Reducing the size of government

In the life time of the Scottish parliament the Scottish government has virtually increased in size by nearly 60%. In the new year we face a Vat rise, Council Tax rise (later this year), Fuel Tax increase and those hidden taxes we never see which we all pay for at the till point. We all work more days for government than ever before, with more bureaucracy, regulation dictating how we should or should not live our life's

As a libertarian I believe government should be kept to the the minimum, with services limited to Primary Education, Secondary Education, Protection services, road network, street cleaners, help the disabled and perhaps health care. Even those services I will sometimes argue should be left to the free market instead of being funded via Taxes.

The money paid via Taxes (I consider theft) to government is your money, and should be spent on the very basics with the rest kept in your own pockets, the very minimum should go to government. I don't consider it is the responsibility of government to fund the life style choices of others which includes further education, fund on unnecessary quangos or fund businesses.

The funding the Scottish government receives ether goes directly to the councils or to one of the the hundreds of public bodies. I have ignored the funding councils receives and have listed Government organisations funded directly by Scottish government which I consider could be abolished.

From the list below I have identified £4 billion which I personally don't consider front line services. When you also include the many millions more of public money spent on unaccountable charities, the waste with in the Council we could virtually save the Tax Payer nearly £10 billion or One Third of the Scottish budget.

With these saving Council Tax and National Insurance could virtually be printing thousands out of the poverty trap.

Government already makes up 57% of all spending, and we all now have to work more for government than ever before specially with the upcoming Tax increases. Its time the Scottish public was offered a better deal. The libertarian option would be to significantly reduce the size of government and abolish Council Tax and Income Tax.

It time to keep government off peoples backs.

Architecture and Design Scotland	£1,514,000	Non front line service
Bòrd na Gàidhlig	£5,459,000	Non front line service
Cairngorms National Park Authority	£4,925,000	Non front line service
Creative Scotland (Established 1 July 2010)	£4,925,000	Non front line service
Crofters' Commission	£3,005,000	Non front line service
Learning & Teaching Scotland	£13,747,540	Further education is a life style choice
Loch Lomond and The Trossachs National Park Authority	£8,252,000	Non front line service
National Galleries of Scotland	£25,774,000	Non front line service
National Library of Scotland	£21,453,000	Non front line service
National Museums of Scotland	£37,798,000	Non front line service
Police Complaints Commission for Scotland	£1,001,000	The courts responsibility
Quality Meat Scotland	NA	Non front line service
Risk Management Authority	£1,250,000	Non front line service
Royal Botanic Garden,	£12,055,000	Non front line service
Royal Commission on the Ancient and Historical Monuments of Scotland	£6,867,000	Non front line service
Scottish Agricultural Wages Board	Not declared	Non front line service
Scottish Children's Reporter Administration	£30,105,335	Responsibility of the NHS
Scottish Commission for the Regulation of Care	£18,688,000	Non front line service
Scottish Criminal Cases Review Commission	£1,215,000	Non front line service
Scottish Enterprise	£318,722,000	Non front line service
Scottish Environment Protection Agency	£47,500,000	Responsibility of the legal system
Scottish Further and Higher Education Funding Council	£1,865,602,000	Further education is a life style choice
Scottish Natural Heritage	£66,829,000	Non front line service
Scottish Police Services Authority	£101,136,000	Non front line service
Scottish Qualifications Authority	£17,458,000	Further education is a life style choice
Scottish Social Services Council	£12,563,000	Further education is a life style choice
Skills Development Scotland	£196,673,000	Further education is a life style choice
Sportscotland	£47,000,000	Non front line service
VisitScotland	£53,186,000	Non front line service
Water Industry Commission for Scotland	not declared	Non front line service
General Teaching Council for Scotland	not declared	Non front line service
Judicial Appointments Board for Scotland	£518,645	Non front line service
Local Government Boundary Commission for Scotland	£350,000	Non front line service
Mobility and Access Committee for Scotland	£17,500	Non front line service
Public Transport Users Committee for Scotland	£20,500	Non front line service
Scottish Advisory Committee on Distinction	£156,604	Non front line service
Scottish Law Commission	£156,604	Non front line service
Scottish Local Authorities Remuneration Committee	£35,000	Non front line service
Parole Board for Scotland	£1,300,000	Responsibility of prisons
Private Rented Housing Panel	£481,000	Non front line service
Scottish Charity Appeals Panel	£1,904,000	Non front line service
Caledonian Maritime Assets Ltd	£6,300,000	Non front line service
Highlands and Islands Airports Ltd	£30,100,000	Non front line service
Scottish Futures Trust	£4,300,000	Non front line service
Scottish Water	£181,800,000	Sold Off
Accountant in Bankruptcy	£5,732,000	Non front line service
Disclosure Scotland	£3,203,000	Non front line service
Historic Scotland	£49,053,000	Non front line service
HM Inspectorate of Education	£15,924,000	Non front line service
National Archives of Scotland	£10,600,000	Non front line service
Scottish Housing Regulator	£4,700,000	Non front line service
Scottish Housing Regulator	£4,700,000	Non front line service
Scottish Public Pensions Agency	£12,900,000	Non front line service
Social Work Inspection Agency	£4,000,000	Non front line service
Student Awards Agency for Scotland	£8,520,000	Non front line service
General Register Office for Scotland	£14,700,000	Non front line service
Court of Lord Lyon	£36,000	Non front line service
Drinking Water Quality Regulator	£430,000	Non front line service
Administered by relevant Local Authority	£425,000	Non front line service
Macaulay Institute	£10,543,800	Non front line service
Moredun Research Institute	£6,957,000	Non front line service
Office of the Queens Printer	£83,262	Non front line service
Scottish Agricultural College	£15,580,500	Further education is a life style choice
Scottish Crop Research Institute	£16,529,000	Non front line service
Scottish Roadworks Commissioner	£300,000	Non front line service
Standards Commission for Scotland	£680,000	Non front line service
Visiting Committees for Scottish Penal Establishments	£69,540	Non front line service

