Saturday, June 14, 2008

What Price Freedom?

An interesting week in La Belle France is drawing to a close, well it can`t be bad when you can still get a five course lunch for two with a litre of vin rouge for 22 Euro things. We are now in Normandy before floating back to Blighty tomorrow, due back in good time for a Sunday roast.

Yesterday we visited the Bayeux Tapestry Museum, where I had to buy what looks a promising book on England`s five year resistance to the Norman occupation. We then visited Omaha and Juno Beaches, where the heroes of D Day landed to restore freedom to Europe with incredible bravery and sacrifice. Many thanks to Phil and Edwin for letting us know the result of the Irish referendum, just as we were looking at the remains of a Mulberry Harbour on Juno Beach, quite apt really. Thank you to the voters of Ireland, but prepare for the introduction of the major elements of the Lisbon Treaty anyway, by some devious mechanism or other.

I must also salute the bravery of David Davies for resigning his seat in protest at the erosion of our liberties, it`s a shame a few more politicians don`t have as much principle. What is annoying about the current erosion of our freedoms is the number of self-declared 'libertarians' who consistently vote for erosion of freedom. To hide behind 'voting the way my constituents wanted', as many of them do, demonstrates a serious lack of backbone and moral fibre. So if your constituents wanted the slaughtering of the first born in every household, would you vote for it? Thought not!

One thing to learn from this is that it is now quite trendy to label yourself 'libertarian', so we must be getting the message across. The other lesson is that it is quite easy to spot a charlatan masqerading as a libertarian, when it suits him.

4 comments:

Sutan Pendak said...

Hi Gregg, hope your having a good time. You certainly have missed a good deal.

Your right about it being easy to 'call' yourself a Libertarian but 'harder' to act like one.

Anonymous said...

It's just a pity that your party's only MP let the side down by voting for 42 days. Much as I like the UKIP manifesto and respect Nigel Farage, I'm glad I never joined your party. I don't know if you're aware that there is now a party for genuine libertarians:

http://www.lpuk.org/

Gregg said...

Had a great time thanks Mr Finger, been on the road the last few days wending our way back, hence delay in posting.

Gregg said...

I agree with citizen stuart, I do feel that the side was let down unfortunately. As far as the Libertarian Party goes I wonder if a 'libertarian party' is not a contradiction in terms. The Chris R Tame Memorial prize (Libertarian Alliance) was won this year by a chap who wrote a very convincing piece about why there could/should never be a 'libertarian party'. I must try and find it!

Sorry you are so glad to have never joined us, especially as you 'like the UKIP manifesto and respect Nigel Farage'. I find that also a rather strange contradiction.