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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… certain people who need to know.
Michael Howard’s Conservative Party is planning a U-turn over identity cards – but not until after the General Election. According to a senior Conservative Party MP, the plan is to support ID cards at present in order to look tough on law and order, but they will drop support on ‘practical grounds’ when public opinion edges away. Cynically, Michael Howard’s office has already drawn up plans to flip-flop in the summer.
I believe this is called ‘conviction politics’.
There are many men of principle in both parties in America, but there is no party of principle.
– Alexis de Tocqueville
I said that the power of detention [without charge or trial] is at present confined to foreigners and I would not like to give the impression that all that was necessary was to extend the power to United Kingdom citizens as well. In my opinion, such a power in any form is not compatible with our constitution. The real threat to the life of the nation, in the sense of a people living in accordance with its traditional laws and political values, comes not from terrorism but from laws such as these. That is the true measure of what terrorism may achieve. It is for Parliament to decide whether to give the terrorists such a victory.
Lord Hoffman’s opinion in A(FC) and others (FC) (Appellants) v. Secretary of State for the Home Department (Respondent), also reported by the BBC.
“It is outrageous, and amazing, that the first free and general elections in the history of the Arab nation are to take place in January: in Iraq, under the auspices of American occupation, and in Palestine, under the auspices of the Israeli occupation. . . .”
– Salameh Nematt
Washington bureau chief for the London-based daily Al Hayat November 25
Quoted by Bill Kristol in the Weekly Standard,
[Thanks to Instapundit for the pointer]
A friendship founded on business is a good deal better than a business founded on friendship.
– John D. Rockefeller
Do you really think that if this were a symbol for a man’s most sensitive organ, we would cut one end and set the other end on fire?
– Ray, a character from Blowing Smoke movie, talking about cigars…
…Thanks 
No interrupting when I am interrupting!
– Adriana Cronin
What makes dictators dictators is not that they don’t believe in the power of the majority but that they don’t believe in the rights of the individual.
– Adriana Cronin
If this bothers you, please sod off and go read Atrios or Kos
– Instapundit
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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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