We are joined by Samuel Kasumu. A former Special Advisor to PM Boris Johnson and 2017 Tory candidate in Croydon North, Samuel was recently in the running to be the Tory candidate to take on Sadiq Khan in next year’s London Mayoral election. Samuel talks to us about his experiences in Downing Street, Tory politics and his recently published book “The Power of the Outsider”.
You can get hold of Samuel’s book Waterstones and Amazon:
YouTube Contents: 00:00 – Intro 01:40 – Conservative Candidate 06:20 – Croydon North & Steve Reed 10:05 – Downing Street Days 14:00 – Mayor of London 25:40 – New Book 31:55 – Website & Events 34:25 – Outro
You can find out more about Samuel on his website and on Twitter.
Following the resignation of Nadine Dorries the Mid Bedfordshire by-election is coming up on the 19th October. We’ve spoken with local Dave Holland, who is the Reform Party candidate for the election.
“I felt I had a choice between shouting ever more loudly at the evening news on TV or to get involved”
Can you introduce yourself to the people of Mid-Bedfordshire and tell us what got you involved in politics?
I’m Dave Holland, Reform UK candidate for the Mid Bedfordshire constituency. I was born in Ampthill, have remained local all my life and currently live in Shillington. During the years following the referendum I became increasingly disillusioned about the chaos in government, the lack of will to carry out the will of the majority of the British people.
I felt I had a choice between shouting ever more loudly at the evening news on TV or to get involved. I made a start by volunteering to canvass for the Brexit Party in the Peterborough by-election & my involvement snowballed from there.
Early in 2022 I was assigned the Mid Bedfordshire constituency for Reform UK & made a start putting my campaign together. My initial thinking was that Mid Bedfordshire might be due a by-election at any time as I couldn’t see Boris Johnson lasting for a full term & fully expected Nadine Dorries to be on his honours list. I have been proved correct in that regard & if it was not for Ms Dorries’ intransigence with regard to actually resigning we would have a new MP in Mid Bedfordshire already.
“We believe in and support personal freedoms, personal responsibility, fairness & equality for all”
Can you introduce the party and say a bit about what it stands for.
Reform UK was formed in 2020, from the mothballed foundations of the Brexit Party. We had hoped that after we officially left the EU that our government would embrace the many opportunities of being a sovereign nation, however it soon became apparent that embracing those opportunities was not on their agenda.
We saw the need for fair representation for the many hundreds of thousands of disillusioned, angry Brexiteers who feel that they are being short changed.
There is far more in need of reform than just our relationship with the EU, the level of government waste has increased in recent years. All our public services are in decline while our taxes keep increasing.
Reform UK are a small c conservative Party of low taxes & small state. We believe in and support personal freedoms, personal responsibility, fairness & equality for all. We will never all end up with equal outcomes, but we should ensure that everyone has access to equal opportunity to succeed.
“There is not a single bank branch in the Mid Bedfordshire constituency. Flitwick for example, a town of over 13,000 doesn’t have a bank or post office”
If elected what are the local issues you want to champion?
Mid Bedfordshire faces the same challenges that are happening across the UK. Diminishing services, diminishing standard of living but with ever growing taxes & costs.
One of the biggest issues locally is access to health services. Despite all the house building in the area we have seen no additional capacity in GP surgeries, Dentists or Hospitals. This has led to worse clinical outcomes for thousands and it shows no sign of being addressed. The situation won’t be fixed using the current strategy which is what has got us into this situation.
A larger population requires more hospital beds, not less, more Doctors, not less, more nurses not less. The government blame the care sector, but they have heaped more pressure on the care sector without scaling it with resources required so it could cope as they have cut bed capacity and front-line staff numbers.
We don’t train enough Doctors annually because the BMA haven’t allowed it. 38,000 applied in 2022 nationally, but less than 10,000 were accepted. 5,000 Doctors retire annually, so at the current rate we will never reach a point whereby we are training enough of the vital staff that will allow the NHS to treat us all in good time.
We have many other local issues, transport infrastructure, building on greenbelt land, policing and crime as well as the ongoing loss of local amenities, banks, post offices and other essential facilities. There is not a single bank branch in the Mid Bedfordshire constituency. Flitwick for example, a town of over 13,000 doesn’t have a bank or post office and so people have to drive into Ampthill to access a post office. This doesn’t represent progress to me and is a backward step for any thriving community.
