uk/conferences/crtmemlec09.htm
Saturday 24th and Sunday 25th October – 2009 London Conference of the Libertarian Alliance and Libertarian International, to be held at the National Liberal Club. Register today.
Take a look at this unofficial video for the United Kingdom Libertarian Party which critiques David Cameron’s brand of conservatism, whilst stating the case for Libertarianism. Interesting viewing.
Dr Sean Gabb, Director of the Libertarian Alliance, will be speaking tomorrow (Monday) night at Star Social, Westminster. If you’re in London feel free to drop in on this free event (no party affiliation required).
Students for Liberty have published two guides aimed at Libertarian activists.
Whilst they are drafted in an American context all but the specifics are easily importable to a British setting, and so should make essential reading for students looking to advance Libertarianism on their campus.
The first publication is a run-through of how to set up a Libertarian society on your campus, and features sections such as:
- Find Others
- Develop a Mission Statement
- Come Up With a Name
- Learn Your School’s Procedures
- Ratify a Constitution
- Set Goals
- Set Up a List-Serve
- Hold Events
- Get School Recognition
- Train New Leadership
as well as case studies and sample texts to assist in setting up your branch.
The second text they’ve published is a battleplan for the Spring term. Each month is given a theme, key dates such as prominent events, births and deaths are marked, and a structured agenda of activities is suggested. Take for example January, below. Whilst the dates in the calendar are American, one can easily think of British equivalents.
With so much fantastic material freely available – such as this, and YBF’s Every Monday Matters, you’ve no excuse not to be actively advancing your cause!
Whilst not usually bedfellows with conservatives, Amnesty International have of late found themselves in the affections of Libertarian conservatives, notably the David Davis variety, for their opposition to the Government’s attempts to secure 42-days detention without charge for suspected terrorists. Tonight, as the Bill, which scrapped through the Commons, heads to an expected defeat in the Lords, Amnesty are organising a protest in Leeds.
“Amnesty International said it had chosen Leeds to launch its campaign because it was targeting MPs who voted for a 42-day limit in June, but who voted against Tony Blair’s earlier plan for a 90-day limit.
“It said Yorkshire had a high proportion of MPs who fell into this category.
“The protest is due to start at 1915 BST at City Square, Leeds followed by a screening of the film “Sleepwalk” at the Hi Fi Club in Central Road at 1945 BST and then speeches from Amnesty’s UK director Kate Allen and 7/7 bombing survivor Rachel North.”
(http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/west_yorkshire/7666253.stm)
It’ll be interesting to see what, if anything, comes of this. If you’re an activist in Leeds, such as the booming CF branch there, let us know what transpires and any involvement you have.
More on the Amnesty International campaign on their website.
A new student organisation uniting all freedom-minded students in the United Kingdom was launched yesterday. Students for Freedom seeks to identify and bring together supporters of individual freedom, across borders of party allegiance or self-description.
The organisation has as its guiding principles the defence of civil liberties, the promotion of free market capitalism, and objective of world peace, and the principles of small, efficient, and democratically-accountable government. The foundation comes hot on the heel of a summer dominated by the David Davis for Freedom campaign in defence of civil liberties. Pro-liberty groups already exist at Cambridge, Imperial, LSE, Oxford, St Andrew’s, and UCL. Students for Freedom seeks to work with these and other unidentified individualists, and develop a broad-based movement across the country.
“Freedom is the guiding principle of British society, but it’s perilously close to being extinguished by this government”, said Students for Freedom Chairman Oliver Cooper.
“As the future, students have to stand up for the nation’s long-term interests, and that means uniting around our cherished ancient liberties. It’s no good trying to reach out to students with old party-only labels; we have to tap into the issues that affect students, that loom large in their consciousness, and that are likely to gain their support and trust. Only then can we change the way students are perceived by politicians – patronised at best and ignored at worst – and make a difference.”
Students for Freedom will be appearing at Freshers’ fayres throughout late September and October. They’re holding their first social on the 24th September, in central London.
Details of their events will be published through their Facebook group and website.
Those wishing to contact chairman Oliver Cooper should email him at oliver.h.cooper@hotmail.com
