30632138 libertarian manifesto

8/13/2019 30632138 Libertarian Manifesto

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The Libertarian Party

A

M A N I F E S T O

for

C O M M O N S E N S E

Addressed to the inhabitantsOf

T H E U N I T E D K I N G D O M

Recognising the natural state of Human Nature, and its desire for SelfResponsibility , Rule of Law and Personal Freedom


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A Manifesto for Common Sense

Introduction

Statement of Intent

We, the Libertarian Party, hold that each and every adult is the sole

and sovereign owner of their life and legitimately acquired property;

and that they will be free to live in whatever manner they so choose,

so long as they do not infringe upon the freedom of others to do the

same. We further hold that the defence of the individual against force

or fraud by others should be the single function of government.

Overview

The manifesto outlined below is designed to act as a set of stepping-

stones towards a more Libertarian society. t is not our end goal. !nli"e

other political parties, we have a vision to pursue, which will lead to a

truly free society for all. This manifesto is simply the first step on the

long #ourney required to free !$ citi%ens from all aspects of state

slavery.

Our Vision

What The Libertarian Party Stands For

ndividual liberty, freedom and the self-responsibility that

comes with it.

&ree enterprise and 'onest (ar"ets for the prosperity and

opportunity they bring.

)mall *overnment and low ta+ation.

ule of Law applied without fear or favour.

The qualities of life shown above have slowly been accrued over the

centuries by the bravery, courage, sacrifice and blood of our forebears.

(uch of this has been eroded in recent years. We wish to restore these

hard-won freedoms to the !nited $ingdom, and this is why we formed


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the Libertarian Party.

&reedom is distinct from the idea of rights. People have freedoms,

yet each freedom comes with the responsibility not to encroach upon

the equal or superior freedoms of others. f someone has a right,which might be better described as an entitlement, it comes with an

obligation upon a third party to furnish that entitlement. n e+ample of

a freedom is the freedom to learn. n e+ample of a right is the right to

an education, ignorant of the freedoms and rights that might need to

be cast aside to provide it.

We are for &reedoms and Liberty, not rights.

n regards to the role of the )tate, we believe there is a need for/efence and the apparatus of law enforcement such as 0ourts, Prisons

and a Police force that upholds ule of Law with the consent of the

People, not as a tool of the )tate. This is why we might be described as

(inarchists, for we believe in a small )tate, one that does not interfere

or tell you how to live your life, but will defend you against those who

may try to do so.

Rule Of Law

The concept of ule of Law is distinct from #ust being ruled by laws.

ule of Law encompasses, amongst other things, property rights, due

process, equality and transparency. t also includes the notion that

there should be as few laws as possible and that those that do e+ist be

as simple and clear as possible, and predictable in their application.

Property rights are corporeal 1your body2, intellectual 1your ideas,

thoughts, beliefs2, physical 1possessions, land2 and capital 1your money

or other financial assets2. /ue process includes trial by a #ury of yourpeers, habeas corpus and no detention without charge. 3quality is

where the same laws apply to all without fear, favour or special cases.

Transparency is open and visible decision-ma"ing and accountability.

We feel that ule of Law is one of the vital yardstic"s by which we

measure our policies and will conduct ourselves once elected.


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Working With Human Nature

Libertarianism has been criticised for being cold and heartless, but it is

actually quite the reverse. t presumes that (an"ind is charitable, and

it aims to reconnect the giver with the receiver, to ma"e each of us

accountable to ourselves for what we do or don4t do to help our fellow

(an and to ma"e the support of such people the direct result of our

voluntary acts. The current Welfare )tate demands money under pain

of imprisonment and yet disenfranchises the givers from the receivers,

providing the former with no say as to how the appropriated funds are

spent and the latter without the "nowledge that the assistance they

are getting is given willingly. The )tate has monopolised the role of

beneficiary even if it never gives a penny; all it does is transfer monies

from one individual or group of individuals to another, and then at thecost of the bureaucracy involved5consuming a large percentage of the

funds collected. t fosters a sense of abdication in such phrases as 6

pay my ta+es78.

Protecting The Vulnerable

We are acutely aware of the Tyranny of the (a#ority and ule of the

(ob, whereby the views of the ma#ority or a si%eable minority dictate

the lives of all others. The less the )tate does and decides and the

more each individual does and decides for themselves, the lesser the

Tyranny of the (a#ority. s is readily apparent, a large )tate5even one

born of /emocracy5can descend into this form of Tyranny; in fact

/emocracy gives such Tyranny the appearance of legal respectability,

when in fact it has none. t is a legal framewor" that allows the many

to ta"e from the few by force if necessary.


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Policy Goals

We aim to move as soon as practicable towards a (inarchist

Libertarian )tate. n the policy areas below, the phrase long termsuggests actions that may ta"e place over or after a number of

Parliaments 1e.g. a decade or more2, whereas short term means

within the first Parliamentary session of a Libertarian *overnment

1within 9 years2.

Economy

Economy Overview

:ur short-term goal will be to reduce and simplify ta+ation and shift it

towards consumption not income, to increase transparency and

accountability, and to begin repayment of the ational /ebt. :ur long-

term goal is to have a vibrant, transparent, open, honest, low-ta+,

sustainable and true mar"et economy, in which the Pound )terling

value is preserved and little or no ational /ebt e+ists.

