New era of even Bigger Government
Thursday, October 16, 2008 These are worrying times for anyone who wants less government interference in our lives. The Freedom Zone, our two-day conference in Birmingham, was devoted to "Putting individual freedom at the top of the political agenda". Although the event was considered a success, I was in no doubt - having attended all three main party conferences - that interest in individual freedom among senior politicians and influential opinion formers is the lowest it has been for 30 years.
Given the current financial situation - the credit crunch, the threat to jobs etc - I understand why the economy is foremost in most people's minds. I worry however that recent events - the nationalisation of some of Britain's leading banks, with barely a murmur of opposition - will condition many people to believe that government intervention is the answer to many of our problems, including health and other issues.
I'm not against regulation, I'm against over-regulation. I'm not against education, I'm against coercion and the idea that politicians and their advisors know best. If, like me, you believe in market forces, you have to accept that boom and bust are part of the equation.
I know that's easy to say when (fingers crossed!) I'm not staring redundancy in the face, but I have always believed that the state cannot impose an iron grip on the economy without damaging the entreprenurial spirit on which capitalism - and the population in general - usually thrives.
If people accept, without question, the nationalisation of Britain's banks, they will also accept excessive government intrusion in other areas of our lives. I'm no economist, but if you value our economic and social freedoms, government must be reminded daily that recent measures are short not long-term solutions to our current problems.
There is a real danger, in my view, that politicians will use the credit crunch to reassert their "authority" (including their moral authority to dictate how we go about our business). And they won't stop with the economy. As night follows day, they will take advantage of the public's perceived acquiescence by introducing a whole raft of regulations designed to "save" us from ourselves, and the market.
Eating, drinking, smoking ... we've seen enough to know that a new era of state paternalism is already upon us. Thanks to the credit crunch, and the government's determination to "take action" to bolster its chances of re-election, things could get a whole lot worse.
Simon Clark
On my way home from London tonight I bought this week's issue of The Spectator. The leading article seems to agree with me, albeit at greater length and rather more eloquently. Full article HERE.
Reader Comments (9)
Personally, I think the problem with these people 'in power' is that unless they manage to control us, they feel that their power is diluted and that, quite obviously, is not what they went into government for! Not like the old days when it was an honour to serve your town or country!
Simon I share your pessimism. The Marxists/Leninists/Communists must be dancing in the streets at the apparent failure of capitalism. All those middle aged NuLabour MPs who were members of the SWP in the 1970s must feel their former or current ideology has come full circle. What we need is a period of stability, bite the bullet for the next two years recession and re-group. Like Keynesian fiscal reflation was discredited by Margaret Thatcher, history will no doubt repeat itself in our favour. Drunk on their own self righteousness the NuLefties will almost certainly see it as a blueprint for all new manner of interference and control, Jacqui Smith’s storing of all electronic data is a good case in point.
Like all great empires that rise and fall, British, Roman, Ottoman, Spanish, Holy Roman Empire, the financial failures are the sign that finally lays America to rest as a superpower like Suez in 1956 did for the UK, although you could say the Second World War exhausted us to the point of being a second rate power. So India and China have now picked up the baton and I can only see them going from strength to strength. I only hope the electorate can see through it in time for the next general election.
A pub used to be the place where smokers and drinkers would put the world to rights. Perhaps that is why the Government want pubs to close.
I am now terrified with the fact that our gov't has taken over a small amount of control in our banks.
I am just hoping that the bankers group together and fight the gov't like our pubilicans should have done.
Afterall, the banks were only were only doing what the gov't told them to do - "make money by any means and borrow to 'high heaven'. It doesn't matter about the risk because there's no such thing as boom and bust with nu-Labour - we guarantee you that!!"
Now, if I was cynical, they knew exactly what they were doing. They don't give a damn who they trample on to reach their ultimate goal of total control. The end justifies their abhorent means!
What is even more worrying, of course, is that it's The People who'll be doing all the clamouring for Greater Government Intervention.
And if governments and politicians believe they can Control The Climate (God save us from THAT propsect !), then they clearly ARE omnipotent, after all.
Yes, I fear that we are at the dawn of a New Depression - whose elements extend WAY beyond the purely 'economic'.................
Martin V
We've been in a depression since Improved Nu Labour came to power in 1997. The tories campaign song should be "It's Getting Better All the Time - (it can't get no worse).
Simon, I hope that you don't mind my mentioning this here but 'Devils Kitchen' blogs about the '1984 campaign'. The Libertarian Party is planning to send a copy of '1984' to each MP (to arrive on November 5th!) and is looking for pledges from people to send in a copy to them. Here is the link to the campaign details:
http://lpuk.blogspot.com/2008/10/they-are-not-listening-time-for-action.html
Sylvia -
Surely 'Fixing A Hole' would be more 'appropriate'....................??
Martin V
Or how about "Dear Prudence"?