How can people find out more and get involved in your campaign?
I will be out canvassing everyday up until polling day with a team of enthusiastic volunteers. You can find out more about Reform UK at https://www.reformparty.uk and much more about me and my campaign at https://www.dave-holland.co.uk if you would like to come and help us canvassing please email [email protected] for details or call me on 07903 416187.
If you believe in individual rights, non-interventionism, laissez-faire capitalism, and the constraint of government size and influence, then the Libertarian Party might be for you. We recently spoke with Party Secretary Martin Day.
“People have had enough of the incredible tax burden faced nowadays – the highest since the aftermath of WWII”
Can you introduce yourself and your role within the Libertarian Party?
Hi, I’m Martin Day and I am the Party Secretary. I joined the Libertarian Party back in 2018 after UKIP lurched into territory I didn’t want to go into. I believe there has been increased interference in our daily lives, particularly over the last 30 years, and the Libertarian Party was a perfect fit for my ideals. My role includes writing some of the content that we put out on almost a daily basis, assisting with uploading website content, and sending out Press releases. Believe me, they do get sent, despite the mainstream media giving us a wide berth. I’m also the coordinator for the midlands (Mercia) region. We rely on people rallying to a common cause. It’s hard as organising libertarians is akin to herding cats, but we try, because we believe in our minarchist ideals.
We face reduced liberty on many fronts, without a popular push happening so far. How do you see the cause for liberty fairing in our country?
Talking to the man/woman on the streets, there is much support for the idea of more freedom and less government. The demonstrations against the lockdowns proved that, and the mounting anger against the ULEZ expansion is another example. People have had enough of the incredible tax burden faced nowadays – the highest since the aftermath of WWII – and the restrictions to setting up small businesses in favour of the big corporations. Unfortunately, it is difficult to translate that into votes as tribal instincts kick in and people vote for either the red or blue socialists anyway. Yes, I did say blue socialists, the two main parties are seemingly locked in a battle as to which of them can extort more money through taxation and squander it on projects that defy reason after an ever-increasing army of civil servants have had their cut out of it first. They believe they know how to spend our money better than we do.
“What was interesting was Uxbridge, where the result was a clear rejection of Labour’s ULEZ plans, yet they voted for the Conservatives, who have not clearly stated they would stop it”
We’ve just had 3 by-elections with many smaller party’s running and wins for all 3 main parties. Are there any conclusions you draw from the results?
By-election results can be very deceiving, with the electorate keen to show their dissatisfaction with the ruling globalists like Sunak and Hunt. What was interesting was Uxbridge, where the result was a clear rejection of Labour’s ULEZ plans, yet they voted for the Conservatives, who have not clearly stated they would stop it. This shows how difficult it is for the smaller parties to get their message across.
“we are currently trying to raise the funds for Tony Brown’s tilt and the London Mayoral office. The required deposit to even stand is, £5,000, which is, quite frankly, a tax on democracy”
We likely have a general election next year, and we’ve interviewed Tony Brown your London Mayoral Candidate. What are the Libertarian Party’s plans for these and other elections?
The reason that we did not contest the recent By-elections is that we are currently trying to raise the funds for Tony Brown’s tilt and the London Mayoral office. The required deposit to even stand is, £5,000, which is, quite frankly, a tax on democracy. It will be our main focus for next year, but we do also hope to have a number of candidates standing in the next General Election.
How can people get involved in or find out more about the party?
We welcome all those interested, who can become members at https://www.libertarianpartyuk.com/join There are opportunities for getting involved from writing to helping candidates leaflet at election time, though just sharing our posts on social media all helps to get the message out there.
Ever wondered what it’s like to be a candidate at the centre of a high-profile election? Just after the results for the Uxbridge & South Ruislip by-election, we caught up with Steve Gardner the SDP candidate for his tales from Uxbridge.
“I knew it would be high profile but I didn’t think it would be the circus it was!”
What made you first take the step to be the SDP candidate for Uxbridge, and did you imagine it would lead to you standing in a high-profile by-election?
When i joined the SDP in 2020 I informed them that I would be willing to stand as a candidate for the London Assembly, which I duly did. I also stood as a candidate in the local elections, and I stated that I would also be willing to stand in a general election. As it was, at the time, Boris Johnson’s seat I felt obliged to stand should a general election be called! I knew it would be high profile but I didn’t think it would be the circus it was!