The )tate has a responsibility to not destabilise the economy nor

create government debt, which is both a ta+ on the e+isting population

and a mortgage on our children


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freely, honestly and voluntarily, for the benefit of all. )ome lobby

groups use the term ?@,AAA personal allowance

and a flat rate above that.

0orporation Ta+ lowered to ?AB to encourage business and

commerce to be based in the !$. The Party is committed to

investigate the viability of a 9-year e+emption from 0orporation

Ta+ for start-ups.

nheritance Ta+ and 0apital *ains Ta+ abolished in first

Libertarian parliamentary term.

VAT eplace CT with national and local )ales Ta+es.

Local )ales Ta+ set by Local uthorities to fund their services,

replacing 0ouncil Ta+.

Dusiness to business transactions paid between ban" accounts

of registered companies will not be sub#ect to )ales Ta+.

ational )ales Ta+ rate initially set at ?E.9B, as a direct

replacement for CT.

Monetary Reform

The current monetary system in the !$ operates a )tate monopoly

currency, i.e. Pounds )terling. There is also a lac" of transparency

bordering on misrepresentation in deposit ta"ing which is currently

entrenched by a )tate-funded 6deposit insurance scheme8, which
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distorts the mar"et and encourages abdication of ris". Doth shall end.

To this end the Libertarian Party will, on ta"ing office, commence a

sound money8 policy in regards to )terlingF?G. The Dan" of 3ngland

will remain and regain powers lostF@G to enable it to be responsible for

the oversight of this policy. )tate deposit insurance will endFHG.

The sound money policy will be vital because we will remove the

monopoly of )terling. Dan"s and other entities will be free to issue

their own currencies. This is sometimes called &ree Dan"ingFIG. This

will be achieved via repealing the relevant sections of the Legal Tender

laws that currently force people to accept )terling while restricting

ban"s and other entities from issuing their own currencies, distinct

from )terling.

:nce the currency and legal tender monopoly is ended, new currencies

created by entities li"e ban"s or credit card operators will be possible.

:nce that happens, )terling will be #udged against any of these

currencies that might emerge as well as in isolation. )hould an

administration behave in a fiscally imprudent manner the people can

withdraw their support and their wealth from it. This will apply equally

to the *overnment and to the other currency producers.

Dan"s and other entities will not be left to run riot. &raud,

misrepresentation, false accounting, theft and other laws will be

vigorously upheld with a shift from regulation towards supervision.

lthough the formation of a )tate run gold-bac"ed 6Pounds )overeign8

is attractive in some dimensions, this, in reality, should not be

necessary due to the ending of the currency monopoly. :ther

organisations are e+pected to step in and provide gold-bac"ed deposits

or gold trading and vault facilities should sufficient demand e+ist, so

the energy, e+pense of, and distortions caused by a )tate player in this

mar"et can be avoided.

ote that the )tate will offload holdings in private ban"s that might

remain from the ban"ing crisis of @AAE-J. s such it will no longer need


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trouble itself with the internal operations of ban"s e+cept when in

breech of the Law.

F?G )ound (oney is focused on maintaining a stable value and purchasing power ofthe currency. This, in essence, is a means to uphold the implied contract that the

note represents. s the Dan" of 3ngland is the entity that issues the currency, it isthe body that will be charged with upholding and maintaining it. 3+amples of )ound(oney would be not artificially raising or lowering interest rates, devaluing thecurrency or refusing to increase the money supply to "eep pace with economicgrowth. Kuantitative 3asing is an opposite of sound money policy e+panding themoney supply at a time when the economy loo"s to contract.

F@G the Dan" of 3ngland lost a number of powers to other bodies such as TheTreasury and The &inancial )ervices uthority. Those that still apply to the role of theDan" of 3ngland will be repatriated.

FHG /epositors will be at liberty to see" insurance for their deposits at their owne+pense.

FIG &ree Dan"ing is not to be confused with free at the point of usecurrent=chec"ing accounts common in the !$.

Green Taxes

doption of the P00 )3) ? framewor" in accordance with the !$being a 'ighly ndustrialised ation.

The ? storyline is a case of rapid and successful economicdevelopment, in which regional average income per capitaconverge - current distinctions between poor and richcountries eventually dissolve. The primary dynamics areM

N )trong commitment to mar"et-based solutions.N 'igh savings and commitment to education at the

household level.N 'igh rates of investment and innovation in education,

technology, and institutions at the national and internationallevels.

N nternational mobility of people, ideas, and technology.

The transition to economic convergence results from advances intransport and communication technology, shifts in nationalpolicies on immigration and education, and internationalcooperation in the development of national and internationalinstitutions that enhance productivity growth and technologydiffusion.


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Defore any new ta+ is introduced, the e+isting ta+es, subsidies,

levies, duties and other mechanisms need to be reviewed.

Primarily, environmental issues should be addressed by the

personal and economic action of the individual, not pre-emptive

ta+ation by the )tate.

oll bac" any binding international agreements that result

in fines or ta+es to any supra-national or foreign entity,

including the 3!, ! and (&. n e+ample here is the landfill

ta+.

Intervention

s a general principle, the )tate should not intervene in the

finance industry unless to ensure transparency and protect

against fraud. The outcome of our current monetary policy

review will dictate how much )tate intervention our Party

believes is necessary.

t is not the duty of the )tate to underwrite private financial

entities or absorb ris" as this would encourage irresponsible and

rec"less investment and unsustainable business practice.

Public ector !orro"in# Re$uirement im to reduce *overnment borrowing to %ero.

report will be commissioned to investigate how best to

handle the e+isting vast national e+posure to P& debt.

