Sam Wood is the Libertarian Party Prospective Parliamentary Candidate for Ynys Môn (Anglesey). We spoke with Sam about his decision to stand.
“People are competent, people are ambitious, people are brilliant, the government is only standing in the way of what greatness we can achieve”
Can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers?
My name is Sam Wood, I’ve spent most of my life on Anglesey in North Wales, despite leaving and coming back many times this has always been the place that I’ve called home. My background is finance/economics, and this has only amplified my understanding and appreciation of libertarianism and the value that it can bring to the average person.
“don’t look at where the puck is, look at where the puck is going to be, that’s where I’ll be fighting”
What made you decide to stand for the Libertarian Party?
Fundamentally my belief in libertarianism comes from the fact that it is a morally superior political philosophy, the concept that no one has the right to force someone else to do something that they do not consent to is a very powerful one. It is the party of principle, and a party that I think throughout it’s policies demonstrates its belief that people do not need government to succeed. People are competent, people are ambitious, people are brilliant, the government is only standing in the way of what greatness we can achieve, it is holding us back.
My political spectrum is not left or right, it is authoritarianism on one side and libertarianism on the other, with emerging technologies that have immense power to coerce us. My concern is that if we fall into authoritarianism in the future, we won’t ever have a way out, so we need to start this fight now. That old saying, don’t look at where the puck is, look at where the puck is going to be, that’s where I’ll be fighting.
You’re the Spokesman for Ynys Môn what’s made you decide to represent this area?
Ynys Mon is my home, even when I have not lived here it has always been home. All the things that I value most in my life are right here.
What do you see as the big concerns for the constituency and what issues do you hope to champion?
The big issues here are the same systemic issues that the UK faces, housing, inflation, excess immigration and the strain it places. A far stricter immigration policy coupled with lower regulation and free’er markets will set us on a trajectory to improving these issues in the most speediest of fashion. The main goal being improving the standard of living, prosperity and the quality of life for people here in the UK.
“Right now, the best way for libertarian minded folks to help is to share the libertarian message in whatever way they can, speak to people about freedom”
For those eager to help, how can they get involved in the campaign?
Right now, the best way for libertarian minded folks to help is to share the libertarian message in whatever way they can, speak to people about freedom, share articles etc on social media. Start that conversation with people, ask people why we let our government steal so much of our resources from us, call tax what it is, it is theft, and it is immoral.
The ten commandments, arguably the 10 most important rules that humans have ever had, one of them is to not steal. The government is fundamentally immoral stealing from hard working families that are trying to provide for their loved ones in the best way they can.
Alex Zychowski is the Libertarian Party Prospective Parliamentary Candidate for North-East Hampshire. We spoke with Alex about his decision to stand.
“the State’s hideous response to the Covid-19 pandemic finally removed any doubt about the dangers we face and the immediate need for action”
Can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers?
I am a teacher living in Hampshire. Besides politics, my interests include country walks, football and reading. I was born in London and am of Polish descent.
What made you decide to stand for the Libertarian Party?
In recent years individual liberty has become increasingly under threat, not just from our politicians but from advances in surveillance technology and censorship of speech online. For me, the State’s hideous response to the Covid-19 pandemic finally removed any doubt about the dangers we face and the immediate need for action. This is why I have decided to stand as a candidate for the Libertarian Party.
“it is of vital importance to preserve the rural character of the constituency”
You’re the Spokesman for North-East Hampshire what’s made you decide to represent this area?
I have made my home in North-East Hampshire and have fallen completely in love with the peace and nature that can be found here. As such I oppose housing developments that have been forced upon local residents by central government’s poor planning.
“the Hampshire Constabulary’s recent trialling of retrospective facial recognition technology such Orwellian tools can be afforded no place here”
What do you see as the big concerns for the constituency and what issues do you hope to champion?
As mentioned above it is of vital importance to preserve the rural character of the constituency. This involves not only opposing the mass construction of low-quality new build housing estates, but maintaining the vitality of our waterways.
I note that the incumbent in North-East Hampshire has twice voted in favour of lockdown restrictions. Such treason against the individual cannot go unpunished at the ballot box. Perhaps of even greater concern is the Hampshire Constabulary’s recent trialling of retrospective facial recognition technology such Orwellian tools can be afforded no place here.
For those eager to help, how can they get involved in the campaign?