Police are not above the law.

I would like to thank the Old Holborn for highlighting the above clip. The police are there to serve the public not the public to serve the police. Above clip shows the real hidden brutality of the police service in this country, and only cases which have been real evidence.

In Scotland the Police have more powers than south of the border including powers to arrest any one who they deem has breached the peace which can be virtually on anything or even failing to give over personal information. The police can interview you or prevent you from seeing a solicitor for the first 7 hours of any interview.

Don't try to complain about your treatment, as even on the Lothian borders police site they have a clear warning if you make what they consider "false complaint" the will prosecute you, and this in clear black and white. How can one expect the police to investigate it self, its virtually impossible for the public to be given priority over the police officer that is being complained against. The police will only be dealt with if a law is been broken and not for malpractice, which normally results in most of us losing our jobs.

Back in August 20010 a teenage drug addict died in the cells, being watched over by the police, however the police officer in question is still walking the streets, in a job and never suspended as it would happen for the rest of us.

One can make a complaint to the Police Complaints Commission for Scotland which has 14 staff members, so any complaints on any police force can never be investigated seriously specially with nearly 16,675 police officers in Scotland.

CTV cameras have now become more rampant with even special police van with cameras on top driving around the city streets of Scotland doing nothing more than harassing the general public. Courts now become so use to CTV images as evidence, that a convention is now more unlikely with out CTV, so expect even more CTV watch your ever move. Big brother is no longer a game show.

If the police don't like the look of your car or what you wear expect to be randomly stop and searched more often, over random 100,000 searches under the terrorist act with virtual no prosecutions,

As a libertarian I believe the police should have no more rights than the member of the pubic and be held to account by locally elected police constables. With the SNP polices backed by the big 3 parties the police have only obtained even more powers.

Freedom is only disappearing, reclaim your liberty.

Next meeting. 4th Of December

Last few meetings have not been well attending, however since no Scottish meeting has been arranged in the last few months, I would like to invite LPUK members to the Cloisters 26, Brougham St, Edinburgh,EH3 9JH at 2pm, Saturday the 4th of December 2010.

This is more about pushing the party forward north of the border specially with elections coming up on May 2011, please invite your friends. If you plan to attend please call my self on 07782 148 591.

Suggested Leaflet (Draft 2)

I have made changes to the suggested leaflet after members comments, if you have any further comments please post. I plan to send to print at the end of next week.

Big government is a problem

The UK government is only getting bigger, government in the last 10 years has inflated by 60%, next year VAT will increase to 20%, fuel tax is up and council tax is about to inflate. We all work more days for government than ever before. The video below highlights the problems with big government and how it always results in spending getting out of control.

The Conservative Party in power promised to reduce the size of the state, however the opposite is true and continue old labour policy of increased debts, printing money out of thin air, increase spending and even more taxes.

The Libertarian Party is currently the only party in Scotland determined to significantly reduce the size of government and keep government off citizens backs. Never before since the 2nd world war have citizens liberties been at stake and being taken away from us via the back door.

If you believe in your personal liberty, freedom from government bureaucracy telling you how you can or cannot live your life. If not happy paying so much money to government, and virtually nothing in return but other than constant waste such as the Edinburgh Tram system or even the indecisiveness of government coming to projects such as the Forth Road crossing spent on money virtually stolen from its citizens.


Its time to reclaim your liberty. Please join, volunteer and donate to the Libertarian Party.

Standing still is no longer an option.