%&A'G(s

3ntities with legal=statutory powers to be formally recognised

as )tate bodies and returned to direct oversight by the

*overnment and 0ivil )ervice.

)ystematically review the remaining funding of K!*:s, with

the aim of its withdrawal. comprehensive reporton our

K!*:cracy, published in @AAO by The Taxpayers' Alliance,

found thatM

o n @AA-AE, ta+payers funded ?,?@ K!*:s5at a cost

of nearly >I billion, equivalent to >@,99A per household.
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o K!*:s now employ over EAA,AAA bureaucrats.

o 3ven on the 0abinet :ffice


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their other sources of income 1primarily pensions, in most cases2. &or

these people, they are either not wor"ing for the purpose of gaining

income, or the #ob is not their only source of income. n addition,

thought it is dismal to spea" of it, they tend not to remain in such

employment long due to old age or, sadly, passing away. /espite this,

being able to ta"e such wor" is of great importance to older people,

who cannot ta"e high paid #obs but still want to be able to wor".

)ome immigrants are highly s"illed and can command high wages, li"e

most Dritons. Dut many lac" these s"ills and must wor" for low pay

until they can gain these s"ills. n many cases immigrants will start off

in low paid wor" and move up the economic ladder to more profitable

employment. This first rung is essential for allowing immigrants to

develop and flourish. t is important to remember that even wages

below our current legal minimum can offer a higher standard of living

for many immigrants, especially when combined with the availability of

cheap, high quality goods and services in Dritain, compared to many of

the countries whence immigrants originate.

Those in training are in a similar situation to those in or who have

recently left education - they don


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employers may want to employ wor"ers, and wor"ers may want to be

employed, but the law prevents them from doing so. )upposedly, this

is for their own good. t is better, they say, that they be forced from

employment at the barrel of a gun and on to state benefits. To ma"e

matters worse, this dependence on benefits is often long termM

because low s"illed wor"ers need to wor" to gain s"ills and e+perience,

if they are banned from wor"ing they can


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monopoly. We will introduce measures to redress this position, whilst

maintaining e+isting commitments in areas such as care for the elderly

and the mentally ill. We do not envisage a mass sell-off of )tate assets,

but a switch to independent not-for-profit and private entities

competing openly.

There are a number of ways to effect the migration from )tate

monopoly to an insurance-based system. The Libertarian Party are

reviewing options, learning lessons from systems around the world,

such as )wit%erland, The etherlands, *ermany, &rance and

)ingapore.

The short term will be to evolve the massive )tate run monopolies into

independent, pluralistic providers where the patient is actively involved

in service choice either directly via voucher schemes, or indirectly via

their selection of an insurance provider. Dy ending the P0T and )'

monopoly control over patients and 'ospitals, inefficient providers or

those seen as being incompetent will be at ris" of losing their patients

and thus funding and reason for e+isting. t will be essential to remove

barriers to new entrants to ensure that all participants are as efficient

and as effective as possible, and so as not to replace a ational

monopoly with a provincial or private one.

The long term goal will be that of no direct )tate provision of services

nor the universal funding of such, for once you have )tate services

they tend bac" to monopoly and, unli"e private organi%ations, they

have the force of law and access to ta+ funded subsidy to impose such

a monopoly. &inancial )tate assistance towards the healthcare needs

of the destitute will e+ist, forming part of our safety net, not

hammoc" approach to Welfare, drawing on the best systems

worldwide. )imilarly, we will loo" into best practice for the provision ofR3.

The Libertarian Party believes strongly in honouring commitments, and

this will e+tend to long-term care for the elderly and mental health

services, in fact we see (ental 'ealth as requiring more investment


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and attention than it has done or is being promised by others.

We will commission an investigation into e+isting P& contracts to

ensure that they are legal and were entered into with due diligence

and in the interests of the ta+payer.

-ducation

Education Overview

The de-facto )tate monopoly and control over education will be

dismantled with the introduction of a )wedish-style voucher system.

There will be no mass privatisation. ncreased parental choice will leadto schools that genuinely serve the needs of our children4s

development. *overnment interference in the curriculum and

e+amination system will end as will the target culture. We will not see"

to replace the local gate"eepers with a central one.

We have a de-facto )tate monopoly with e+cessive control over

education, which needs to be removed. :ur aim is to enable parents to

hold schools to account and, if found wanting, to ta"e their business

elsewhere. We also re#ect the concept of educational conscription

that forces people to remain in education until ?O.

A Scholarship For Every Child

We shall move to a voucher system similar to that in )weden, coupled

with what we believe to be an essential component of any successful

voucher system5the ability for people, collectives or companies to

found schools wherever they wish and for e+isting schools move out of

direct )tate control. We do not envisage a mass sell-off of )tate assets,but for e+isting )tate schools becoming independent operating

alongside independent not-for-profit and private entities.

Funding and Accountability Primary and SecondarySchools

Couchers, based on )wedish-style education reforms, to be


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used at any school, and parents to be able to top up.

ndependent schools to be free to set-up wherever they wish.

emoval of veto and control over establishment, funding and

administration of schools from L3s.

)election, setting, curriculum and streaming to be the decision

of the individual schools.

The intention is to enable a surplus of school places to occur in

all areas. Poorly performing schools will either reform and

improve, be absorbed by others, or simply close due to lac" of

parental support 1if vouchers are spent elsewhere2.

