Eight rights you think you have, but don’t (and how a constitution can help)

Ben Allsop the Wessex Coordinator of the Libertarian Party UK writes about Eight rights you think you have, but don’t (and how a constitution can help).

“Laws such as the Communications Act 2003 or the Public Order Acts give police and other bodies the legal ability to punish and silence citizens for speaking their mind”

As a party, we are fighting to finally form a codified constitution in the United Kingdom. To highlight why we need one, here are eight fundamental rights that almost everyone values (and may already believe they have), but the British government violates routinely.

Freedom of Expression – This is an obvious one, but well worth starting with. Currently, British citizens have no right to freedom of expression, also referred to as ‘freedom of speech’. Laws such as the Communications Act 2003 or the Public Order Acts give police and other bodies the legal ability to punish and silence citizens for speaking their minds.

Freedom of Information – The other side of the ‘free speech’ coin. The ability to receive information is just as if not more vital than the ability to broadcast it. But British citizens are simply not allowed to know certain things. For instance, the possession of ‘The Anarchist Cookbook’ is illegal to own in this country under the Terrorism Act 2000. The state also routinely practices censorship through OFCOM, which can now mandate social media companies to remove ‘legal but harmful’ material’.

Presumption of Innocence – Surely not, I hear you cry. Well, the Investigatory Powers Act 2016 enables government agencies to monitor your communications which in the past would have required at least reasonable suspicion of wrongdoing. More worryingly, civil asset forfeiture laws allow police and even local councils to seize property if they suspect it to be the proceeds of crime. Note that there is no requirement of proof or even conviction for alleged crimes. Suspicion alone is enough to remove property from the accused.

“The government can and does practice compulsory purchase in the UK. Not to mention the fact that it forced businesses to close during the pandemic”

Property Rights – As they say, “if you can’t keep it, it isn’t really yours.” The government can and does practice compulsory purchase in the UK. Not to mention the fact that it forced businesses to close during the pandemic. In addition, several laws such as The Proceeds of Crime Act 2002, Sanctions and Anti-Money Laundering Act 2018, Counter Terrorism and Border Security Act 2019, and more, all allow the government to seize and freeze assets without so much as a hearing. Even in cases where the accused has been cleared of wrongdoing, they may still be expected to make a time-consuming and expensive claim through the court to retrieve their property.

Right to Privacy – Long dismissed as a wacky conspiracy theory, the reality of mass surveillance became common knowledge with the leaking of NSA documents by Edward Snowden and others. As well as the US, the UK was also active in collecting massive amounts of data extracted from and intercepted between its own people. Since then, the British government has passed legislation such as the Investigatory Powers Act 2016 which overtly bestowed itself with the power to spy on us all.

Self-sufficiency – Who hasn’t dreamed of buying a plot of forest, building yourself a cabin and living out your years on nature’s doorstep? And like many dreams, this one gets a kicking from the government too. Planning permission, green belt and AONB designations, building restrictions, land use restrictions, environmental health and waste rules, council tax and residency enforcement, service access and identity issues will all conspire to make living off-grid a legal impossibility in the UK. ‘Pay your taxes or live on the street’ are the only options we get.

“The Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Act 2022 made making noise during a protest or violating undisclosed restrictions both arrestable offences”

Right to Protest – Under the guise of tackling the life-endangering protests by ‘Just Stop Oil’ a few years ago, the government was able to introduce sweeping new powers which had the ability to crush future protests. The Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Act 2022 made making noise during a protest or violating undisclosed restrictions both arrestable offences. These powers were further expanded by the Public Order Act 2023, which allowed the state to ban people without a criminal conviction from protesting and ridiculously, made it an offense to carry a bike lock to a protest.

Popular Sovereignty – We all know that in a democracy, the people are sovereign. All authority is derived from the consent of the people after all. Except, at least in the UK, that isn’t true. Of course, for the past century or so adults in the UK have been able to influence the composition of parliament. But only one of two chambers of it. Sovereignty in the UK actually lies with parliament itself. Parliamentary sovereignty allows parliament to pass any law without judicial or public scrutiny with a simple majority. You are one act of parliament away from living under a dictatorship. I hope that I’m not alone in saying that that terrifies me.

At the end of the day, a codified constitution is just a piece of paper. There can never be any foolproof way of keeping out authoritarianism. But anything that makes the sudden or gradual seizure of power more difficult for governments may one day prove to be a godsend. So please support us in our fight for a constitution, help prevent tyranny and reverse the progress already made towards it…while you still can.

This post can also be found at https://www.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=1274615394293394&id=100052348363639&mibextid=wwXIfr&rdid=Bc8xyHo1zQ4TWm3j#.