Join us for a live interview and Q&A with Tony Brown Libertarian Party Candidate for Mayor of London on Wednesday 17th January at 7pm.
The Libertarian Party advocate for individual rights, non-interventionism, laissez-faire capitalism, and the constraint of government size and influence.
Venue:
Upstairs, Whispers, 5 High St, Purley CR8 2AF
Part of our #ThirdWednesday drinks and events, we hold these in association with Dick Delingpole’s #ThirdWednesday Libertarian drinks club, and POLITICS in PUBS a group of people from across the political spectrum who value the freedom to question and to speak openly.
Join usUpstairs, Whispers, 5 High St, Purley CR8 2AF on Wednesday 17th January, from 7pm.
In the UK we’ve faced a wet summer, whilst we’ve been told Europe burns. Are we being told the truth? Are these problems man-made or due to climate change? If climate change, what if anything should we do about it?
Tony Brown, Libertarian Party UK candidate for Mayor of London
“There almost certainly has been some recent warming as we emerge from the Little Ice Age of the 13th-19th centuries which followed the Medieval warm period”
To say Europe burnt this summer is the worst form of hyperbole. I spent my entire summer in Europe, England and Belgium to be precise and I assure you neither burnt nor were particularly wet: both experienced perfectly ‘normal’ summer weather. And that illustrates the problem of absurd, wild comments from people one is supposed to respect claiming global boiling or similar nonsense (I use the word literally and accurately.)
Both the weather day-to-day and climate millenia by millenia constantly change. There almost certainly has been some recent warming as we emerge from the Little Ice Age of the 13th-19th centuries which followed the Medieval warm period which saw wine cultivation as far north as Northumberland (still not yet possible today). It is impossible to judge the human contribution to all this and even the most sophisticated climate modelling is still far too simple accurately to understand the vastly complex interactions involved.
So, no we are not being told the truth because the truth is not known and perhaps not knowable at this stage. (though in time AI and quantum computing might help.)
“we are subject to a barrage of unscientific scare-mongering by people who really ought to know better. And it is certainly not justified to trash our standard of living”
Instead, we are subject to a barrage of unscientific scare-mongering by people who really ought to know better. And it is certainly not justified to trash our standard of living and force us to replace low-cost, proven technology such as gas boilers and petrol cars with more expensive, less efficient alternatives such as heat pumps and EVs with all their problems of charge, range and weight.
Neither should we ignore it all. We should be pursuing a strategy of progressive adaptation based on first, proven technology which works; secondly, full life-cycle costing from raw material extraction to final scrapping and recycling; thirdly, efficiency as indicated by market pricing (which is why pricing is useful and essential); and, fourthly acknowledge that much of the world is not a nice place: countries such as Russia, China and even India are very happy to manipulate our gullible good nature to damage us and give themselves economic and competitive advantage at our expense whilst making promises they have no intention of keeping!
To quote Ford Prefect ‘Don’t Panic’. Apply our minds instead and the result will be a much better outcome for all of us!
“I know temperatures are raising, at least here in Spain, and we’ve been having severe draughts in the last 2 years”
Unfortunately, I’m not an expert on climate change and environmental issues, I know temperatures are raising, at least here in Spain, and we’ve been having severe draughts in the last 2 years. My view is Southern Europe is at risk due to high temperatures, because wildfires are becoming more common year after year, and it’s scary. I wish I knew more about these issues but there’s too much information and too little time to check it out. It’s a complicated matter.
Martin Hartmann, President of the Libertarian Party Switzerland
“There are many more and more important factors affecting global climate than humankind. We should focus on innovation and change
The climate crisis is a hoax. It’s being hyped by the green leftist journalists in the mainstream media. There are many more and more important factors affecting global climate than humankind. We should focus on innovation and change – the only constant.
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.
We are joined by Tony Brown, who was recently announced as the Libertarian Party UK candidate to take on Sadiq Khan in next year’s election to be Mayor of London. Tony explains his philosophy and his plans for London.
With a politically tumultuous 2022 coming to an end, we asked you, ‘What do you hope your organisation will be doing in 2023?’
Hilary Judge, TOGETHER Croydon
“I hope that they take the Cash Fridays campaign on-board, and it goes nationwide. Businesses should be encouraged to actively promote taking cash.”
My hopes for Together are that they become more democratic with greater member input. We would have ideas coming from meetup groups and individuals and adopting participatory democracy, which is a program where recipients answer questions where they completely agree, somewhat agree etc.