)hould a school accept vouchers, they will be e+pected to

deliver solid numeracy and literacy comprehension,

communication and critical reasoning. We shall end centrally imposed targets, many of which devalue

education and educational standards for all.

State Funding/Vouchers To A!evel

o age limit imposed, so students can re-enter formal education after

previously leaving before ta"ing e+ams.

Freedom For E"am #oards

3+am boards to be free from government gradegerrymandering.

)chools free to adopt the e+am boards of their choice.

Tertiary Education

(ove towards greater sponsorship, bursaries, scholarships and

bonds by all sectors of the economy to free the !niversities,

Polytechnics and Technical 0olleges from the dead hand of )tate

interference.

3ntities that cannot provide the full !niversity range5Dachelor,

(asters, /octorate and research faculties5shall no longer be

called !niversities so as not to mislead prospective students.

/ismantle any subsidies distorting the mar"et and si%e of the

!niversity population.

/ue to our proposal to abolish ncome Ta+, the contention over the


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charitable status of some educational establishments will eventually

become irrelevant in most cases.

Home Education

The Party will dismantle barriers to 3lective 'ome 3ducation, including

the repeal of new measures being planned by other parties in or out of

government.

lthough the Party will be implementing a Coucher )ystem roughly

along the lines implemented in )wedenF?G, this will not mirror any

clamp-down or coercive programme directed towards 'ome 3ducators

that e+ists there. :ne of the cornerstones for us as a Party is to

dismantle monopolies, not remove one only to replace it with another.

This raises important issues in regards to the funding of 'ome

3ducation. We need to stri"e a balance between preserving the

freedom of parents and children with that of Ta+payers, who, we must

never forget, are being coerced and forced to fund government

spending on pain of imprisonment.

:n the one hand parents may wish to be free from any )tate control,

while Ta+payers have a right to e+pect the )tate to spend their ta+es

prudently. The nub is 6prudently8, as it immediately becomes a value

#udgment and a collectivised one at that.

:ur position is that we would not prevent people 'ome 3ducating, nor

would be demand any "ind of 6notification8 across the board, whichcan rapidly become a Tro#an 'orse for )tate controlF@G.

'owever, should the 3ducator request that the ta+payer fund such

education ta"e the )tate4s )hilling as it were - there would need to be

evidence that the funding was in fact delivering an education FHG. t is


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unreasonable for anyone to demand no strings funding from the

Ta+payer and we feel that genuine 'ome 3ducators will understand

this point completely.

n e+change for Ta+payer funding we would e+pect, in almost all

casesFIG, improvements in literacy and numeracy over time, where

literacy is one of reading, writing, comprehension and critical

reasoning. We are not interested in curriculum specifics and to be so

would be irrational - one of the reasons some choose 'ome 3ducation

is due to their re#ection of a centrally controlled and imposed

curriculum, regardless of if that centre is ational, 0ounty, 0ity,

Dorough or even ParishF9G.

)hould even this be unacceptable to some 'ome 3ducators, they will

always be at liberty to decline the funding and its attendant

measurements for a period of time or throughout. :ur Policy will not

demand 6all or nothing8, 6now or forever not8 or 6once and forever

more8 conditionality upon the funding, which would be coercive, in our

view, and may distort decision-ma"ing.

n summary, it is not unreasonable to e+pect that Ta+payer funded

spending come with strings attached, but that one shall be free to

decline the funding and, consequently, the strings. 3ducational funding

is no e+ception.

F?G This differs from the 0onservative Party approach, which still retains central

control, commissioning, granting and approval powers. &a"e, in other words.

F@G The idea of notification has been touted by others, including the Liberal

/emocratsM t is quite sensible for all home educators to be obliged to notify local

authorities that they are home educating. Local uthorities cannot do their present

#ob if they do not "now which children are being home educated. voluntary system

would do little or nothing to address the minority of cases where home education


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could be of poor quality or non e+istent. ic" 0legg, Leader, The Liberal

/emocrats. The unas"ed questionM is the 6present #ob8 of the Local uthority

necessary, correct or beneficialQ What is also ironic is that there are cases where the

education of children by the Local uthority in schools is 6of poor quality or non

e+istent8 and that is sometimes the motivation for Parents or *uardians to embar"on 'ome 3ducation in the first place. The problem with notification is that it rapidly

becomes registration then an approval process 6granted until refused8 then

6refused until granted8 - bac"ed by monitoring, bo+ tic"ing, targets, curricula and

logistics such as teaching environment. The conceit of many that the )tate 6owns8

children, 6"nows best8 or they need to be tagged=trac"ed li"e livestoc" is not lost on

the Libertarian Party. We re#ect such self-serving notions.

FHG Dlan" cheques will create all manner of unintended consequences when one

considers that a child might 6yield8 >4AAA4s pa in cash each year for a parent.

FIG n some cases this might not apply due to the particular child and this must be

ta"en into account.

F9G t is important to remember that under the Libertarian Party approach to a

Coucher )ystem with its removal of barriers to the formation of educational

establishments and micromanaging thereof, 3ducators will be free to form their own

arrangements including whatever level of cooperation they are comfortable with, up

to and including no longer being 6'ome8 3ducators once educational establishments

form that meet their needs or forming such themselves.

.efence And ecurity

Defence Overview

:ur aim is to ensure a strong, independent, sovereign nation. This

requires a well funded, trained and equipped professional rmed&orces 1both full time and eservist2, geared for the defence of our

nation and shipping, called rmed eutrality.