You were interviewed by local and national media. What are your thoughts on being interviewed and on dealing with the press?
The press that I did have dealings with were really good. I take my hat off to the Hillingdon Herald who were fair to all the candidates and to Rod Liddle for painting me in a good light in an article he wrote for The Sun! I didn’t have a problem being interviewed as I saw it as a vehicle to get my message and that of the SDP across. Being a smaller party, we tend to get ignored by the mainstream media.
“a canvasser for Labour knocked at my door and said “Hi. Will you consider a vote for Labour?” I handed her one of my leaflets that had a big picture of my face on it which she took, nonplussed”
You were out campaigning hard during the election. How did you find your interactions with the public and are there any funny stories from the campaign trail?
My interactions with the public took place in the evenings or weekends due to work, but I loved it. A lot of people were genuinely interested in what I had to say and equally, I was interested in their views because that’s what politicians should do; listen to the people. The only two incidents that really made me chuckle were when campaigning in Uxbridge one Saturday, two women came up to me requesting a leaflet saying “Yep. We’ll be voting for you. No question. We’ve been following your campaign and you’re the one for us”. After taking the leaflet and walking off a few paces, one of them turned around and said “Hang on. You’re not that Labour bloke!” The other was when a canvasser for Labour knocked at my door and said “Hi. Will you consider a vote for Labour?” I handed her one of my leaflets that had a big picture of my face on it which she took, nonplussed. She looked at it again, then looked back at me then said “Oh. It’s you!” She left but she took my leaflet with her, so I consider that a win.
I believe the Conservative and Labour candidates pulled out of the hustings? How did you find the hustings, and how did you find the other candidates?
It was a shame Labour & the Conservatives pulled out of the Hustings at Brunel University that the Hillingdon Herald organised. However, it was a really good night with some excellent questions from the audience. I really enjoyed it. I got on well with all the other candidates; they really were a nice bunch and were passionate in their beliefs. I also made a new friend in Rebecca Jane from UKIP who is super intelligent and funny.
“if you really believe in your cause, you should fight for it. It might take time, but it’s worth it. Nothing will ever change if we do nothing”
Do you have any advice for people thinking of standing for election?
It’s easier standing if you’re in a party, even a small and upcoming one like the SDP! The only way that we’ll get political change in this country is if we vote for it so if you really believe in your cause, you should fight for it. It might take time, but it’s worth it. Nothing will ever change if we do nothing.
You can find out more about Steve’s campaign from our interview and podcast with him. You can also follow Steve on Twitter, or Facebook. More information on the SDP can be found at https://sdp.org.uk.
With the Selby & Ainsty by-election coming up on the 20th July. We’ve spoken local businessman Guy Phoenix, who is the Heritage Party candidate for the election.
“I have long since reached the conclusion that the United Kingdom is heading in the wrong – and frankly disastrous – direction. The Heritage party has the only Manifesto and Policies that are completely aligned with my own views.”
This may be the first time some people have had a chance to vote for the Heritage Party. Can you introduce the party and say a bit about what it stands for.
The Heritage Party was formed in 2020 to defend our heritage and restore our nation. The Heritage Party stands for common sense principles and policies including:
Protect our culture and heritage
Traditional family values
Protect children from grooming and sexualisation
National sovereignty
Control our borders
Financial responsibility
Self-sufficiency in skills
Self-sufficiency in energy
No more lockdowns
Can you introduce yourself to the people of Selby and Ainsty, and also tell us what got you involved in politics?
I’m a local businessman and my Company has offices in Ripon, Leeds and Gargrave. I’m 55 and have never – until now – been involved in politics.
So why have I decided to get involved now? Well, I have long since reached the conclusion that the United Kingdom is heading in the wrong – and frankly disastrous – direction. The Heritage party has the only Manifesto and Policies that are completely aligned with my own views.
Once I joined the Heritage Party and decided it was time to do something rather than sit and watch the disastrous policies of the fake Conservatives and the Uni-Party (Con-Lab-Lib-Green) continue to destroy the Country. So after discussions with our Party Leader David Kurten I decided to put my name forwards in the Selby & Ainsty by-election.
