Eco-libertarianism (Libertarian v Greens)

I have yet to met a Libertarian that believes in climate change. The very subject can make some very angry indeed. Libertarians have a natural distrust of control by government. Combating climate change could lead to more government control over our life's or that's the fear.

As a consequence on face value it would appear that Greens and Libertarians have little in common. But this is not the case as Green Libertarianism has shown. This is based on the environmental values of the Green party and the civil liberties platform of the Libertarian Party in the United States. Its a consolidation of socially progressive values with economic liberalism.

If you think about it it does make sense. A pure Green if they could will grow their own food, build their own property, have little to do with the national politics, supply their own electricity and therefore separate themselves from a controlling society and require less from the state in return, thereby being more Libertarian by consequence. It does make perfect sense.

Have a read of this article here on Greens and Libertarians who are coming to arrange this between themselves.

So next time Greens or Libertarians bash each other for believing or denial in climate change, why not think about the way you live and see how you could both benefit from a different arrangement.

 

The Libertarian Party test‏ and practical Liberalism

The UK Libertarian Party have a very useful test too see how Liberal you are here are my results;

Well done!
You scored 80% (well its 70% see why below)
You are a liberal

1. We should raise taxes on the rich so we can redistribute wealth to the poor? Answer No

Your answer was liberal

It is illiberal for people to be taxed at a different rate based on their income. Also rich people are the most mobile members of society. If they are over-taxed they will simply move themselves, their assets and capital offshore. Which will in turn decrease investment in the country.


2. We should get rid of the minimum wage? Answer No

Your answer was illiberal

The minimum wage is an illiberal restriction on free trade. It also places an artificial value on the cost of labour which makes it more difficult for low skilled workers to find work, and therefore gain experience and training.


3. The state should bailout large corporations in financial distress? Answer No

Your answer was liberal

This is an illiberal incursion on the free market — at the taxpayer's expense. No company should ever receive a taxpayer backed bailout. It encourages bad financial practices and corruption between the state, corporations and unions.


4. It should be illegal for members of the public to own guns? Answer Yes

Your answer was illiberal

In a liberal country people can protect themselves as they see fit. Remember if someone owns a gun it does not mean they will murder anyone. In addition it is very dangerous for a people to allow their state to have a monopoly over weaponry and therefore force.


5. People who hold racist or extreme views should be allowed to publicly express their ideas? Answer Yes

Your answer was liberal

To not would be a gross and illiberal infringement on freedom of speech. And it sets a dangerous precedent for further reducing freedom of speech. It must be noted that defining things as extreme or dangerous is a purely subjective activity. Therefore the state will only define things as extreme if they pose a threat to it. But not necessarily to the people.


6. The state should make people change their behaviour to tackle climate change? Answer No

Your answer was liberal

In a liberal society the state will not force any law abiding person to behave in a certain way as this is an infringement on freedom of thought and action. This is an especially acute issue when you consider there is still great debate about whether climate change is caused directly by human action. People should note that the state have a lot to gain in terms of social control from climate change catastrophe. Along with large corporations who will find it easier to cope with environmental regulations than their smaller competitors.


7. It is wrong for the police to retain the DNA of anyone not serving a prison sentence? Answer Yes

Your answer was liberal

There is no reason why in a liberal society that the state should be allowed to steal the property of a person when they have not been convicted of any crime or are currently serving a prison sentence.


8. The state should ban people from watching violent pornography? Answer No

Your answer was liberal

This is an illiberal incursion on freedom of thought. It is not the business of the state to involve itself in the sexual preferences of consenting adults.


9. It is wrong for democratic nations to overthrow foreign dictators? Answer Yes

Your answer was liberal

It is illiberal, and a sign of gross arrogance, for one state to impose their will on another in this way. These issues are for the people of said state to resolve themselves with their leader(s).


10. Free market capitalism should be forced on other nations to help create a better world? Answer No

Your answer was liberal

It is illiberal for one state to impose their way of life on another. A liberal foreign policy involves free trade with all willing participants. It does not involve forcing states to behave in a certain way if they do not wish to.


It's not easy to say a straight yes or no to some of these questions because I would say its 50 50 for me on a few of these questions. Question 1, I would simply not tax the poor but I do believe the richest people pay the least amount of tax and they should n my view pay a fair share so I'm say 5% less liberal there.

Question 3, I wouldn't bailout large corporations in most cases as this does encourage bad management, however I would of bailed out the banks as this could of most businesses and the whole economy that seem very illiberal. so again its 5% so therefore I award myself 70% with these amendments (80% less 10%).

Question 6, I do believe there is climate change so im not sure about LPUK answer here on 'social control from climate change' I just think this should not be forced upon people and education and argument can be used here.

So for the above reasons I believe I'm not as Liberal as I would like to be for practical reasons and I actually think that the above demonstrates that it is impossible to be 100% Liberal when faced with the realities of the world. I personally try to be Liberal but I do believe in small socialism like a benefit safety net or even sometimes big socialism like the NHS. Therefore I can't claim to be 100% Liberal. This is a problem for LPUK as some of their great ideas are not fully workable just like some of the ideas in full socialism, full capitalism, full communism or full fascism.

I would add that I have a soft spot for the Libertarian Party UK who believe the Liberal Democrats are not Liberal. I agree natually with many of their policies like small government. But unlike LPUK, I would say the Lib Dems are Liberal but not as Liberal as LPUK, just a bit more practical and socialist with a small 's'.

Please do let me know your results at http://lpuk.org/pages/take-the-test.php
http://lpuk.org/

Today's Link
Is to Duncan Scott who blogs at Split Horizons. Duncans tweet directed my attention to this Libertarian Test (he is 80 percent Libertarian).