")eace, commerce and honest friendship with all nations&entangling

alliances with none" & Thomas *efferson


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3nergy non-dependence will remove the temptation for the !$ to be

involved in many theatres of conflict around the world and as such is

considered to be part of /efence.

Armed Forces

:ur national stance will be one of armed neutrality.

We e+pect to support the rmed )ervices, their families and

veterans. eservist and 0adet wings are also seen as vital

components of a sustainable, professional force.

We are committed to underta"e a proper review of our genuine

defence needs, based upon the reality of the threats that our

nation faces today, rather than the position that we were in

during the cold war; this review to include analysis of

presumptions regarding safe international sea trade.

ll defence procurement decisions to be made on pragmatic

rather than #ingoist grounds.

:ur rmed &orces need to be able to ma"e an enemy thin"

twice, so must have the ability to pro#ect force rapidly, globally

and fle+ibly in focused ways, e.g. submarines, amphibious

assault, (arines, )pecial &orces.

To protect supply lines and commercial shipping and fisheries

from piracy and other interference will require a suitably si%ed

fleet of 0orvettes, &rigates and associated support craft.

(aintain membership of T: while in the ational nterest.

(aintain strong ties with non-aggressive 0ommonwealth

countries.

ny uclear deterrent to be made truly independent, retained,

maintained and eventually replaced in the foreseeable future.

Energy $ndependence

ll practical local fuel and energy resources 1such as coal2 to

be considered alongside the continuation and, if economically

viable and necessary, the renewal of nuclear power until

dependable, alternative sources are available.

3nd counter-productive subsidies and grants for biofuels and


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wind farms. :pen up the mar"etplace to all alternatives, e.g.

wave and tidal.

o unreasonable obstructions to microgeneration shall be put

in place by the )tate.

Immi#ration

Immigration Overview

:ur immigration policy will be points based whilst the )tate provided

Welfare )ystem e+ists. n parallel, we will establish bilateral

agreements with countries to enable free flows of people. Longer term,

and in con#unction with the disappearance of our current Welfare

)ystem, we are committed to pursuing an open borders policy towards

those who would wish to come to the !nited $ingdom in order to

contribute to our 1by then2 thriving economy and peaceful shores.

Totally free movement of people into the !$ is not practical whilst we

have a large welfare state and other countries are themselves not

broadly Libertarian in nature. n line with the ule of Law, a

transparent, consistent points based system is one of our "ey proposed

measures to humanely manage migration. n the long-term, bi-lateral

agreements would see the free movement of peoples between them.

s a party we are committed to establishing the free movement of

goods, capital and people. 'owever, the free movement of people into

the !$ is not yet practical while we have both a large welfare state and

most other countries are themselves not broadly Libertarian in nature.

s soon as it is practical to establish free movement between

individual countries we will do so. To e+pedite this we aim to establish

bilateral agreements with nations to enable bidirectional flows of

people similar to that between ustralia and ew Sealand. The more

the distortions of the Welfare )tate are negated, the more we will be

able to enter into bilateral arrangements.

free flow notwithstanding, any Libertarian government will reserve

the right to e#ect or refuse entry to foreign nationals convicted in a


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court of law as part of the *overnment


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and review of e+isting welfare arrangements. s with healthcare, the

Libertarian Party believes strongly in honouring e+isting commitments,

and this applies to those on the )tate Pension.

Welfare was envisaged as being a safety net, not the hammoc" it hasbecome. We aim to refrain from nurturing dependency while

encouraging self-reliance and charitable wor"s via a steady evolution

and review of e+isting welfare arrangements. s with healthcare, the

Libertarian Party believes strongly in honouring e+isting commitments,

and this applies to the )tate Pension.

%el&are

n end to )tate funding of lifestyle choices. People dependent

on the )tate shall not normally get additional housing or cash

provision if they e+pand their family, either through birth or the

accumulation of additional dependants for whatever reason.

lthough this may seem harsh, there is an in#ustice in

entitlements that accumulate, forcing ta+ payers unable to

provide for or e+pand their own families to fund that choices for

others.

n end to ta+ing the income of the poorest. bolishing ncome

Ta+ will remove the need for comple+ ta+ credits and similarbenefits. n future, ta+es will be on consumption, not earnings.

We will see" to encourage wider discussion within the nation

on incentivisation away from a life of dependency.

(igration to a plurality of non-)tate organisations providing

low-cost housing. )uch bodies will be able to set their own

standards for tenant behaviour and so forth, with no binding

duty of care upon them to house all comers.

buses of welfare will be dramatically reduced via a

simplification of the benefits structure and closure of loopholes

and e+ploits.

Pensions

The Libertarian Party will uphold e+isting )tate pension

commitments to the retired. 'owever, we recognise that our


23/39

e+isting national pensions scheme is not viable in the long-term,

for it is, in effect, a Pon%i scheme. We will e+pect individuals to

start to ma"e their own provision for a future pension. We will

also advise individuals against the use of company pension

schemes that are lin"ed in any way to the ongoing viability of the

company.

)tate pensions liabilities will be reviewed with the intention of

ma"ing them transparent and openly securiti%ed; this will be

achieved through the issuance of government debt and=or the

realisation of unnecessary )tate assets.

+ousin# And Plannin#

Housing and Planning

)tate interference in land use and housing often results in an

unresponsive mar"et or pro#ects that suit outside interests and not the

community. :ur policies aim to reverse this position.

