The Libertarian Party

I used to be an active member of the Tory party, even campaigning for them in the 2005 election when the party was under Michael Howard. I left (flounced out might be a better description) less than a year after Cameron became leader. The party had ceased to stand for anything other than the naked pursuit of power, in my humble opinion, and I could see no part of being little more than a post Blair political marketing exercise.

Since then I watched politics from the sidelines, and have rather enjoyed not being politically aligned. There is a lot of fun to be had in sniping at all sides, without having to kowtow to party loyalties. And whilst joining UKIP was suggested by a number of different people, I never took the plunge. Whilst there are some capable, reasonable people in UKIP I cannot shake the feeling that the party is suffocated by middle Englanders - those who fear Europe because of some sort of feeling of jingoism. The Libertarians in UKIP seemed to be drowned out by the disaffected Tories. There was no party that matched my views, and rather than compromise, I elected to stand on the sidelines.

The Libertarian Party is a bit different. The policies are still very much under construction, and like all small parties, it runs the risk of being sidelined by the main parties, of being ignored by the media, of being hi-jacked by strange, off the wall minority opinions - of ultimately disappearing without a trace. But at least this party is trying to be a bit different - to challenge the post-Blairite consensus, to actually question whether the state has any right to be as large and as intrusive as it currently is.

Therefore, I've taken the plunge and become a member. I'm not expecting this party to sweep into power at the next election or anytime soon. I'm not expecting to become a leading light in the party - in fact I have no interest in political power for myself whatsoever. However, I do think that if you have political beliefs then you should stand up for them, and hopefully the Libertarian party will more accurately represent my views than any of the other parties. And I also hope that, even if the party never wins an election, that it at least challenges the overwhelming assumption of the political classes in this nation that state intervention is both good and the answer to almost every question.

So if you believe the state needs to be controlled in this country, and you think that personal freedom needs to be more passionately advocated in this country, then have a look at the party website. Sure, you might come away thinking "nope, don't agree with any of that." Or even if you do like the party, they might come to nothing. But ultimately, what have you got to lose?