What should libertarians do?

David Davis

There is a discussion going on over at Obnoxio the Clown, about a dilemma that libertarians ought to be facing. We are clearly now under the thumb of force-wielding pre-capitalist-warlord-bureaucrats-who-wannabe-overlord enslavers – particularly in the UK. Since their British variety is peculiarly vindictive and pernicious, and since aggressive surveillance and institutional harrassment constitutes the use of force aganst another person, where now ought we to stand in defence of liberty? (Obnoxio himself has just flagged it up too.)

This in the Daily Mail, regarding how Hazel Blears the chipmunk was received in her own constitutency of Salford, prompted me.

At least the expenses won't come to a lot here...

As one of a scratch-group of official spokesmen of the British Libertarian movement – if we can dignify ourselve comically by such a term – I do not condone gratuitous violence. And I ought not to. Not even against the property of self-confessed GramscoFabiaNazis (just read her words for dripping self-righteousness and undiminshed hubristical self-regard) but I think there will be worse to come. The people of the Political Enemy-Class are belatedly (for them) installing the full apparatus of a Police terror-State, and when it is up to speed it will be far more efficiently repressive and horrifying for trapped individuals than ever the USSR or the DDR was able to be: technology is a wonderfully effective thing in the hands of very clever police-minded repressors who have it in for liberal civilisation, and our side has been slow to realise the willingness with which ordinary traders will fall over themselves to sell it to such people.

There may come a time when people, however classically liberal, do not reject the hypothesis that revolution is the solution.