)tate interference in land use and housing often results in an

unresponsive mar"et or pro#ects that suit outside interests and not the

community. :ur policies aim to reverse this position, and put local

people bac" in charge of local developments.

Policy

bolish )tamp /utyM the de-facto ta+ on house buying.

We will underta"e a thorough review of planning laws to

facilitate a speeding up of the planning process whilst enabling

people to resist moves by uthorities who may be attempting to

push through a pro#ect that is not necessarily in the interests of

residents, e.g. the ending of compulsory purchases for6regeneration8.

!ntil a practical Land Calue Ta+ation system can be devised,

forms of %oning 1such as *reen Delts2 will remain.

eview building regulations, and repeal any that impose

impractical limitations on configuration or liveability.


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(a"e 'Ps voluntary.

0reate a planning environment that does not hamper the

investment in infrastructure necessary to improve economic

efficiency and to ma"e Dritain the location of choice5to become

the 'ong $ong of the tlantic. 3+ample pro#ects in this

category include 'igh )peed ail, new airports, and new

commuter and freight railways.

Permit more private toll roads, but do not subsidise them

through national ta+ation.

Planning consent to return to the historic position of implied

consent for development unless ob#ections can be proven,

reversing the recent trend to put the burden of proof on the

developer. 3ncourage a framewor" for local residents to have first call on

land sales=developments by Local uthorities in their village=town

to remove bias against local voluntary collectives building

heterogeneous developments.

0ompulsory Purchase :rders to be abolished as a violation of property

rights in contravention of ule of Law.

Transport

Transport Overview

)ubsidies and cartels that distort the running and creation of our

national transport infrastructure are addressed by our policies, and

resolved.

The Libertarian Party is committed to ensuring that subsidies and

cartels that distort the running and creation of our national transport

infrastructure will be resolved.

Policy

:ur proposed policies in the areas of housing, education and


25/39

stamp duty will mean that individuals will be more willing to

move closer to their place of wor", so reducing the strain on

transport.

We will end the indirect subsidy of road freight. This may

require retention of a form of distance-based road pricing for

'*Cs, which in HO-tonne form, do ?A,AAA times more damage to

roads than a ? tonne car.

t is e+pected that the move towards locally elected Police

0hiefs shall result in the removal of the ma#ority of speed

cameras and the return to intelligent use of Traffic Police,

without the need for compulsion from central government.

epeal specific legislation about phone use, smo"ing and so

on, and rely on established laws in regard to vehicle control.$illing as a result of driving a vehicle while incapacitated5for

whatever reason5could be manslaughter, and should be treated

accordingly.

epeal nanny-state legislation such as compulsory seatbelt and

crash helmet use. (otorists and riders should have the right to

ma"e their own choices on their use of safety equipment;

insurance companies should have the right to charge additional

premiums 1or decline cover2 to those who do.

/isband the cartel of the rolling stoc" leasing arrangements.

esolve the geographic monopoly that is the rail tendering

mechanism.

!nderta"e a review of e+isting, proposed and potential road

charging schemes. n principle, we are against charging for non-

freight vehicles.

We will not oppose a move towards a combined (:T5

insurance certificate to tidy up the de-facto lin"age that currently

e+ists.

/a" And (rder

Law and Order Overview

"Those who would give up +ssential iberty to purchase a little Temporary


26/39

-afety, deserve neither iberty nor -afety" & en/amin (ran%lin

&reedoms won for us by the blood of our ancestors have been seriously

eroded over the decades, and this erosion is gaining speed and mustbe reversed. t is a core responsibility of the )tate to enable the

citi%ens to go safely about their lawful business without let or

hindrance.

"Those who would give up +ssential iberty to purchase a little

Temporary -afety, deserve neither iberty nor -afety" &

en/amin (ran%lin

&reedoms won for us by the blood of our ancestors have been seriously

eroded over the decades, and this erosion is gaining speed and must

be reversed. t is a core responsibility of the )tate to enable the

citi%ens to go safely about their lawful business without let or

hindrance.

Police

0hief 0onstables to be locally elected, and given a large

amount of autonomy. We e+pect this toM

o /rastically simplify and reform Police=0P) targets, now

the remit of the 0hief 0onstable, and to remove the desire to

prosecute innocent parties.

o reduction in paperwor" to enable more beat officers to

remain on patrol for as long as possible.

We will underta"e a review of the P0): concept, with the

potential to recruit those capable into the main police force, and

to disband the remainder. (ore funding for more police, especially traffic police 1see

Transport reM )peed 0ameras2.

Limit retention of / only in the event of a conviction, and to

discard after that conviction is spent.

We will reaffirm the J Peelian Principles. These areM


27/39

A The basic mission for which the police e+ist is to prevent

crime and disorder.

? The ability of the police to perform their duties is

dependent upon the public approval of police

actions.

@ Police must secure the willing co-operation of the public

in voluntary observation of the law to be able to

secure and maintain the respect of the public.

H The degree of co-operation of the public that can be

secured diminishes proportionately to the necessity

of the use of physical force.

I Police see" and preserve public favour not by catering to

public opinion, but by constantly demonstratingabsolute impartial service to the law.

9 Police use physical force to the e+tent necessary to

secure observance of the law or to restore order only

when the e+ercise of persuasion, advice, and

warning is found to be insufficient.

Police, at all times, should maintain a relationship with

the public that gives reality to the historic tradition

that the police are the public and the public are the

police; the police being only members of the public

who are paid to give full-time attention to duties

which are incumbent upon every citi%en in the

interests of community welfare and e+istence.