Gregg Beaman To Stand In Oldham East For Libertarian Party

Following the welcome news that Phil Woolas now ex MP has been gound guilty of electoral wrong doing

Gregg Beaman has announced his decision to run for the Libertarian Party in Oldham East.

Suggested Leaflet campaign.

I have designed a leaflet, however I would like other LPUK members input before I order 5000+ leaflets.

I'm planning to delivery them at least around the Edinburgh Area.


Thanks

John

Get arrested for protesting.

If you think we live in a free country, the right to protest peacefully then think again. You are virtually guaranteed to be arrested if you try to protest with out the governments permission.



The Love Police did a peacefully protest in Edinburgh, and arrested and held in cells for nearly 7 hours. When it came to the court case, the police just dropped charges as it "was not in the public interest"


In the 21st Century I can't believe we live in a country that the minimum freedom, including the right to protest does not even exist. Even worse, a new law has just past through parliament back in May which gives the police even more powers, including the right to close a business premise or even arrest you, if you fail to provide personal details over to the police.


Say good bye to freedom, we have none.

FACT: You are being LIED to

You are being LIED to.

Taxes are increasing

Inflation is about to balloon

Morse senseless wars are being planned

Your basic freedoms are disappearing

Debts are rising

Government has expanded

ACT NOW, RECLAIM YOUR LIBERTY

Government is out of control. VAT is to increase from the end of this year from 17.5% to 20%, fuel tax up, council tax could also inflate as Labour/SNP jumps in bed with the unions to minimise cuts in the planned budget increases . Don't forget the hidden tax of inflation as government prints more money out of thin air, with inflation this year already well over 3%. If you include government hidden taxes prices on average have risen by 5% with most of us on pay freezes or even pay cuts. Nearly 40.9% of your earnings on average goes directly to government. if you include direct and indirect taxation, and this figure is about to increase even further. In the last ten years we now work on average 60 days more just to pay for government and public sector salaries.

Public sector spending is virtually out of control with Public sector salaries on average is at least 30% more than private sector workers, in some parts of Scotland such as Dundee the pay gap is much wider, and public sector productivity is as much as 30% less.

Government has only inflated, in the last 10 years the UK government budget has increased from £367.1 billion in 2001 to nearly £696 billion today, even taking in account of inflation(CPI rates) this is an increase of nearly 60% in real terms. Based on the governments own figures spending should rise to £757 billion in 2015, even including inflation(target rates) this represents no cuts in government spending. With the increase of government size you would have expected real improvements in health, education and crime figures however evidence shows otherwise.

Debt currently stands at nearly £903 billion pounds and to increase in the next 4 years to £1.4 trillion with total interest payments up from £40 billions today to £70 billion in 4 years time. The total debt which will need to be paid back by our children is equivalent to £22,796 for each adult/child with some reports suggesting figures as high as £73,000 when including unreported debts. (source http://www.cobdencentre.org/2010/08/the-uk-is-broke/), These debts can never be paid back by this generation and will be left to our children or even children's children to be pay back. It is unethical to even think we're leaving a debt crises to the next generation.

Worry about your own life's, with the current SNP or even a future Scottish Labour government is guaranteed further rights and freedoms will disappear. We already have strict drink laws and from early next year, no retailer will be able to display cigarettes.This is only the tip of the iceberg, police can arrest you for what ever reason even if a crime has not been committed, more CTV cameras are being installed and a thousand more laws are being passed, even protesting will only result in being arrested, charged and put in prison. Thousands have already been imprisoned for crimes involving no victim or threat to the public. Your basic freedoms have already disappeared.

Government has virtual declared war on its own people, but has also declared war abroad. Wars are currently raging in Iraq and Afghanistan and the government has not ruled out Military action against IRAN even if no initiation of force is used against the UK. This will only result in thousands more UK citizens forcefully sent to a foreign country to their deaths.

The Libertarian Party is different, we stand for-

• Minimum government.
• Maximum Freedom,
• Self responsibility.
• Minimum taxes, including abolishing income tax and council tax.
• Against war and foreign interference.
• Against government bureaucracy .
• For private property rights.

Its time to reclaim your liberty.

join, donate, volunteer. Standing still and doing nothing is no longer an option.

Join the Libertarian Party today.

2010 Libertarian Conference- 27th November 2010

This will be held at the Punch Tavern, 99 Fleet Street, London EC4Y 1 DE 27th November 2010 as we rotate for the third year back to London, from York 2008 and Bristol 2009.

You will need to register and pay £10 to off set costs by Nov 1st to receive your voting card and agenda. I do not propose to take money on the day.

Please pay via our account at HSBC noting your membership number and LP2010 as the reference.

If you would like to make a donation over and above (Please) mark as Donation.

40-28-20 Sort Code  Account Number 92635313

It is envisaged that Libertarians of the non member variety can be invited but cannot obviously vote, hence the voting card.

