That all three are of Anglo-Saxon origin or influence may be a coincidence. Likewise, that all three are Christian, the second two being Protestant. But there is a universality to all three which cuts across nations, race and religion – because for as long as the human spirit is alive, the need for liberty will never go out of fashion.

All three are statements which were designed to limit the power of the state to the things which the state should be doing for it’s people – not the other way round. All three provided the conditions for a huge burst in economic, spiritual and intellectual activity. A mere five years after Magna Carta was signed, the foundations for Salisbury Cathedral were laid and which signalled a golden period of cathedral and church building on the back of the enormous wealth that liberated trade brought England. The Bill of Rights laid the groundwork for the Enlightenment and US independence gave birth to what is today the most powerful nation on Earth. It may be that they gave rise to a certain amount of local difficulty immediately following their signature; but eventually, liberty, peace and prosperity followed.

We now have a government that has borrowed three times more than it is admitting – according to some it is about one and a half times our total national output. These levels of debt are terrifying and we shall be paying for it for at least a generation. Everything this government has touched (and it has touched everything in our lives) it has destroyed, damaged, neutered or prostituted. Its only success has been in the way in which it has progressively and continuously lied to the people of the United Kingdom in order to maintain itself in office. Gordon Brown is now busy inciting the ghost of Churchill to rouse the British people to bear up and fight the difficulties to come – the difficulties he himself has created. And this is from a man who has not even had the courage to face an election for leadership of his own party, never mind a General Election.

To change this, we have two things to do. The first is to rouse the electorate by telling them, loudly and continuously, that their democracy and freedoms, as well as their jobs and financial security, are in deadly peril. The second is to make it clear to David Cameron that the solutions to our problems will not be provided by minor tinkering at the edges, but by radical reform of the bloated public sector.

And that is why, regardless of our religious views, all of us SHOULD bother to rid the nation of these charlatans and restore liberty.

You do take a stand for liberty, yes … but
The action of David Davis was personal and not supported by the party.
“… some repeals will be necessary, starting with ID cards.” is hardly a strong position to take on the issue.
Freedom is at the heart of what it means to be British and you underestimate its importance at your peril.
The Conservative Party is not yet in step with the majority and should not assume that a poll lead will translate into a majority vote, unless DC and others make clear and unambiguous commitments to repeal or amend all such oppressive legislation.

That is a good start.

‘Freedom is never more than one generation away from extinction’

Ronald Reagan

I also think that the increasing raft of new laws is deliberate, done by a set of control freaks, certainly led from the top but done by those who should be/are our servants, the “civil service”. There should be checks and balances against this but where are they? Parliament is irrelevant and our Judges politicised, not forgetting the EU who causes many of these things but allows the blame to fall on the local government. And this is where the stupidity of our government shows in it’s full glory,…. they keep quiet about it. Unfortunately so do the opposition and the media. “Don’t rock the boat” they all cry, problem is, said boat is sinking, fast!

On this, it is a sad comment that just two days after an EU spokesman said that metrication wasn’t intended to penalise our traders, a London local authority did exactly that. Why,… because our parliament made that the law in this country, meanwhile the French still use livres for their purchases.

Derek Buxton

reply: I am pleased to remind you the whole Conservative Opposition spoke and voted against many of the infringements of our liberty like ID cards, no EU referendum, 42 days detention without trial etc.

Reducing our bloated, inefficient government will require quite exceptional willpower to take on the numerous vested interests that will oppose it. Trimmers don’t have the necessary depth of commitment to make it happen. It will take more than a few comments ‘in recent weeks’ to convince me that the current Conservative leadership have the understanding and the determination to see through what’s necessary.

I say this in sorrow not in anger.

Whilst the Conservative Party, first tries to match Labour spending, then tries and dispenses with Green policies in a desperate need to curry favour with an electorate that is hooked on ever greater State intervention, my Libertarianism has no home in the Conservative Party.