” I have been canvassing door-to-door and the same message comes through – people want change. But not just change from one Old Party to another – people realise that isn’t change at all”
Since then, I have been canvassing door-to-door and the same message comes through – people want change. But not just change from one Old Party to another – people realise that isn’t change at all, just more of the same. They agree that this means voting for a new party like the Heritage Party. Some people express concern that voting for a small party may be a waste of a vote. Well, voting for a principled Party whose policies you agree with is never a waste. Plus, if most people vote for us we’ll no longer be a small party!
“Through policies of financial responsibility and low taxation, the Heritage Party will seek to increase workplace participation amongst the economically inactive and encourage employment for all.”
If elected what are the local challenges you want to champion?
From the 2021 Census there is a clear alignment of the constituency’s people and needs with the Heritage Party’s policies. I could answer this question with dozens of issues, but here are my top three:
The Constituency has only 60.9% in employment. This is far too low. Through policies of financial responsibility and low taxation, the Heritage Party will seek to increase workplace participation amongst the economically inactive and encourage employment for all.
The Constituency has low levels of academic and vocational education achievement. Education Level 1,2 or 3 qualifications stand at just 42.3%. The UK must become self-sufficient in skills rather than relying on importing skilled and unskilled labour from abroad. Education needs to be re-focussed onto fostering excellence and teaching pupils and students the skills they need to be self-reliant.
We must train enough of our own young people to succeed and thrive in professional and technical careers, particularly as nurses, doctors, teachers, engineers, construction workers and IT professionals. The Heritage Party will champion this training and education appropriately – not every vocation requires a Degree!
The Constituency is predominantly rural. Only the Heritage Party has policies to support rural areas. We have some of the best agricultural land in the world which is a precious resource and should be preserved for agriculture. Despite this, there is huge pressure to concrete over large areas of our green belt and the countryside to build housing for artificially inflated population growth, or for solar panels and wind turbines to satisfy the false claims of green ideology. This pressure must be resisted and I will do so if elected.
How can people find out more and get involved in your campaign?
There are many ways to find out more and to get involved:
With the Somerton and Frome by-election coming up on the 20th July. We bring details of Somerset resident and former local Councillor Lorna Corke, who is the Christians Peoples Alliance (CPA) candidate for election.
“a local Councillor in the County for 4 years from 2014. From that position she was elected onto Local Government Association Think Tanks looking at Children and Young People and Education. She was a parent governor of a local school for 8 years”
Lorna Corke served as a local Councillor in the County for 4 years from 2014. From that position she was elected onto Local Government Association Think Tanks looking at Children and Young People and Education. She was a parent governor of a local school for 8 years.
She previously worked in a voluntary capacity for the Children Country Holiday Association for deprived children, vetting families to give children the opportunity of enjoying country holidays. She was involved in the holiday letting and long-term letting industry for around 35 years. She still lets out 2 properties. Lorna has also been involved in sheep farming and still looks after sheep. She is very concerned that new houses should be built on brownfield sites and NOT farmland.
“The Christian belief that sex should be between a man and a woman inside marriage should at least be taught as an option. So should the moral beliefs of other religions”
The CPA is focusing on two main areas:
We want moral education
We would transform the economy
Lorna said “The Christian belief that sex should be between a man and a woman inside marriage should at least be taught as an option. So should the moral beliefs of other religions. We also want puberty blockers banned which mostly lead to sterilization of children.”
“During the King’s coronation Rishi Sunak read from the Bible ‘In him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, all things have been created through him.’ Yet in our schools the New Age theory of evolution is taught that doesn’t explain where life came from. Even excluding the possibility that God created the world. This is indoctrination not teaching. Christians believe God created the world and controls the climate.”
“We would use the anticipated £40.5bn raised to; Get rid of all Commercial rates to help City Centres (£21bn)… Support marriage and the family by giving a £12,000 grant before a first marriage and £6,000 grant before a first child is born if it is within wedlock (£3bn)”
Leader of the CPA Sid Cordle said the “CPA policy is for a turnover tax to be set at 5% initially which will be a sellers VAT with the same threshold as purchasers VAT, £85,000. We would offset it against corporation tax (tax on profits) so British Companies would pay less. The idea is to get tax off Amazon, Microsoft, Facebook, Starbucks, Shell etc. who send all their profits abroad and so don’t pay corporation tax. We would use the anticipated £40.5bn raised to;
Get rid of all Commercial rates to help City Centres (£21bn),
Restore the cuts to benefits to get rid of the 5 week waiting period a key reason why people attend food banks (£12bn),
Support marriage and the family by giving a £12,000 grant before a first marriage and £6,000 grant before a first child is born if it is within wedlock (£3bn),
Guarantee everyone who leaves prison a place to live to cut reoffending and guarantee everyone sleeping rough a night shelter and free meal (£4.5bn).”
