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If I were thinking of joining the Libertarian Party...

12.06.08
at 16:52

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...this is one reason that would give me pause. There has already been much written and said about David Davis's decision to stand for re-election to his own seat. Lots still seems uncertain - whether he will stand as a Tory or an Independent and so on. His stance on the 42 days issue and what I would call our constitutional liberties is all very well and good, but I cannot see him as a truly classical liberal or libertarian. Indeed he has been quite the opposite on all sorts of touchstone issues for a libertarian - drugs and sexuality for two examples.

Maybe I've missed some subtle nuance of the man. In the fight for our constitutional liberties, in the face of this government especially, every voice is welcome, but it doesn't make every defender a libertarian. I hope, for the sake of the Libertarian Party, Davis politely declines their offer. I feel there will be better opportunities to make their mark than this one.

I absolutely endorse what DK says in his blog on the issue of the 42 days as a whole though.

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Good point, I'd forgotten

On 12.06.08 at 17:05 Tristan Mills (not verified) said:

Good point, I'd forgotten about his drugs stance.

He's good on things like the database state and free speech, but on drugs and removing government discrimination based on sexuality he's distinctly illiberal.

I can imagine him as a Liberal Unionist and Imperialist in the 19th Century. I doubt his views on sexuality would have been controversial, nor his drugs policies in certain sections of the party...

Hmm...

On 12.06.08 at 17:08 Anonymous (not verified) said:

We are relying on him declining!

I know what you mean, but if

On 12.06.08 at 21:08 Bishop Hill (not verified) said:

I know what you mean, but if Libertarianism is to ever amount to anything, it has to be a broad church.

Heh! There's "broad

On 12.06.08 at 22:31 Jock said:

Heh! There's "broad church" and there's "universal broad church of Christ the pragmatist". Freedom won't come from the latter!

If and when LPUK makes some electoral headway and have explained their ideological position, then people who head that way from a position like Davis's can decide they really are libertarians and join. I just don't think that the libertarian "narrative" is sufficiently developed and well promulgated to stand the very public relationship with a reactionary social conservative like Davis that such would be.

In fact, given the rest of Davis's reactionary views, I'd be tempted, in the absense of any other decent party candidate standing, to stand an LPUK candidate as a way of saying just how "liberal" would you like the country to be - "hang'em, flog'em and bang up your gay children just as long as you don't extend the already broken habeas corpur breach beyond the twenty-eight days I arbitrarily agreed to last time" or "government is the problem, freedom the solution".