The bulk of our members are under thirty, the Conservative Party is ageing. So I have a confidence in the future, and the eventual refusal to render unto Caesar, when Caesar is being too damn greedy.

None of this however would stop me supporting you personally if you made Liberty and a written Constitution your reason for sitting in Parliament !

John Adams joined a revolutionary party and took to arms and freedom took twenty years to achieve, the SNP have taken the constitutional route and have taken seventy years.

Reflecting the will of the people, not how many powerless MP’s that can be elected should be the worth of any party.

Labour have revoked freedoms and Liberties in ten years that took centuries to achieve, one of your own MP’s had his offices searched and was arrested under anti terrorism legistlation, yet the Conservative party seemed quite muted in its response. I doubt whether Pym, Holles and Hampden would have allowed this to pass in such a manner.

What I do agree with you on is the pressing need for a realignment in favour of Liberty, how this is achieved in this moribund political system is another matter.

Reply: Adams knew he had the people of Massachusetts behind him when he broke with the Crown. There is no evidence of popular support for fringe parties, even though the issues they raise are important. Be a pressure group if you like – I want to change things, and need to belong to a party which can do that.

The links are: http://conservativehome.blogs.com/platform/2008/08/david-eyles-why.html http://conservativehome.blogs.com/platform/2008/09/david-eyles-why.html

The re-establishment of liberty and the rule of law are the vital precursors to recovery from our current economic and social malaise. Without these basic concepts re-established, we cannot hope to recover from the mess that this government has got us into.

And, yes, I think that it really is time: “….. we need to fashion a new coalition for liberty in our own country.” I’m up for it. How many others out there are also interested?

We need to understand that the State is, at best, a necessary evil and one must constantly review and test that necessity. The Conservative Party leadership sees Government as a “good”. People want more good, so the Conservative Party will want a bigger state machine.

John, you appear to be wise enough to see the State for what it truly is and wish to limit it as a matter of prinicple and pragmatic reality.

The only UK party that sees the State thus – at best a necessary evil – also stands for Freedom, Rule of Law and Liberty. That party is the Libertarian Party. The Tories cannot be reformed from within as it is still moving in the wrong direction. It beggars the question already asked above – why, John, do you remain in the Tory party and not seek out the Libertarian Party?

Reply: I have seen several parties set up in recent years on the basis that the Tories do not go far enough in a preferred direction. None of these parties – UKIP, Referendum,English Democrats etc – have ever got a single MP elected to Westminster, and I suspect none will again at the next election. I think people with strong beliefs in less Europe, more freedom, a referendum or whatever are better advised to join the Conservative party and add their voice to those of us who share some of their aims. If more people vote for these fringe parties it just gives the statist Eurocracts in the Lib dems and Labour more chance of winning more seats.

The British people are tired of authoritarianism and tired of being taxed to the point of distraction.

John Adams faced certain execution as a rebel against the Crown, if his ship en route to France had been captured. Sadly modern MP’s who are broadly Libertarian will not even take the risk of losing their safe seat, let alone face death as did Adams.

I do not expect you to join the new coalition for Liberty, but I do expect you to take a pricipled stand, if you truly believe what you write.

Chairman LPUK

Reply: I do take a principled stand for liberty, as do many of my colleagues in the Conservative party. After all, David Davis resigned and fought a by election over one of the big issues. The Leader of the party agrees with us that freedom has been damaged and some repeals will be necessary, starting with ID cards.

Reply: On the contrary, David has made clear in recent weeks that he wants a smaller state, less expensive to run and more responsive to the public it is meant to serve.

I’m fairly certain that there is no swift and painless way of changing this attitude, but unless the state is actively rolled back, it will roll forward over us all.

There is a change in attitude required – moving from from provision of state run services (e.g. health, education, which the state manages extremely poorly) to establishing the standards for these activities provided by others.

I believe the people of the UK would be happy to be led well, but are currently dissatisfied and disgruntled at being managed. We want the Government to set the tone, not nag.

NO! We need LESS government and the Founding Fathers knew this and tried to limit its powers.