Postal votes are obtainable from 1984@lpuk.org for NCC positions.

Scottish Meetup

As you all may know the libertarian movement in Scotland has died in recent months. 

I have setup a scottish meetup group with the aim have uniting Scottish libertarians and try to start some sort of movement.

http://www.meetup.com/ScottishLibertarians/

With the new SNP laws, increasing size of government and even more government theft, never before in the history has our freedom been at steak. Freedom is being taken away from us by home government via the back door not by a foreign invasion force.

If your in Scotland, and for reducing the size of government and for greater liberty, please join the group. The more members the greater the movement.

This meetup group will be used to arrange new and future libertarian meet-ups.



Thanks

John

South Lanarkshire Taken For £102 000 In Nigerian Scam

Oh Dear God is anybody ever going to be sacked in Local Authorities ?

It has only been two years since the Local Authorities collectively lost £1 Billion of your money in the Icelandic Banking debacle. Despite acting recklessly and outwith Treasury guidelines in respect of security and availabilty, Nobdy was sacked, Not one person resigned, Why nobody cares ! It was Government money.

When is anybody going to wake up to this Statist mess ?

Tax Blunder Rebellion

Never mind the politics of whether or not William Hague is gay (not in the slightest importance to me) this is serious stuff, and should make any sensible person question why they should not be a Libertarian. I reprint in full the following from the Anna Raccoon site in the hope people are going to start waking up.

Start

It’s been a while since there has been a story in the press that left me with my jaw so far down that it hurt. But today, I believe, we are firmly back in the deranged world of government gone completely insane:

HM Revenue and Customs could take direct control of every worker’s monthly pay cheque under plans to overhaul the error-prone income tax system.

Instead of employers deducting income tax then paying gross salaries to employees, the gross monthly payment would go to an HMRC-run tax “calculator”, which would then pass the net salary to the worker.

The reform would mean the end of traditional monthly payslips, because employers would no longer be able to tell workers how much tax they had paid each month.

The immediate thought that comes to mind is: what do we do when (and not if!) this all goes wrong? What happens when, as will inevitably happen, HMRC makes a balls up and takes your whole month’s salary? Who will you fight with? Without a payslip, how do you budget for the forthcoming month, especially if you are on highly variable wages? What about people with all sorts of different sources of income? How will this “help” them? What about people who have valid reasons for submitting an annual return to claw money back?

Inevitably, this kind of glorious “lateral thinking” is a result of the many failings of the people in HMRC. Why is the long-suffering taxpayer being exposed to this extraordinary risk? It’s not like the government exactly has a fantastic track record when it comes to grandiose computer systems.

I’m going to do something that I don’t generally do, because I’m not as erudite at campaigning as Anna: I’m going to ask you to spread the word about this as far as you can; I’m going to ask you to write to your useless MP and complain in the strongest possible terms about this insane idea; write to your local newspaper, tell all your friends and do everything you can think of to stop this insane idea from becoming reality.

Because although Anna is a wonderful campaigner, I don’t think there’s enough of her to go around to save each and every one of us!

UPDATE: I am generally loathe to update articles, especially if they have only just been published, but I feel that this information may be of great value to 1.4 million taxpayers:

The first batch of 45,000 letters demanding cash to be repaid will start to arrive on Tuesday – with the rest sent out over the next four months.

But accountants said recipients should act swiftly to use a little-known loophole which forces HM Revenue and Customs to abandon ‘out of the blue’ demands and effectively write off the money.

They also insisted many of those affected are entitled to argue that they or their employer have done nothing wrong and should not be penalised for someone else’s blunder.

Enough is enough. It is time to starve these incompetent thieves of our hard-earned money!

Still Fighting 'them' on the beaches

The War goes on ! The war against Fascism (The marriage of the big State with big Corporations) we were told ended in 1945. Another skirmish has broken out, that the Libertarian Party is pleased to be part of-

All the links in the following article reproduced in full are to be found here on the Anna Raccoon site



70 years ago this week, Winston Churchill made his famous speech immortalising the words ‘Never in the field of human conflict was so much owed by so many to so few.’ He did so to rally every man and woman in these Isles to support the war effort:

“because we have been nurtured in freedom and individual responsibility and are the products, not of totalitarian uniformity, but of tolerance and variety.”

Sheila Martin was a fragile babe in arms when her Mother heard those words. Too young to understand the menace behind the Messerschmitts and Heinkels screaming overhead and disturbing her slumber. She was the intended beneficiary of Churchill’s words, one of the generation of children that depended on the bravery of British men such as her Father, away in France fighting for the freedom, tolerance and variety that was Britain’s hallmark.

Today, Sheila is once more fragile; she is 70 years old and was widowed 30 years ago. She tells me she has survived five heart attacks; she suffers from asthma, angina and high blood pressure. She only smokes the occasional cigarette these days, partly for health reasons, partly because her minimal state pension doesn’t stretch to any more.