E Police should always direct their action strictly towards

their functions, and never appear to usurp the

powers of the #udiciary.

O The test of police efficiency is the absence of crime and

disorder, not the visible evidence of police action indealing with it.

!egislation

3stablish a parliamentary )tanding 0ommittee to review all

legislation enacted over the past HA years with the remit to

propose repeal unless absolutely necessary. )uch unnecessary


28/39

legislation is e+pected to include )D:s and on-the-spot fines.

Property owners to be freed from the nuisance claims of

assault by criminals.

/isorder to be handled via the courts, not on-the-spot fines,

which we believe are unconstitutional as laid out in the ?OJ Dill

of ights.

epeal inhibitions to right to lawful assembly.

Wiretap evidence to be permitted as evidence in court cases.

!nderta"e a review to consider returning #uries to all criminal

trials.

mmediate repeal of 0ontrol :rders.

mplement a ma+imum period for detention without charge of

IO hours; arrests should be evidenced based, not fishinge+peditions.

Legalisation of all narcotic substances for adult consumption.

The well respected Transform Drug Policy Foundationhas a

wealth of information e+plaining how this approach is the only

one that will effectively address the problems that illegal drug

use currently cause individuals and the wider nation.

/ecriminalisation of all activity related to adult prostitution.

oll bac" the right of government agents to enter property

without a warrant.

ll new legislation to have a )unset 0lause by default.

$dentity Cards

We will immediately scrap the compulsory ational / card scheme.

Prisons

We will ensure that sufficient prison places are available to

ma"e capacity not a factor in detention, bail or sentencing

decisions.

(a"e prison harsher for uncooperative inmates as necessary

while rewarding cooperation.

3nd the practice of using regular prisons for the incarceration

of the mentally ill.

Life to mean life, and an end to early release of the violent or
http://www.tdpf.org.uk/http://www.tdpf.org.uk/


29/39

abuser.

The legalisation of drugs and prostitution and proper diagnosis

and treatment of the mentally ill should reduce the numbers of

women in prison significantly.

o consideration for age or gender should influence

sentencing.

We will underta"e a review to e+amine the options available for

the provision of training and educational facilities within prisons,

and also investigate the possibility of prisoners being able to

perform paid wor" whilst incarcerated should they wish.

3nsure first time remand prisoners are "ept separate from

other inmates.

Firearms !egislation

The Libertarian Party stands by the right of peaceful citi%ens to defend

themselves against violent attac"ers and burglars within the law, and

will ma"e it a priority to bring the laws on self defence bac" into line

with common sense.

When seconds count, the police are #ust minutes away. The police are

not your bodyguards. They can outline you in chal", they can brea" thenews to your family, they can maybe catch whoever did it after the

fact, but they cannot protect you. t will ta"e police anywhere from 9 to

HA minutes to reach you, if they even bother to come at all. n

attac"er can brea" in and search your entire house in under three

minutes or travel ?AAm in under ?9 seconds.

s one of our first steps to reduce the violent crime rate, a Libertarian

*overnment will immediately move to repeal the ban on the ownership

and carrying of non-lethal defensive weaponry by law-abiding people.(uggers, rapists and racist thugs ma"e a habit of carrying "nives and

other lethal weapons in order to prey on the innocent. &or too long the

law has prevented their intended victims from protecting themselves

using the non-lethal technology which is available to the citi%ens of

most civilised countries.


30/39

This long-overdue reform is not a charter for vigilantes, but will have

the effect of shifting the balance of power on the streets bac" towards

peaceful citi%ens, where it belongs.

We will amend the &irearms cts to repeal the pistol ban, which hasboth completely failed to reduce armed crime and crippled our

country


31/39

The Libertarian Party is committed to reassert the primacy of our Dill of

ights and 0ommon Law system over the apoleonic system that has

encroached from the 0ontinent in recent years,whilst in the short term

a new written 0onstitution will be drawn up. 0ombining the freedoms

established by these documents with others secured by our forebears

will have the net effect of restoring and forever enshrining vital

freedoms lost to our countrymen and women during the recent

decades.

"0nd I do declare that no foreign prince, person, prelate, state or

potentate hath or ought to have any /urisdiction, power,

superiority, pre1eminence or authority, ecclesiastical or spiritual,

within this realm. -o help me !od." & from the 2ath of

0llegiance in the +nglish ill of 3ights, 4567

The Libertarian Party is committed to reassert the primacy of our Dill of

ights and 0ommon Law system over the apoleonic system that has

encroached from the continent in recent years.

Policy

Law and ta+ation shall be applied consistently and withoutfavour.

epeal 'uman ights ct. We will enact a formal 0onstitution,

and reassert the ?OJ Dill of ights to reinforce established

freedoms under 0ommon Law.

We will abolish the compulsory TC License and resolve the

status of DD0; options to be investigated include the potential for

privatisation or a voluntary license.

bolish egional gencies as a priority in the K*: cull.

We will ensure that the !$ does not enter into any binding

agreements with supra-national entities that require the

imposition of fines or demand policy actions on domestic affairs

or those affecting national security including energy policy. )uch

agencies include the 3! and the !nited ations.

eview membership, funding and all obligations towards supra-


32/39

national bodies.

3nd the neglect of !$ ties with the 0ommonwealth nations.

We will ensure that people are free to practice their religion.