I hope that they take the Cash Fridays campaign on-board, and it goes nationwide (Cash Friday’s is a campaign to on a Friday, spend cash to pay for goods / services rather than use cards). Businesses should be encouraged to actively promote taking cash. Expand the campaign to younger people by giving cash to dependent teenagers, rather than bank transfers.
I would like bigger debates with participants from all over the political spectrum and I’m thinking of organising our future meetings as open debates.
Together Croydon are meeting on Tuesday 7th February in Croydon and Thursday 9th February in Beckenham, contact [email protected] for further details.
Martin Day/Andrew Withers, Libertarian Party
“Small business owners are increasingly aware of the bias towards huge corporations that this current administration has. They know that we support initiative and entrepreneurism.”
The Year ahead.
2023 will finally see a new website produced, featuring more interaction with the members. Hopefully, that and the data system behind it will enable us to run increasing numbers of candidates in the local elections this May.
We are also speaking to university students to get the message of self-sufficiency and individualism into the younger generation. So far, it is generating more interest than previous years.
We continue to highlight the appalling corruption of this current government, whist pointing out that the other side are unlikely to be any better. Just different coloured snouts in the trough. Sadly, too many voters are shackled to the two-party system.
Locally, a whole new initiative is being discussed along the lines of London Libertarians. Small business owners are increasingly aware of the bias towards huge corporations that this current administration has. They know that we support initiative and entrepreneurism.
We are now faced with the Prince Harry farago dominating the headlines, while this unelected Prime Minister, without the mandate of the voting public, enacting a surveillance authoritarian state.
Serious policies are no longer subject to the scrutiny by the voter, nor by MP’s more concerned with climbing the preferment greasy pole and raking in expenses and part time appointments.
Centralisation of power amongst the few is root cause of political crisis. The Libertarian Party has a fully thought-out Constitutional Reform package.
A humanitarian crisis is unfolding before us following Russia’s invasion of the Ukraine. The risk of a major military conflict is remote but real, and the situation on the ground continues to change. We asked our contributors how they think Putin’s aggression will impact politics and policies in the UK and what if any changes are needed?
“We ought to all agree that Putin is “to blame” but errors were made by the West and Ukraine. To mention this however is to invite the accusation of being a Putin shill”
The first casualty of war is the truth, so we are now long past looking at the causes. We ought to all agree that Putin is “to blame” but errors were made by the West and Ukraine. To mention this however is to invite the accusation of being a Putin shill, so we might as well gloss over them.
When seeking directions, as the Oirish say, I would not start from here. Putin cannot lose and escape with his life, so the options are
Putin wins. I think this is the least likely. I can see no scenario where he “wins”. His economy will sink like a stone.
Palace coup, 15 minute show trial on a mobile phone and execution. My preferred option.
WW3, because Putin looks like losing, but retains control in Russia. My least preferred option.
Long drawn out conflict, Afghanistan on steroids, really sorry, but I think this is the most likely outcome.
To be brutally horribly cynical, option 4 is quite good for the UK. Self-indulgent drivel like Indyref2, lockdown fetishism, personal pronouns, critical race theory and most of all Net-Zero will be forgotten in the face of far bigger things. But Freedom of Speech will be a hard sell for those of us who believe in it.
It’s even fairly good for the EU. The EU was facing a genuine existential crisis in the face of Brexit, Net Zero and the Culture war. Six months ago the EU was threatening to cut off funds to Hungary and Poland for being naughty. Now, there is no danger of them cutting off funds, and in any case, Hungary and Poland have rapidly lost the will to be naughty.
Its also the option the West should be playing for, because it leaves Option 2 in play and keeps option 3 out of play.
But it’s going to be hell for Ukraine.
“The Principle is perfectly clear that the sovereignty of any territory is no longer determined by war, history, geography or religious scriptures of any kind but solely by the wishes of the people who live there today. Putin by contrast regards Ukrainians as Russians regardless of their own wishes”
Given that we cannot directly confront Russia militarily in Ukraine as they are not a member of NATO we must play the long economic game. In particular Germany and Italy must wean themselves off Russian oil and gas. It may take some time, but eventually Putin will fall and his successors will sue for economic peace and the occupation will be ended as part of that deal.