70 years after Churchill’s speech was made, she has retired from a lifetime of hard work.

She was part of that unsung army of hard working, clean living, decent individuals, who cheerfully got up every morning and trudged off to put in a decent days work for a paltry wage as a ‘Mrs Mop’, raised her family, nurtured her marriage, made ends meet, saved little, but asked little in return, save the freedom, and tolerance that her older relatives had fought to provide. She is not a politically aware lady, nor insolent, nor ambitious for financial rewards.

In common with other ‘Smokers’ who may not like the new laws prohibiting them from smoking where others may be offended by the practice, she respected the law of the land, and complied. She is no campaigner against such laws.

Thus it was that she found herself standing at a bus stop, waiting for the bus which would take her home, and taking the opportunity to smoke a cigarette in the open air – there was no bus shelter. She could no longer smoke a cigarette on the top deck of the bus. She had not been able to smoke a cigarette with the cup of tea she shared with her daughter in town. Now she must stand in the road to enjoy the ‘freedom, tolerance and variety’ of the British Isles.

She only smoked half the cigarette; as the time drew close for the bus to arrive, she ‘nibbed’ the cigarette, letting the lit end fall to the ground, and thriftily stowing the other half of the cigarette in her handbag for a later occasion. It was her last cigarette until pension day.

Two of Sandwell’s famed ‘enforcement wardens’ approached her – a man and a woman. They told her that they were issuing a ‘Fixed Penalty Fine’ of £75 under Section 87 (1) of the Environmental Protection Act 1990 as amended by Section 18 of the Clean Neighbourhoods and Environment Act 2005. This mouthful of gobblygook was lost on Sheila; she had no idea what she had done wrong and put the piece of paper in her pocket.

Once home, friends and neighbours clustered round to read this piece of officialdom. Sheila still had the ‘end’ of the cigarette, with its precious inch or so of un-smoked tobacco in her handbag, so how could she be accused of littering the street – it had to be the cigarette ash they were talking about?

I have spoken to Sandwell Council, they tell me that they do not issue fixed penalty notices for cigarette ‘ash’ – I am sure they don’t. I am equally sure that Mrs Martin is telling the truth when she tells me that the half cigarette with its ‘butt’ was still safely in her handbag when she returned home. So we are left with the quandary of whether the ‘lit’ end of a cigarette, which will become cigarette ‘ash’ within seconds, constitutes parliament’s intention when they defined litter as including:

In section 98 of the Environmental Protection Act 1990 (definitions), after subsection (5) insert—

“(5A)“Litter” includes—

(a) the discarded ends of cigarettes, cigars and like products, and

(b) discarded chewing-gum and the discarded remains of other products designed for chewing.”

If a court holds that it does, then every smoker is liable for a £75 fine every time they smoke a cigarette in the street. I do not believe that to be parliament’s intention.

On Friday, the threatening ‘Final Demand’ from Sandwell Council, warning her that she now faces a £2,500 fine plus costs (and possible imprisonment if she does not pay that) expired. The next opportunity for Mrs Martin to contest this matter will come in ‘some months time’ – the council cannot tell me when her case will arrive at the top of their back log of cases to appear in the Magistrates court.

Sheila Martin is frightened, intimidated, and feels helpless in the face of this prosecution. She is in delicate health, aggravated by stress, and I have asked the council to reconsider their decision to press ahead with what may well be an interesting test case defining a cigarette end, but which will be at the expense of a frail and elderly person. They have referred me to their ‘revised Enforcement Policy’ – which makes for terrifying reading, a fine example of the totalitarian government Sheila’s Father fought so bravely to prevent. (available HERE)

Nick Hogan, who I was instrumental in rescuing from prison after similar council action, has joined with me, the Libertarian Party and the Sunday Mercury, to ensure that Sheila suffers as little as possible from the council’s intransience.

We have already arranged for some very high powered legal representation for her, to put her mind at rest, and I have promised her that she will go to prison ‘over my dead body’ – she is obviously unable to pay this fine, or incremental increases of it, and I have personally guaranteed her that somehow I will make sure that she doesn’t have to pay it herself, nor go to prison.

There is no need for money at present, all the legal beagles so far involved are kindly donating their time and expertise free of charge – although if there are any other lawyers out there who would like to join the team, this is one broth that will not be spoiled by too many cooks. My e-mail address is on the contact section of this blog.

70 years ago we were prepared to ‘fight them on the beaches’ – how appropriate that today we prepare to f’ight them on the Sandwell……’

Note From The Treasurer

I would like to thank everybody, Member and supporters who so generously made a donation to the Party in July, however made. We do not get the support of major companies or unions and are totally reliant on your generosity.