Sid goes on to say “We would also set up a new Professional Standards Authority directly answerable to ministers and get rid of numerous quangos such as the Teachers Regulatory Authority, Social Work England, Wilton House etc. This will drastically cut red tape. All quangos that remain like the Financial Conduct Authority will also be answerable directly to ministers. This will help stop the civil service undermining ministerial decisions. Before the 2010 election, the Taxpayers Alliance issued a manifesto that highlighted the presence of 1,148 quangos spending £90 billion a year. These are mostly still intact. We estimate we can save £30bn a year immediately we will use on capital spending. (Over 5 years we would have £150bn to spend). We believe a new 6 runway hub airport in the Thames Estuary would do most for the British economy and reduce pollution. Capital spending like this creates wealth which means we can in time eliminate the deficit and reduce debt.
We would reintroduce GP fundholding which operated in the 1990s very successfully to transform the NHS and make it efficient again.
These are radical policies, but we know they work and we know they would transform the economy.”
With the Uxbridge & South Ruislip by-election coming up on the 20th July. We bring details of local resident and Pastor Enomfon Ntefon, who is the Christians Peoples Alliance (CPA) candidate for election.
“Moral education is a major concern of mine. Education should be about teaching different moral points of view including those of Christianity and New Age liberalism and those of other religions especially where they are in a majority”
Enomfon Ntefon has lived in Uxbridge for 12 years working as a nurse in the community. She has led a church in the area with her husband Robert for 7 years until recently. She’s headed up an organisation “Mums against youth crime” for 4 years. She’s also been involved in helping people with food provision in the community that need it. She’s developed a close connection with a number of care homes in the area supporting residents. She spent many years as a parent governor of her local school.
Robert and Enomfon have had 5 children between them now ages 20 to 31. They understand all the problems parents face in modern society.
Enomfon has authored 6 books, 3 of which are related to the family, “Winning mums”, “120 Words of Wisdom” and “Answering your Destiny Call as a Mother”. She’s currently running an “Arrows on Point” parent coaching and mentorship programme.
The CPA is focusing on two main areas:
We want moral education
We would transform the economy
Enomfen Ntefon said “Moral education is a major concern of mine. Education should be about teaching different moral points of view including those of Christianity and New Age liberalism and those of other religions especially where they are in a majority”
“Many parents have complained, some very vocally, outside schools and reviews have been promised but to date nothing has been done. Sometimes children themselves are protesting about the teaching inside classrooms.”
“The idea is to get tax off Amazon, Microsoft, Facebook, Starbucks, Shell etc. who send all their profits abroad and so don’t pay corporation tax”
Leader of the CPA Sid Cordle said the “CPA policy is for a turnover tax to be set at 5% initially which will be a sellers VAT with the same threshold as purchasers VAT, £85,000. We would offset it against corporation tax (tax on profits) so British Companies would pay less. The idea is to get tax off Amazon, Microsoft, Facebook, Starbucks, Shell etc. who send all their profits abroad and so don’t pay corporation tax. We would use the anticipated £40.5bn raised to;
Get rid of all Commercial rates to help City Centres (£21bn),
Restore the cuts to benefits to get rid of the 5 week waiting period a key reason why people attend food banks (£12bn),
Support marriage and the family by giving a £12,000 grant before a first marriage and £6,000 grant before a first child is born if it is within wedlock (£3bn),
Guarantee everyone who leaves prison a place to live to cut reoffending and guarantee everyone sleeping rough a night shelter and free meal (£4.5bn).”
“Capital spending like this creates wealth which means we can in time eliminate the deficit and reduce debt.”
