Ben Allsop the Wessex Coordinator of the Libertarian Party UK writes some of his New Years Resolutions.
“the government will find any excuse to tax and spend, regardless of the efficacy of such policies. I intend to close those gaps as much as I can by giving to worthy causes, donating blood and hopefully finding the time to volunteer”
A year ago, I set out five new year’s resolutions for the British public in 2025:
Stop Tolerating Dishonesty
- Treat Taxation as Theft
- Practice Individual Responsibility
- Live and Let Live
- Vote Libertarian
How do you think we did? How did you do? Is there anything you would like to see added to this list for the new year?
I have two of my own personal resolutions which I hope I can share.
Firstly, I would like to do more for charitable causes. As I said in my previous post, the government will find any excuse to tax and spend, regardless of the efficacy of such policies. I intend to close those gaps as much as I can by giving to worthy causes, donating blood and hopefully finding the time to volunteer once again.
Secondly, I will try to be more positive in my political activism. It is easy to adopt a cynical, sneering attitude when it comes to political commentary. There is much to be cynical about and to sneer at after all. But I am ultimately a libertarian because I have faith in the goodness of (most) human beings. A few comments over the past year have quite rightly pointed out that where criticism is given, so should solutions. So, I will endeavour to show that safety and prosperity arise because of freedom, not in spite of it. That’s not to say that I will be kind to aspiring tyrants. But I hope I can do more to convince others that there is another, brighter path forwards.
Ben Allsop – Wessex Coordinator
PS: Last year’s post can be found here –https://link.msgsndr.com/sp/d61fd29701e and are listed below
2025 Resolutions
“as Joseph de Maistre said, “Every country has the government it deserves”. It is on the British public to be better then perhaps. Change is always bottom up, not top down”
Happy new year fellow libertarians! As we now find ourselves in the ‘Monday’ of months, it’s important to keep our spirits up. Granted, it’s difficult to do given the current political and economic climate. Starmer’s new year’s message was particularly nauseating. When I heard, “until you can look forward and believe in the promise and the prosperity of Britain again, then this government will fight for you,” I couldn’t help but think of “the beatings will continue until morale improves”. Needless to say, the Labour government has proven to be an utter failure in just six months. But, as Joseph de Maistre said, “Every country has the government it deserves”. It is on the British public to be better then perhaps. Change is always bottom up, not top down. So let us take this opportunity to set out five political new year’s resolutions for Britain and her electorate.
Stop Tolerating Dishonesty
We’ve had our fair share of dishonest prime ministers. The covid era and Johnson’s infamous cake ambush come sharply to mind. But few Prime Ministers have been so blatantly dishonest as Keir Starmer. He lied to his own party, promising to abolish tuition fees and then almost immediately reversed his stance upon taking over as party leader. He promised not to raise taxes on working people, only to do exactly that at the first opportunity once in power. Even the IFS have called Reeves’ claim that a £22bn black hole was covered up by the previous government a lie. Lying seems particularly chronic in the current regime. And why wouldn’t it be? It wins elections and currently has virtually no costs. In a just world, being caught lying to the public would be an instantly career ending event for any politician. If we ever want the status quo to change, it has to start from the bottom up. Any politician that has lied should be instantly unelectable. Any party that tolerates liars should face electoral oblivion. That is the only way we will see any semblance of honesty in politics.
“The analogy that comes to my mind is of fire. A little is vital to sustain society, but any more than strictly necessary is always disastrous”
Treat Taxation as Theft
The difference between sex and rape is consent. The difference between work and slavery is consent. The difference between tax and theft is… well you see the problem. There’s a good chance that I’m preaching to the choir here, but it really does seem incredible how tolerant the general population is to tax increases from a political system that takes far more than it gives. Tax is theft and theft is evil, but it is sometimes the lesser of two evils. Libertarians understand this. But far from making us tolerant of taxation, this belief forces us to resist unnecessary levels of tax we see today. The analogy that comes to my mind is of fire. A little is vital to sustain society, but any more than strictly necessary is always disastrous. I believe that most people actually agree when it comes to their own money. The issue arises when politicians impose tax hikes on specific groups knowing that the rest of the population will do little to resist. Of course, they will get around to you sooner or later in Niemölleran fashion. Everyone should be protesting the tax hikes on farmers for instance, and in return, farmers should refrain from calling for import tariffs. In the end, the only winner is the state, unless we learn to treat tax for what it is.
Practice Individual Responsibility
“Ask not what your country can do for you-” I like to end the famous JFK quote there. After all, service to your country should be entirely voluntary. It is the widely held belief that the government is responsible for maintaining every aspect of our lives that we have ponzi schemes masquerading as state pensions and countless laws criminalising victimless crimes such as cannabis use. Of course not everyone is capable of practicing individual responsibility. Children, the elderly and the mentally and physically disabled may need help and in some cases require restrictions for their own good if they are not of sound mind or maturity. But for everyone else, responsibility for oneself should be the default position. That means enduring the costs of one’s own mistakes but reaping the benefits of success. After all, the lack of this kind of accountability directly led to the financial crash in 2008, with banks enjoying the benefits of risky behaviour in full knowledge that governments would never let them fail. It’s difficult not to imagine that similar perverse incentives motivate crime and dubious increases in the long term ‘sick’ since covid. But far from being a battlecry for the selfish and greedy, individual responsibility means taking positive action yourself to help others and fix problems. Instead of calling for the state to do more for whatever cause interests you, and taking their share along the way, cut out the middleman and make a change yourself. Donate to a dog shelter, volunteer at a food bank, pick up litter as you walk by. The more you leave to the government, the bigger it gets and the less gets done.
“far from being a battlecry for the selfish and greedy, individual responsibility means taking positive action yourself to help others and fix problems”
Live and Let Live
As well as accepting individual responsibility, the flip side of that coin is the allowance of others to make decisions for themselves. For most people, political decisions seem to come down to banning things they find unpleasant whilst seeking public funding for those things that they enjoy. A common misconception is that the support for the freedom to do a thing equates to support for the thing itself. Smoking for instance is extremely harmful and on a personal level, I would implore anyone reading this to quit if they can. But I wholeheartedly oppose the upcoming ageist smoking ban. The only guiding principle for banning certain behaviours should be the prevention of harm to others. It may be difficult sometimes, but we will all be much freer if we learn to live and let live.
Vote Libertarian
If I may be so bold, I would like to suggest voting for the Libertarian Party UK if possible in the next year and beyond. We are the only party committed to the principles of Libertarianism. But we can’t make a change without your support. There is no such thing as a wasted vote. Very few votes ever manage to tip the scales in an election, but every vote sends a signal. So don’t compromise, vote for who you want to represent you. If you get the chance, vote libertarian in your next by-election, local elections etc. If we don’t have a candidate in your area, it could be you making the breakthrough into public service wearing a lion on your chest. Consider joining if you aren’t a member already and if you fancy writing articles like this, we’re always looking for new voices.
Once again, on behalf of the Libertarian Party UK and myself, have a happy new year.
“If we don’t have a candidate in your area, it could be you making the breakthrough into public service wearing a lion on your chest”
You can learn more about the Libertarian party at https://libertarianpartyuk.com/, follow them on X/Twitter at https://x.com/LibertariansUK and Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/libertarianuk.
Originally posted on the 2nd January at https://www.facebook.com/photo/?fbid=1426716425749956&set=a.485288773226064.