Guest Post: Andrew Withers-Libertarian Party Leader

Gregg asked me to write a post on what I hope to see for the Libertarian Party in the forthcoming years, I hope the following will explain what I am looking for.

First off what is my kind of Libertarianism ?

It is one founded on  everybody having the right to personal liberty of thought,word and deed, but that is absolutely coupled with the personal responsibility for those thoughts, words and deeds.

Fabianism the doctrine that 'the state is a force for good' and is the absolute converse of Libertarian philosophy. By 'paying' the State with no oversight on how that money is spent by the individual, my gut feeling is that the 'donor' feels relieved of any further responsibility to our fellow human beings, and the recipient also feels no sense of responsibility to the donor and it creates a feeling of entitlement and of rights that have to be paid by others.

Fabianism also creates a class of people that 'administers' the system. The model that they choose to perpetuate is that of 1950's rigid bureaucratic socialism.

So the first thing I want to achieve is an acceptance of the message. Libertarianism is not a scabrous right wing philosophy, Libertarianism rejects all forms of 'authority' that do not have checks and balances against it, be it 'Left' or 'Right'.

Various parties have adopted 'libertarianism' (including Hattersley for the Labour Party) and it has become a fairly vague term, a bit like 'liberal'. When the reality of their idea of 'libertarianism' is somewhat different to true Libertarianism, usually authoritarian and pro-big State.

Secondly, I want to forge links and understanding with all organisations that profess Classic Liberal Values. The Libertarian Alliance, The Cobden Centre, The Adam Smith Institute etc., and members in other parties who are sympathetic.

Thirdly I want to create an efficient party machine with a central office, that can attract members, dispense information and as a source for obtaining books associated with Libertarianism. This is an issue that cannot be ducked, our poor organisation.

Fourthly we have to be a campaigning party, because we do not get a lot of coverage, cases like the Stephen Neary case (see Anna Raccoon). Daily people are being sucked into the state system against their will. The plight of others caught in the maw of the State should and must be our concern.

The alternative is an acceptance of the 'endarkening' where liberal values are driven out and the State is the be all and end of our existence.

It is a case of standing up and being counted. We now have another opportunity in Oldham, where we have a very good candidate in Gregg Beaman.

If you have any questions for Andrew then please feel free to ask via comments on this blog. Alternatively you can contact Andrew via his blog, looking for a voice.