'owever, freedom of religion does not mean allowing people to

commit 1or threaten to commit2 acts of violence against others.

This includes using religious te+ts as any form of #ustification,

merely that all people should be equal in the eyes of the law,

regardless of their creed; and that all should be able to worship

whatever deity or deities they wish5including worshipping none

at all5and to peacefully practice their chosen religion. 3ven

though a religious te+t may contain passages that could be seen

by some to be inciting violence, it should not be banned. Vet,

that same te+t shall not be entertained as #ustification or as ane+cuse for force or fraud upon another.

European Union Membership

There are a myriad of reasons why straightforward trading

arrangements with our 3uropean friends would prove economically

more beneficial to !$ citi%ens and businesses than full political

membership, but purely financial matters should not be our overriding

concern. What really matters is our sovereignty5the ability for the !$

to ma"e its own decisions in its own interests. We find ourselves todayin a position where 3! law ta"es precedence over our own, and where

3! rules and directives control the daily lives of !$ citi%ens.

ncredibly, it would actually be legally impossible for the Libertarian

Party to implement much of the manifesto that you are now reading if

we remained within the 3!5even something as fundamental as our

national CT regime is now determined at a 3uropean level. Whilst the

!$ remains part of the 3uropean superstate, it is largely irrelevant

which party is elected to Westminster; the hands of our national

politicians are tied by the faceless bureaucrats in Drussels. That


33/39

policies and administer the !$.

Parliament & Politics

We propose electoral reform towards a voting system, which

retains the ownership and relationship at the constituency level

of &irst Past the Post, but does not suffer from the concept of the

wasted vote or misleading tactical vote. We wish to avoid the

pitfalls of Proportional epresentation, which can Dal"anise

politics and disconnect voters from a specific elected

representative.

mmediate introduction of fi+ed Parliamentary terms.

f it e+ists, dismantle )tate funding of political parties.

Whilst the member countries of the !nion wish to remain

within it, ensure that all legislation created and passed within

Westminster is


34/39

The Libertarian Party has determined to adopt the framewor" on

Lobbying as proposed by the Alliance For Lobbying Transparency.

This framewor" is as followsM

How to ensure Lobbying Transparency mandatory register of lobbyists. This must include disclosure

of those lobbying, and resources spent on lobbying activities.

This would allow meaningful information on the contacts

between lobbyists and decision-ma"ers to be put in the public

domain, and sub#ect this form of policy-ma"ing and influence to

much needed scrutiny.

ecording of all meetings and correspondence between

lobbyists and elected members, officials and ministers. The

(inisterial 0ode was changed in @AAE and no longer contains the

specific requirement to record meetings between (inisters and

outside interests. We want to see it re-introduced and for the

information to be made public.

3nforceable ethics rules for all lobbyists. /espite the industry4s

attempts to self-regulate through voluntary codes of conduct,

some lobbyists still use tactics that many people would find

unacceptable in the !$4s democratic system. ules on the

conduct of lobbyists should include, for instance, a ban on theemployment of officials or their relatives for lobbying purposes

and curbs on benefits in "ind and gifts.

How to increase trust in decision-making

n end to privileged accessM We want to see an end to

practices where particular interests are granted privileged access

to ministers and officials. &or e+ample, organisations that allow

privileged access for corporations to Parliament should not be

granted regular Parliamentary Passes.

n end to


35/39

called


36/39

'o( )id %e Get This Ta"*

&irst, a little history. t the end of the ?Oth century, Dritain was facing

a serious threat from &rench military forces under the control of

apoleon. n ?EJJ, Pitt the Vounger introduced our first national

ncome Ta+, as a temporary measure in order to fund those wars.

With a starting rate of #ust under ?B, Pitt


37/39

'owever, since the &irst World War, successive governments have

continued to spend the money originally earmar"ed for our national

defence upon other pro#ects, without any concern for the damage that

this has actually done to our economy.

*overnments are horrifically inefficient at spending public money. t

has been estimated that for every >? in ta+ that you and pay, only

appro+imately 9AB of it is returned to front-line services, once it has

been through the bureaucracy of government. This means that if we

were purchasing our child?. The Libertarian Party believes in putting our broader

economic interests ahead of those of the )tate5do youQ

'ardest 'it The Poor

lthough the great parliamentarians of the ?Jth century understoodand cared about the needs of the very poorest in our society, these

concerns are obviously not felt by their modern day counterparts.

Today, the ncome Ta+ regime has such a disadvantageous effect upon

the poor that we


38/39

leaders that if we simply removed the problem5the ncome Ta+ itself

5we wouldn?IHbln in @AA=AE, which accounted for appro+imately one quarter of

the total government spending of >9HIbln 1public sector current

e+penditure plus net investment2. 'owever, consider thisM in @AA?=A@,

the equivalent government spending was >HEObln. Were we to return

to those recent levels of public spending, we would have more than

enough income from other sources to immediately abolish ncome Ta+.

'ave the improvements to our public services since @AA@ really been

worth IAB of everything that you?Hbln remaining5sufficient to also abolish, at current revenue levels,

nheritance Ta+, 0apital *ains Ta+, and duty on beer and wine, with

some small change left over7

$mplementation

(aintaining the cosy fantasy that ncome Ta+ is still only a temporary

measure 1in Pitt


39/39

longer legally e+ists.

)uch a ma#or change would obviously have temporary repercussions

for staff of 'er (a#esty

30632138 libertarian manifesto

Documents