Libertarians and the Tories

Over at Jackart’s place there is an attack on Ian Joseph Parker’s announcement about the formation of a Libertarian Party. I’m different to Jackart in that I am not a tribal Tory, and would support any Libertarian party that properly espouses a liberal (note the little "l") view and agenda. Whilst I know that any Libertarian party would have a mountain to climb before even getting a modicum of electoral success, I don’t agree with Jackart’s comment of:

The truth is Libertarianism just doesn't wash with the electorate anywhere, let alone the UK.

If you want an example of Libertarianism starting to have an impact on the electorate then look no further than across the pond to our American cousins. There, the Libertarian candidate Ron Paul is starting to make an impact in the polls. The chances of Paul being the next US President? Very small. But his views are starting to have an impact, and if managed correctly, that impact will grow and grow. The Labour party is a great example of a party that, in the previous hundred years, has grown from basically nothing into one of the two ruling parties of this country. The fact that the political journey of creating and growing a party may be tough and frustrating doesn’t mean it will be impossible or that it isn’t worth doing.

But Jackart is right in one respect – it is pointless to look at Cameron and say "but he’s not a Libertarian." Absolutely right – he’s not. He’s a Tory. He’s a Conservative. Part of being a Conservative is to maintain the status quo – changing bits of the state rather than challenging the edifice of the state head on. Sure, the Tory party may want a smaller state, and may want to give a bit more tax back to the people of the UK than the Labour party. But they still believe that central government is the best medium for deciding who gets what, and don’t really want to lose any of the fundamental powers that the government currently has.

Which is why Libertarians will be consistently disappointed by the Tories. And in a way that disappointment is pointless – the Tories don’t represent the Libertarian viewpoint because, fundamentally, they are Tories. And whilst many Libertarians will end up voting Tory because they stand on the right side of some key issues, it represents very much voting for the lesser of two evils.

There is a broad, cosy consensus between the two main parties (and the Lib Dems, for what it is worth). Sure, they disagree on some points, but broadly speaking they agree that the state is the best way to manage the country and are very reluctant to see Central Government losing any real power – because, fundamentally, any loss of the state’s power is a loss of their power. So I believe that any party that challenges that status quo/consensus is worth watching with interest, and if it espouses the right kind of beliefs, is worth supporting.