Libertarian party

The have been rumblings in the liberal parts of the UK blogosphere ahead of the impending arrival of a Libertarian party.

A new website went live on January 1st and a forum has been set up. I've been in two minds about LPUK, as it potentially splits the libertarian support over even more parties than it does at present. You can find people who think of themselves as libertarian in the Tories, LibDems, as well as UKIP. Throw in the Liberal Party and the Classical Liberals and you potentially have a terminally split party.

But with the Tories and the LibDems seemingly irredeemably statist and the others unlikely to reach the dizzy heights of "also-rans", I think a libertarian party might not be a bad idea, if only to draw attention to liberal ideas.

Let's see how it goes. 

Comments

[Jock]

Of course I disagree with your assessment of the other parties and I am unlikely to change parties while I still think there is as much chance of making my party more liberal (the last poll on Lib Dem Voice returned 35% of respondents, the highest category, wanting the party to be positioned as both socially and economically liberal and a majority of nearly 70% in favour of more liberal or centrist economically than "left of centre").

Maybe there is space for an "out and proud" libertarian caucus, particularly in the Tories and Lib Dems, but there are also some notable Labour oriented libertarians - and I myself am a "mutualist" which is more "left" to most than, say, anarcho-capitalist libertarianism.

But I will join the forums and see how it goes!

[Tristan]

I agree with Jock really. I think the LibDems are starting to become more liberal, recovering from the idiocy of David Steel at last...

I hope the LP doesn't become like the US LP, seen as 'pro drug Republicans' (or Tories in this case), but I think that is a distinct possibility.