Local Elections – will they listen?

In the aftermath of the May 1st Local Elections, Mal McDermott writes about our interesting times.

“I do know a demand curve when I see one. The questions they are asking, and the change they are demanding have support”

You can’t hide behind FPTP during council elections. You can’t pretend Reform are just six loonies in a pub somewhere. You have to now sit down with them or watch them sit where you used to sit. Labour and the Tories only have themselves to blame for this and now this is where it has gotten to.

I don’t support Reform, and I don’t like Farage. but I do know a demand curve when I see one. The questions they are asking, and the change they are demanding have support. Much more than the big two parties wanted to admit.

People are fed up being told from on high that the government knows what’s best when they’re getting poorer, when they read about child abuse in the news, when they see collusion and cover up followed by collusion and cover up. That goes for anything, social care, finances, safety, defence, the list is endless.

The Tories had 12 years; they messed up entirely. Labour are closing in on a year now and it’s been a catastrophe. The state has failed everyone to the extent where a huge chunk of the population doesn’t want to work.

Why would they? So they can get a go nowhere job to pay extortionate rent to someone who is richer than God. “Its a big club and you ain’t in it” as Carlin put it. And this is what happens.

“The Tories had 12 years; they messed up entirely. Labour are closing in on a year now and it’s been a catastrophe. The state has failed everyone”

Farage and Reform need to deliver now as well. They can’t just be upset, and they’ll need to make choices. Every choice comes with its opportunity cost, and they will carefully need to select who to alienate. What will that look like? We’re going to find out. The double meaning of “may you live in interesting times” comes to mind.

It’s about to get pretty interesting. If you were on the fence about moving because of Reform, now would be the time to go. If you were thinking about a political career in the next big thing, now would be the time to sign up (to LPUK of course!). The future is now as they say.

“What will that look like? We’re going to find out. The double meaning of “may you live in interesting times” comes to mind”

Sam Wood, Libertarian Party candidate for Ynys Môn

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.

For those fine people out there that have a spare quid and want to help advance our cause check out the GoFundMe I recently set up at https://www.gofundme.com/f/help-out-a-libertarian-party-general-election-candidate?qid=7fab8d02a156da95f40568fb89a9247b  Also check out our website that has a link to the parties manifesto https://www.libertarianpartyuk.com. If you are interested in helping out in any other way please do contact the party.

Alex Zychowski, Libertarian Party candidate for North-East Hampshire

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?

You can find out more about the Libertarian Party at https://libertarianpartyuk.com/ and find my announcement article at https://libertarianpartyuk.com/ne-hampshire-ppc-announced/.

You can also follow me on Twitter @alexzychowski or email me at alex.zychowski@libertarianpartyuk.com.

Podcast Episode 88 – Tony Brown Public Meeting

Podcast from our public meeting in Purley, where we were joined by Tony Brown, the Libertarian Party UK candidate for Mayor of London.

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You can find out more about the Libertarian Party at https://www.libertarianpartyuk.com/ and follow Tony on Twitter at https://twitter.com/libertariantony.

Interview and Q&A with Tony Brown Libertarian Party Candidate for Mayor of London – 17th January

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 us Upstairs, Whispers, 5 High St, Purley CR8 2AF on Wednesday 17th January, from 7pm.

Facebook: https://fb.me/e/46c6Xvc9C

Wet summer, whilst Europe burns.  Is it weather or is it climate change? – Your Views (Part 1)

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?

We asked our contributors for their views.

On to Part 2

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!

You can find out more about Tony’s campaign at https://www.libertarianpartyuk.com/

Spanish political scientist, Lorena Serantes

“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.

Lorena blogs on British Politics at https://serantesprietolorena.blogspot.com/

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.

The Libertarian Party in Switzerland can be found online, on Facebook, on Twitter, and on Instagram.

On to Part 2

Photo by USGS on Unsplash

Martin Day, Party Secretary, UK Libertarian Party

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.

You can follow Martin on Facebook and Twitter.

Podcast Episode 84 – Tony Brown: Libertarian Party Mayoral Candidate; ULEZ, Housing & Policing

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.

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Contents:
00:00 – Intro
01:38 – Who is Tony Brown?
05:07 – Why Libertarian Party UK?
07:33 – ULEZ
08:37 – Policing
10:25 – Transport
13:11 – Housing
17:31 – Wasted Vote?
20:57 – Campaigning
22:03 – How to get involved
23:30 – Event
23:53 – Outro

Plans for 2023

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 TogetherCroydon@btinternet.com 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.

What you tolerate will continue.

Back to Part 2