There is so much more that the Libertarian Party can and must do. Tim Carpenter and Andrew Withers have been on mainstream TV and Radio in the last few weeks, so we are slowly prizing the door open.

We are painfully aware that we are in a difficult economic period, which is why I am trying to build a war chest for next May slowly and surely. Therefore every pound we collect in is so valuable.


Please keep the donations coming in of whatever size. Whilst I am speaking to some serious donors it is your £5, £10 , £20 plus that keeps us going.


Direct bank transfer to:

sort code 40-28-20

account 92635313


Please put your surname and if you have one a membership number as a reference.

Fund Raising

Thanks to all of you who responded for the recent call for funds Members and supporters alike. Please keep it coming in.


Our account number is 92635313 Sort Code 40-28-20

Our immediate target is £2000. We are looking to open a permanent office to handle donations and all the other administration and membership applications.

Times are hard but every £5 , £10 and £20 is income in the right direction.

The Target For This Month

We need to start raising funds for the local Elections in 2011, I would like to appeal to all members and supporters to donate what you can this month.

Our account number is 92635313 Sort Code 40-28-20

Our immediate target is £2000. We are looking to open a permanent office to handle donations and all the other administration and membership applications.

Times are hard but every £5 and £10 is income in the right direction.

Happy Tax Freedom Day- Sunday May 30th

H/T Adam Smith Institute

Working For The Man

Day Of Days !

When Dinosaurs Ruled The Earth

Apologies for the late comment on yesterday's Daily Politics show with this delectable washed up hack Mr Andrew Neil (61). Pictured here with yet another young lovely not the one that had previously been photographed with wearing a baseball hat that Private Eye repeatedly reprinted.

Anyway, the disgust that this hack produced yesterday has led to a glut of membership applications and donations to our tiny and irrelevant party in the last twenty four hours.

Neill and the BBC do not understand the meaning of 'Public Service Broadcasting' for which the BBC has a charter and the ability to enforce a TV tax to pay for itself. Neill felt that it was not his task to question Mounsey on his party's policies, but to play the man himself, attacking his blog. The wee balding scotsman is not fond of anybody who has any association with public schools, so Mounsey was never going to be off to a good start.

This morning Chris has deleted his blog, and has made a personal decision to tone down the visceral anger that has been his trademark.

Unlike the rest of the BBC, professional politicians and Neil himself sucking off the teat of the public purse, the members of the Libertarian Party are committed amateurs. We cannot afford to have our real jobs and lives threatened by those who feel threatened by having been caught fleecing the public purse in 'Rotten Parliament' and in the BBC.

Neill appears in another show were he sits around chuckling with the hypocrite Diane Abbott and the ever bizarre Portillo. If these three are what the BBC thinks represents politics no wonder forty per cent of the population don't vote, and the rest are utterly disillusioned with what is on offer, including the sterile 'Leaders' debate tonight.

Dinosaurs ruled the earth once, they do not do so now as they were unable to adapt to a new reality.

Cameron A Halfway House Libertarian?

Where a libertarian party would simply decree that it is for the individual to build a strong family, get their children into a good school and find work, Cameron's conservatism wants to actively help people secure those three fundamental building blocks of the good life.

Tim Montgomerie

Yes, it is the Libertarian Party's belief that it is upto you to build your family, get the best education and get work. It is nothing to do with a raft of Quangocrats,Social Workers and politicians setting targets. All of these have removed tesponsibility from the family, along with crushing taxes that would make it financially easier.

Cameron has already stated infront of his party conference, that he does not lead a Libertarian Party. I don't want to be a partner in Government, I do not want to govern anybody else.

I do want Government off my back

Libertarian Party Leader On 'BBC DAILY POLITICS' Wednesday 14th April

Fresh from the bearpit that was 'The Big Question' on BBC last Sunday (available on BBC iPlayer) Chris Mounsey is on the Daily Politics Show tomorrow Wednesday 14th.

Hopefully there will not be a member of the medical profession on the programme as per last Sunday who said 'I'm a Libertarian too, but I want everything banned' (paraphrasing a bit there I know)

Chris will be putting forward the proposition that the State should get out of our lives.

Appeal For Funds

I would like to thank everybody members,supporters and non members for their financial support over the last week, however we have to up our income significantly over the next few weeks to support our candidates.

PLEASE DONATE WHAT YOU CAN

Martin Cullip to stand in Sutton & Cheam

Martin's website will be going live shortly.

Death Of A Democratic Liberal Nation

General Election Turnout

1992 77.7%
1997 71.4%
2001 59.4%
2005 61.4%

Source UKPolitical Info

Percentage share of the Total Electorate that voted Labour in 2005 21%

Source Railings & Thrasher


Labour Party 35.3% of the Vote 356 seats 55% of total seats
Conservative 32.3% of the Vote 198 seats 31% of total seats
Lib Dems 22.0% of the Vote 62 seats 9% of total seats
Other 8.0% of the Vote 30seats 5% of total seats


Nearly 40% of our fellow citizens are not likely to vote in 2010 because of apathy,ignorance or they are disenfranchised.

