“An anarchist is an uncompromising liberal.”
Émile Faguet, 1888
What’s in a name? Well, it’s a somewhat refreshing feeling I have now that after 25 years as a paid up member of the UK’s “Liberal Democrats” I finally allowed my membership to lapse in December 2023. I really do now feel “Free to be a Liberal”!
I bear no ill will toward the party. I haven’t actually voted for any party for years now anyway, including the Liberal Democrats. Even as I was once an elected city councillor under their banner it was that experience that firmly set me on the way to anarchism. And as an “uncompromising liberal” I have not felt there are any parties in with any kind of a chance in our stultified so called “democratic” system for whom such a person could actually vote. Indeed, of course, I have no respect at all for that system. It is an unnecessary evil. Especially today when there is little principle, no ideology and all power-games in national politics.
So this is a new era for me. One in which instead of holding my tongue to avoid upsetting the less freedom oriented party brethren, the less audacious policy thinkers who don’t see in our long liberal history sidelined policies that can provide answers to today’s societal problems and who just want to be another party of political muggles hoping for some scraps off the electoral table by being some brand of vague centrist, not quite labour, not quite tory and sometimes worse than both party, I can be as uncompromisingly liberal as I want. No holds barred.
It seems sad to say that I have had to leave the party whose name and constitution declares itself to be of a continuous lineage from the great liberals of the past in British politics in order to feel able to voice truly liberal, uncompromisingly liberal, ideas. But there we have it. Needs must.
I shall return to this theme again in this new home for my political prattling. I hope you will return as well.
Congratulations!