Sid goes on to say “We would also set up a new Professional Standards Authority directly answerable to ministers and get rid of numerous quangos such as the Teachers Regulatory Authority, Social Work England, Wilton House etc. This will drastically cut red tape. All quangos that remain like the Financial Conduct Authority will also be answerable directly to ministers. This will help stop the civil service undermining ministerial decisions. Before the 2010 election, the Taxpayers Alliance issued a manifesto that highlighted the presence of 1,148 quangos spending £90 billion a year. These are mostly still intact. We estimate we can save £30bn a year immediately we will use on capital spending. (Over 5 years we would have £150bn to spend). We believe a new 6 runway hub airport in the Thames Estuary would do most for the British economy and reduce pollution. Capital spending like this creates wealth which means we can in time eliminate the deficit and reduce debt.
We would reintroduce GP fundholding which operated in the 1990s very successfully to transform the NHS and make it efficient again.
These are radical policies, but we know they work and we know they would transform the economy.”
The country of Georgia sits in the Caucasus at the intersection of Europe and Asia. With access to the Black Sea, it borders Russia, Turkey, Armenia and Azerbaijan. Georgia regained independence in 1991 following the collapse if the Soviet Union, and is now a parliamentary democracy, with a 150 member unicameral chamber. Four members come from Girchi and classical liberal / libertarian party, and we spoke with Herman Sabo (also Herman Szabó) from Girchi and a Member of the Parliament of Georgia.
How did you first get involved with libertarian politics and Girchi?
I got involved in Girchi and politics in 2015 when 4 MPs from the opposition split from the “United National Movement” party and in 2016 created their own political platform called “New Political Center – Girchi” (“Girchi” translates in English as “Pinecone”). At first, I was hired as a media relations manager. I was arranging press conferences and communicating with media representatives. Soon after, I got interested in the ideas of my party and started listening to our politicians. YouTube was also a great help in understanding what our political goals are, and why. Also, what kind of morality libertarianism based on.
While still serving as a media manager, I started my own educational project, “Sabo’s translations“. I was selecting short videos on YouTube about politics, morals, economics, and philosophy, translating them into Georgian for public access.
In 2020 our party gained 2.9% in elections, and now we are holding 4 seats in the 150-seat Parliament of Georgia.
“We’re still fighting with the Soviet legacy in almost every social or government institution. Our education system is almost the same as 50 years ago. Our Criminal code is the same (even stricter) as the Soviet criminal code.”
For those that don’t know much about Georgia, can you tell us about the big issues facing the county?
Georgia has population of 3.7 million, a post-soviet country with lots of issues. We’re still fighting with the Soviet legacy in almost every social or government institution. Our education system is almost the same as 50 years ago. Our Criminal code is the same (even stricter) as the Soviet criminal code.
The biggest issue is that after the fall of the Soviets, all the “government property” is still on the balance sheets of a free and more-less-capitalist Georgian government. This means 70% of land, 100% of all forests, and 100% of all mineral goods are owned by the government and excluded from free market economics.
Our judiciary system is a mimicry of the Soviet system, as none of Georgia’s rulers have had the will or desire to truly reform it to achieve an independent and transparent court system.
As a result of all of this, we remain a poor, underdeveloped country, 7 times poorer than the average EU country.
“We are also very concerned by inflation caused by our Central bank (THE only source of inflation is a fiat-money issuer in every country), and we’d love to have a multicurrency regime in Georgia”
What are the party’s main policies, what would you most like to change in your country?
We are focused on spreading classic liberal values. We understand that drastic reforms and changes could be suicidal for a political party if those reforms are not based on well-explained and well-understood ideas. If we’ll succeed in explaining ideas like self-sovereignty, private property, and freedom of expression, we could lead Georgian society on a way of prosperity and rule of law, free and independent courts, and true decentralization of regions.
We are also very concerned by inflation caused by our Central bank (THE only source of inflation is a fiat-money issuer in every country), and we’d love to have a multicurrency regime in Georgia. Citizens should be free to choose which money they trust and want to use – fiat, crypto, gold, etc.
How engaged are Georgians with Libertarian ideas?
Many classic liberal ideas were natural for Georgian society before the Soviet occupation of our country in 1921. The founding father of modern Georgia, Ilia Chavchavadze, was a classic liberal (libertarian, in modern terms). He was translating and spreading books by famous libertarian author Frederic Bastiat.
Georgians were freedom-loving property owners, with guns/swords in every family, minding their businesses, and had a system of elected judges to resolve their everyday problems. The Soviets changed everything and almost erased the image of “Old Georgian” from the minds of our parents and grandparents.