If you live in a 'safe' seat and your vote is largely an irrelevance.


These depressing statistics show that we cannot pretend to be a democratic nation, we are an oligarchy. Yesterday Clegg came to Bristol. Big Poster on a truck, swarm of journalists, not one voter! He said with a straight face that he expected to be in No 10 to an open mouthed BBC reporter.

He is lying to himself, to the camera and to the voters and he should hang his head in shame. He knows he will never march into Whitehall under FTP because it is rigged in favour of the big two.
Clegg does not understand the zeitgeist and is weaker for it. He has already flunked his historic destiny for himself and his party.

Stop pretending that the Lib Dems are anything other than 'kingmakers' and set out your stall for proportional representation and an end to this squalid excuse of a gerrymandered 'Representative Democracy', these opportunities only come along once every forty years. Ashdown was conned by Blair, and Clegg has clearly learned nothing from the experience.

All three parties are quibbling over Tax, the real issue is Constitutional Reform, I have never seen such depression in the public and the minor parties, knowing that no matter how hard they try and how much money is spent it will make very little difference to the Political Elite. The Rotten Parliament is about to be replaced by the squalid Parliament, full of party placemen, and with precious little mandate and legitimacy from the Electorate.

Libertarian Party Endorsed Candidate Surges To Third Place In The Betting Stakes

Ladbrokes comprehensive betting on the General Election website for many constituencies and they appear to be giving David Kirwan the best odds for any Independent or fringe Party. They are consistently giving UKIP, Greens & BNP throughout the 649 constituencies 100/1. In both Wirral South & Wallasey UKIP is on 100/1.

David Kirwan is an independent endorsed by the Libertarian Party

In Wirral West the betting is….

Conservatives 1/10

Labour 5/1

DSK 50/1

Liberal Democrats 100/1

UKIP 100/1

Jury Team 100/1

David appears to be the only Independent or fringe Party etc ahead of the Liberal Democrats anywhere? This is a great opportunity to break the political mould and elect an Independent.

David Kirwan's website is www.davidkirwan.co.uk

Send Us Your ******* Money !

To Quote Saint Bob Send Us Your ******* Money!

We are looking to open a permanent office and employ a part time paid member of staff

We doubled our income in 2009, and I would like to see if we can do this again in 2010.

Two donors that have agreed to underwrite the costs, which will take the admin load off

the volunteer members of the NCC and ensure a friendly voice at the end of the

telephone for members, supporters and voters.

Please email donate@lpuk.org for a Standing Order Form or

pay direct to

Sort code 40-28-20 A/c 92635313 giving your membership number as a reference, as Donation- (number)

If you are are Supporter- just put Supporter.

Cheques can be sent to Libertarian Party, 33 Castle Road, Walton St Mary, Clevedon BS21 7DA .

Get Off Our Backs- LPUK Campaign Slogan

Whilst the Conservatives have 'Time for a change' (yawn- I can see no radical change a coming, just more of the same), Labour want a fairer Britain (what as opposed to a vast interfering state run and financed by UNITE) and the Social Democrats want a change to a fairer Britain (puh-lease !)

The Libertarian Party has one simple message, GET OFF OUR BACKS this applies to all members of the two and a half party State.

Stop taxing us to death, stop passing laws every ten minutes creating more criminal offences, replace 'Parliamentary Democracy' with a Referenda based local democracy. Let us decide the best way to spend our money, live our lives Not you.

Nick Hogan Released -Official

It took the blogosphere just four days to raise
the near £10 000 to secure the release of Nick Hogan, imprisoned for
six months for flouting the smoking ban in his own premises and failing
to act as the States unofficial Policeman.

It took a further five days to convince Paypal
that the money collected was not part of some International Money
Laundering, Drugs and Sex trafficking Ring, and for the cash to be
released by a High Street Bank under the Money Laundering
'Regulations', during which time Nick continued to languish in Jail.
This in an age when Billions can be rocketed from London to Tokyo in
seconds by our trusted and well beloved Banking industry.

This was always a Libertarian issue, a civil rights issue rather than a
Public Health issue. The hypocrisy of taxing tobacco and punishing its
users beggars belief. If I choose to inhale noxious substances on my
own property, that is my own decision. If members of the public do not
like it do not come onto my private property, go somewhere else to
drink your own brand of poison (until it is banned next of course)

In an age of political parties queuing up to 'do something' which usually means banning something the Libertarian Party was pleased to support Old Holborn and Anna Raccoon with cash and what publicity and support it could muster. However we were more pleased that this attracted support and money from across the political spectrum and across the world.

