We are developing the social individualist meta-context for the future. From the very serious to the extremely frivolous... lets see what is on the mind of the Samizdata people.
Samizdata, derived from Samizdat /n. - a system of clandestine publication of banned literature in the USSR [Russ.,= self-publishing house]
|
Speakers for liberty I have just spent the day at Liberty 2005, the Libertarian Alliance run conference being held over this weekend at the magnificent National Liberal Club. As well as listening attentively, I snapped photos.
Here is speaker number three today, Syed Kamall MEP, in action:
And here is Gabriel Calzada who will be first up tomorrow morning:
Syed was most impressive, and I am confident Gabriel will be too. No time to elaborate now on what is actually being said at this gathering, but I hope I will manage to later.
These two pictures, and another eighteen, at my place.
|
Who Are We? The Samizdata people are a bunch of sinister and heavily armed globalist illuminati who seek to infect the entire world with the values of personal liberty and several property. Amongst our many crimes is a sense of humour and the intermittent use of British spelling.
We are also a varied group made up of social individualists, classical liberals, whigs, libertarians, extropians, futurists, ‘Porcupines’, Karl Popper fetishists, recovering neo-conservatives, crazed Ayn Rand worshipers, over-caffeinated Virginia Postrel devotees, witty Frédéric Bastiat wannabes, cypherpunks, minarchists, kritarchists and wild-eyed anarcho-capitalists from Britain, North America, Australia and Europe.
|
Could someone please publish the full text of the Marie Antionette International Dead Liberty Award for Mugabe on here?
Many Thanks
From Syed Kamall’s website the only possible clue that he might be a libertarian is in his biography where he mentions global free trade. Otherwise, there is not much to distinguish him form the state-worshipping social control freaks with whom he shares a party.
Robert, knowing Syed as I do, I can assure you that your suspoicions are unfounded, though I wonder for how long such a good man can remain in politics. We need a hundred Syed’s.
Errr … the only this is, is this event being held in a urinal? What’s with the tiled walls?
The picture doesn’t give the right impression of how fancy the tiling was, or the decor generally. Each of those huge curtains must have cost a few thou for a start.
I used to work at the Treasury, not so far away from the National Liberal Club where this event was held, and we were always told that the Treasury building was originally designed to be a viceregal palace in Bombay. The same could be true of the National Liberal Club from the looks of it. The tiles and vast, airy spaces seemed as if they were intended for a tropical climate.
It’s a splendid place – including the ladies’ loos.
By the way, Brian, your link doesn’t work for me at the moment.
Verity, my fiancee made exactly the same remark about some of the tiles!!!
Seriously, the club has a wonderful spiral staircase and is full of portraits of these wonderful characters who were real liberals: Gladstone, of course, but also Richard Cobden, John Bright, etc. It is almost heartbreaking to wonder what has happened to the Liberal Party since, particularly starting with that prize conman, David Lloyd George, the proto-Blair of his time.
I have known Syed Kamall for many years. He is a libertarian – a strong supporter of economic and personal liberty. We are very fortunate to have Syed representing London in the European Parliament. Brian Micklethwait does not hand out compliments lightly.
Mr Alderson should not judge him by his colleagues. I recommend that he takes a look at the web site of the Global Business Research Institute which Syed founded with Adrian Pepper.