Yesterday Putin came clean. He does not after all believe in the Principle of Self-determination of Sovereignty, which is enshrined in international law, contrary to what as he has previously indicated. He accepts now that he is acting illegally and doesn’t care, reverting instead to the base and uncivilised human instinct for territorial domination and imperialism. The Principle is perfectly clear that the sovereignty of any territory is no longer determined by war, history, geography or religious scriptures of any kind but solely by the wishes of the people who live there today. Putin by contrast regards Ukrainians as Russians regardless of their own wishes.
This crisis just emphasises yet further the inadequacy of the UK’s immigration and refugee policy, and that incudes UKIP’s own policy. As a member of UKIP’s NEC I am currently arguing for manifesto changes as follows:
We need an auctioned quota system for long-term immigration, not a points-based system. I would set the quota at 50,000 a year fewer than the number who emigrate each previous year, so we have a background of depopulation going on. This country is dangerously overpopulated and, as any competent social psychologist will tell you, overpopulation leads to competition for scarce resources, which in turn leads to a fracturing of society along the nearest visible fault line. Today that is racism. It used to be classism. Either way Labour subversively ramps it up for their own selfish identity purposes, thereby making racism worse. A policy of depopulation will reduce that risk not increase it, as well reducing shortages of housing, access to essential public services, wild habitat, overloaded sewage works overflowing into our rivers and may other forms of environmental contamination as well as the fact that we can now only grow 55% of the food we eat.
You cannot humanely turn refugees away, and it also impossible to distinguish objectively between refugees and other illegals (ok, I know there are plenty of cynics out there who say it is quite easy, but that is not legally sufficient). Also it is all very well saying they should return to the first safe country they come to, but those countries are not co-operating and anyway have severe immigration crises of their own. With a quota system we can instead bring them in and allocate them free of charge to the quota and correspondingly reduce the number available to normal auction sponsors so the total quota is not breached. If the number is greater than the quota in any year it can be spread over several years. Either way refugees and illegals should be given special refugee passports, saying for example British Ukrainian Refugee Passport, which would only be valid until the occupation has ended. When they return home their quota places can be returned to the quota.
In the meantime we should be looking to purchase a large tract of habitable land somewhere outside Europe where, with the agreement of the host country, we can set up a refugee colony as British Sovereign territory, so we can then transfer all new arrivals there immediately. This would be outside the quota but still British sovereign territory so that even a successful appeal for asylum would not require moving them back to the UK. They would already have the refuge they need there. I am not proposing this as a cheap or punitive option (unlike Australia). It must be done properly with open borders, law and order, security, benefits, housing, and public and personal support services enabling them to engage in economic activity which should lead to self-sufficiency and achieve a reasonable standard of living in the longer term. It would use the host country’s currency but under our economic management, thereby enabling trade with the host country and giving that country a substantial regional and national economic and export boost as part of the deal. In the short term we can use some of the massive overseas aid budget which is currently doing little useful other than assuage some people’s guilt complexes.
I welcome any comments or additional observations so we can construct as practical and acceptable a policy as possible.
“I am not at all surprised that most of the western governments have acted to cut Russia off (and our future gas supplies, of course) with their gesture politics…..Our same government said that PM Johnson didn’t go to parties when thousands of non-Etonian people were prevented from seeing their loved ones!”
Laurence Williams, London and South East Coordinator for the UK Libertarian Party.
It’s a loaded question, ‘Putin’s aggression’, ‘Putin’s actions’ would have been better, but, though I detest war and its repercussions, I am not in the least surprised as to it happening. Yet another US proxy war, this time starting in 2014 with a President Obama organised coup, followed by 8 years and 15K casualties in the Russian speaking east at the hands of Ukrainian forces, is the perfect storm. Given that the Ukraine has national guard units modelled on Nazi Germany’s SS, and that these units committed unspeakable crimes against their own in WW2, they have now ‘modernised’ into having some 15 US bio – chemical facilities, just like Saddam Hussein was supposed to have in Iraq!
I am not at all surprised that most of the western governments have acted to cut Russia off (and our future gas supplies, of course) with their gesture politics. Two years ago, these same governments said that we must all be vaxxed with an un-tested toxin, against a Common Cold! Our same government said that PM Johnson didn’t go to parties when thousands of non-Etonian people were prevented from seeing their loved ones!
Cutting off Russia in the sports, and now our football clubs brandishing Ukrainian flags is just gesture politics like ‘taking the knee’, it just winds people up. The Olympics is dead for sure now, and so, hopefully, it the Eurovision song contest!