We do not have to put up with this, we are the people not this Stasi inclined State

Just Do Something To Fight Back- This Is A Libertarian Issue

This is a Libertarian issue if there ever was one, for the sake of £1, you can get a man released from prison. Old Holborn is running a campaign to raise £10 000 to get his fine paid.

As of 16.00 Hrs Wednesday 3rd March the amount raised was £6027



There has been a fair amount of comment in the blogosphere regarding the six month jail sentence given to Nick Hogan for flouting the 'no-smoking ban'.

Outrage has been duly expressed, here, there, and everywhere. Perhaps we can do better than just express outrage?

Protest Allowed In Edinburgh Only If The Correct One

We have confidence in the Police.......... to break up our political opponents protests.. Rights and responsibilities according to dot.gov.uk

David Moxham of the STUC, which is supporting the march, said participants would be urged not to become violent even if provoked by SDL members.

"We have enormous confidence in the police, in the stewards and in our own people, so the likelihood of trouble has to be very small," he said.

Superintendent Lesley Clark said the force was confident it had "contingency plans" in place to respond promptly to any trouble.

"We have been reassuring people that while we have no reason to believe there will be any cause for concern, we will take appropriate action to deal with any anti-social behaviour and criminal activity."

This appears to include arresting people using armed Police and taking away computers.

Whethether you agree with the SDL and EDL or not, once the Government of the day starts using the Police in this way, they can do it to anybody left or right as they please.

UPDATE

Osama Saeed, of the Scottish Islamic Foundation and an SNP candidate for Glasgow Central, said it was a "further humiliation" for the SDL. "They only got ten minutes in the rain last November in Glasgow. They didn't even get that today."

Eighty One Days To Go

We have eighty one days to the General Election widely predicted for May 6th, whilst we are only putting up a few candidates and endorsing a few independents on the basis that this is going to be an 'Anyone But Gordon' Election, and we are focussing our efforts on Local Elections, this is still going to cost money.

If the Cameronian Conservative Party gets in, they will need opposing just as hard as the Labour Party, if it is a hung parliament Politics will be a bit more interesting at both local and national level.

My job as treasurer is however to prepare for the upswing in political debate.

In the meantime we still need to up our donation rate, so please give generously as a member or as one of the LPUK's supporters. Monthly Standing order forms can be quickly set up to our account so please contact us at donate@lpuk.org

Flight From And To The State

Over on Tom Paine's he is commenting on Mark Thomas' assertion that the UK should invade Jersey, because all of the 'Pirates' that are avoiding 'rightful' Income Tax by relocating their businesses there, or Switzerland or other non hostile business parts of the Globe. Whilst Mark Thomas is doing this tongue in cheek, it does hightlight that business is not set up in the UK to be the Milch Cow of the State, or to be unpaid Tax gatherers. The State is not an equity partner, it takes no risks in the venture it just bleeds the Cow dry. So what incentive is there to stay ?

Of all the dividend payments that were made in 2009, 25% came from just two companies, the vast bulk of dividends came from just five companies. Nu Labour has rendered the UK to be one of the most unprofitable places to do business in the world. The productive sector is just upping sticks and voting with its feet.

The Flight to the State is from older applicants rather than going on the dole, applying to University, up twenty per cent on this time last year. This is not taking into account this is an early snapshot, as the application season is no where near over. This is a laudable alternative to sitting watching Jeremy Kyle all day, as long as there is genuine education happening, not some of the more utterly useless courses on offer.

So when Blair said Education,Education,Education did he really mean as an alternative to full time unemployement in a bombed out economy ?

First Authoritarian Outing Of Tory Party Policy

A Prisoners Earnings to Be Taxed
and the money used to fund Rape Crisis Centres

Fabian social control using the Tax system, how novel !

Exciting Times Cost Money

Things should start getting a bit more exciting for the LPUK in the next few weeks, the NCC have been pondering the publicity blackout enforced by the Main stream Media. Not ones to don spidermen outfits and dangle from the House of Commons roof or a nearby bridges, we needed a cost effective alternative. Chris Mounsey our new leader has this now in hand, and when the go is given, LPUK members will be the first to know.

My job as treasurer is however to prepare for the upswing. At the the Conference I said I hoped that we could open a permanent office staffed by at least one part time official and backed up by volunteers. My target date for this is May 2010. To do this I am relying on a core of donors to guarantee the wage bill and other running costs.

However we will need office equipment of all descriptions, if you think you can donate that Louis XIV desk please let us know asap.

In the meantime we still need to up our donation rate, so please give generously as a member or as one of the LPUK's supporters. Monthly Standing order forms can be quickly set up to our account so please contact us at donate@lpuk.org