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]
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Samizdata quote of the day – the EUs new censorship machine In a series of reports, I have shown that the European Union already operates a vast propaganda and censorship apparatus that spans every level of civil society — NGOs, think tanks, the media and even academia. The cornerstone of this system is a network of EU-funded programmes — notably CERV (Citizens, Equality, Rights and Values), Creative Europe and the Jean Monnet initiative — that collectively funnel billions of euros into organisations that are, in theory, “independent” but are in fact deeply enmeshed in the Brussels machine.
– Thomas Fazi
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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.
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There’s no point in dispensing patronage if you don’t get something back for it.
He who pays the piper calls the tune. If a “study” is funded by “Big Oil” and it finds in favor of Big Oil we largely ignore it. If a study is funded by “Big Ag” and it finds in favor of Big Ag, we largely ignore it. However, when studies are funded by “Big Government” we seem to think they are gospel truth inspired by pure hearted scientists.
It is why I am largely opposed to government funding of science and research. It is generally speaking worse than a waste of money.
And when a government wants to shut down dissent and opposing views it tells us how dangerous and wrong whatever they are hiding truly is. Good ideas need not fear opposition, they can stand on their own. “Shut up” is what you say when you lost the argument. “Shut up or I’ll put you in jail” is what you say when you lost the argument and want to make sure nobody else knows that you lost.
Dealing with European governments and cultures has changed over time. Up until the early 1900’s; Americans regarded European countries [singly and collectively] as definitively foreign and probably hostile to American interests. Then we had about a century when we were drawn in and regarded them as allies and friends. Perhaps it is time to regard the increasingly totalitarian Europeans [once again singly and collectively] the way we did before the early 1900’s.
Subotai Bahadur
Nigel Farage wrote about this on the Brugesgroup website. The eu gives funds to organisations such as charities and youth groups to name but two types. I cancelled my RSPB membership when I saw they were accepting eu money. Scouts had their noses in the trough. The BBC had loans from the EIB. The NSPCC. Pre school children’s milk.