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Re: [LUG] [OT] Libertarianism - was "Watching the results trickle in ..."

 

2009/6/16 Ralph Smithen <ralphsmithen@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx>:
> 2009/6/16 Benjamin M. A'Lee <bma-lists@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx>:
>> Libertarianism seems to consist of the belief that if everybody is just
>> left to get along with things, and the government does as little as
>> possible to regulate things and balance everything out, it’ll work out
>> well for everybody and nobody will get screwed over.
>>
>> I’m not really convinced, for some reason.
>
>
> Libertarians don't believe the government should "balance things out"
> if by that you mean redistribution of wealth. The role of a
> libertarian state is primarily to protects the rights of individuals
> and to ensure the rule of law.
>
> How do you see people being screwed over under Libertarianism? Perhaps
> if you provide a concrete example, I can discuss with you the
> implications of their policies :)
>
> I take it you haven't read the party's manifesto.
> http://lpuk.org/pages/manifesto.php
>
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Unfortunately I have

1. Anyone who starts off by quoting Milton Friedman, the inspiration
behind Thatchers decimation of this country is in looney tune land

2. "Protecting the rights of Individuals" is meaningless, without
regulation. It is all about who society is weighted in favour of.

3. Individuals is a meaningless concept. All individuals are part of
larger groupings with which they have common interests

4. Loads of clauses anti-foreigner, anti-welfare state inc Health
service. (BTW the welfare state was not not designed as a bare minimum
safety net)

5. Most of the failings of "Big Government" can be laid at the door of
governments subservience to the intersts of big business and this
would certainly not change in a libertarian state which would
accentuate the power differences in society

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