Our youth are more receptive to Libertarian ideas. They love freedom and feel that those ideas are organic to them, with some kind of gut feeling. The older generation is not very fond of our ideas and ways. They see them as a threat to Georgian identity, but we try to explain that “Georgian identity” is whatever we are saying, not the ideas the Soviet KGB planted in our society.
So far, our success rate is only around 3%. [Note from Editor: This is far higher than in most countries]
“We’ve supported our communication with actions to prove that we believe in the ideas we talk about”
How does your party go about gaining support?
Since the beginning, we’ve chosen social media platforms and the internet as our main sources of spreading ideas and communicating with the potential electorate. Amongst Georgian political parties we’ve got;
Youth loves our tone of voice – straight-forward, down-to-earth, easy-to-understand, with good visualizations and infographics.
We’ve supported our communication with actions to prove that we believe in the ideas we talk about. Girchi was fighting against Marijuana criminalization, so 84 of us planted Marijuana on 2017 New Year’s Eve. We were facing 12 years in jail for that Public Disobedience Act. Then we won in the Constitutional Court of Georgia, and now cannabis consumption is legal in our country.
Made before the party gain elected representatives.
We also fight against mandatory army draft, so we used our Defence Code, which says that “Priests are exempted from the army”. We created our own religious organization – “Biblical Freedom,” and ordained around 50,000 young Georgians up till today. You can read more about this on our Wikipedia Page, in Euraianet, and at Radio Free Europe.
We are joined by Steve Gardner, the SDP candidate for Uxbridge & South Ruislip in the upcoming Parliamentary by-election. Steve tells us about his background in the army, his love for his home constituency and his priorities of; scrapping the ULEZ expansion, improved pro-active policing and suitable and affordable housing.
Contents: 00:00 – Intro 01:24 – Background in the Army 05:00 – The Constituency 06:48 – Priorities 12:20 – How to get involved 14:00 – Website & Events 16:22 – Outro
Always keen to speak to those promoting liberty and freedom not just in the UK but across the globe, we were delighted to speak with Martin Hartmann, President of the Libertarian Party in Switzerland.
How did you first get involved with libertarian politics and the Libertarian Party?
In 2012, the Hayek Club of Zurich gave some lectures on Austrian economics at the university in the evening. This made more sense to me than what I had learned in my economics studies. In 2014, the Libertarian Party was founded, in which I have been involved ever since.
“people have forgotten self-responsibility. They can no longer decide for their lives. And they don’t want to”
For those that don’t know much about Swiss politics can you tell us about the big political issues facing the county?
Better safe than sorry – With Corona as well as with the whole climate discussion, people have forgotten self-responsibility. They can no longer decide for their lives. And they don’t want to. They would rather be “on the right side”. So they look for a general guide or leader to tell them what to do. The consequences: A bigger state, more debt, higher taxes, more laws and rules.
“Our constitution emphasizes federalism and subsidiarity. Unfortunately, we are experiencing just the opposite: centralism and one-size-fits-all solutions. Returning to the principles that have made us successful is crucial”
What are the party’s main policies, what would you most like to change in your country?
Our constitution emphasizes federalism and subsidiarity. Unfortunately, we are experiencing just the opposite: centralism and one-size-fits-all solutions. Returning to the principles that have made us successful is crucial. Better alternatives to a centralized one-size-fits-all approach would be a federal competition of systems and ideas – or even better – privately competing solutions. Private solutions outperform services provided by the state by far.
How engaged are the people of Switzerland with Libertarian ideas?
Unfortunately, they are not really committed. The majority follow the existing system, which leads to all the failures we currently have. Perhaps they live in fear of trying something themselves and taking responsibility. At least some awakening during Corona has made the Swiss think about alternatives.
How does your party go about gaining support?
We participate in elections – without a real chance, but to reach the public. We meet physically at least once a month. And we maintain a network of freethinkers by means of our libertarian calendar with all liberal events in Switzerland. We also write quarterly election recommendations and participate in legislative deliberations.
“Remain independent! Allow secession. Reject all centralism and socialism”
Lastly, do you have any thoughts on British politics?
Remain independent! Allow secession. Reject all centralism and socialism. Don’t let the EU take control away from you again. Stop all government spending outside your country – no development aid and no wars abroad.
