Since the 60s at least, there’s been a strand of liberalism that’s been closely linked with collectivism – our curse, if you like, and the source of the movement’s irrelevance in modern politics.
Liberalism as liberty without property rights blurs the line with communitarian and collectivist thought very easily. The idea of a ‘liberal left’ in this context is fairly intuitive.
The idea that people – say, for example, a few thousand hippies – should have the right to have a peace and love festival wherever the hell they like? That’s liberty without property rights. So the concept of ‘a liberal’ became someone that believed in this sort of ideal.
Let’s now consider the opposite – property rights without liberty. Your stuff is yours, but you’re not free to decide what to do with it. So you own your field, but even if you want to rent it out to a bunch of hippies for a peace and love festival, you’re not allowed. But, see, this is a totally nonsensical position – if you’re not actually free to decide what to do with your money or your property then you don’t, in fact, have property rights – nor do you really have liberty.
So herein lies the crux of my own political obsession: personal liberty and economic liberty – libery and property rights, together – are inseperable and, seemingly counter-intuitively deliver actual equality under the law. Anything else – anything else – is your ‘liberty’ at the expense of someone elses.
Somewhere between the two – limited liberty and limited property rights – we find the modern political consensus, quibbling over really rather insignificant issues. And, depressingly, it’s not going to change under the Tories. Tory libertarians are as screwed up as I am.
When the Tories are in, the sort of energy we’re seeing in opposition to Labour will dissipate (goodbye Tories, goodbye Anyone But Labour types), yet the fundamental issues that motivate people like me to write about the world we’ve made for ourselves won’t be changing.
To win liberty and property rights, to create a genuinely liberal Britain? It’s going to take not just opposition to an odiously incompetent Government but an actual positive demand for change in that direction. You know, that sort of epic, ‘one person in 100 million once every 4 generations can pull it off’ sort of challenge. You know… impossible, in other words.
I think it’s time for classical liberals and libertarians to begin planning for the post-Labour era, to avoid the inevitable stagnation and inertia that will come from a change of Government. The temptation will be to relax, to breathe a sigh of relief at the end of Labour – I think, actually, that’s when it’s going to get really hard. It’s one thing to be against an unpopular Government – quite another going against a popular one.
Joe Otten said...
23 Jun 09 at 8:16 am
Limited property rights? Are you complaining about the planning system? My house already has an extension, so it is hard to see how it impinges on my liberty much.
Niklas Smith said...
23 Jun 09 at 9:07 am
A very perceptive post. But I think Tory libertarians are in a worse position than Lib Dem libertarians – when Cameron wins the next election they will be told not to rock the successful boat, much as Labour leftwingers were muzzled because of Tony Blair’s successes. They will have to put up with Mr Cameron’s weird combination of pro-public sector fluffiness and anti-European xenophobia because it “won the election”.
I agree with you entirely about personal liberty and economic liberty being inseperable. The point about equality under the law is important – in order to secure equality of outcome too many people on the left are willing to sacrifice equality of treatment.
Jennie said...
23 Jun 09 at 9:56 am
You make the assumption that a tory government will be popular. I think that’s a BIG assumption.
Letters From A Tory said...
23 Jun 09 at 10:26 am
When you have a supposedly ‘liberal’ party in the Lib Dems who have no genuine desire to pursue liberal ends, I can see little respite for the libertarians in struggling to get their messsage across. The more liberal elements of the Conservative Party are also not likely to get far beyond Cameron’s social liberal bias that falls a long way short of true liberalism.
burkesworks said...
23 Jun 09 at 10:27 am
You make the assumption that a tory government will be popular.
It will be popular – for about a couple of months maximum.
Ian B said...
23 Jun 09 at 12:09 pm
All we can do is what we’re already doing- trying to build some kind of liberal grouping among the general public. If pressure for liberty starts to grow from the citizenry, the parties will slowly turn in that direction. They tend to listen more to authoritarian demands from left and right, because that is in their interests- politicians have a natural interest in passing, rather than repealing, laws and in controlling more, rather than less. So it’s our job to show there are votes to be had from somebody besides Guardianistas and Daily Mail readers.
Charlie said...
23 Jun 09 at 2:27 pm
When considering liberalism and property rights the problem is that much of the UK is very heavily densely populated. Therefore most actions by property owners/dwellers will have impacts on neighbours , be it bonfires or a music festival. In fact what is relevant is the concept is nuisance. If an activity on a property creates an unreasonable nuisance then it is reducing a neighbours ability to enjoy their property.
It comes down to what activity is allowed provided it does not reduce the freedom of others. Starting a bonfire after the neighbours have put out their washing is bad manners. Putting out washing after a neighbour has started a bonfire and complaining about the smoke lacks common sense. Buying a home near a RAF base and complaining about the noise from engines shows a lack of common sense. Reasonability, often comes down to common sense, a certain live and let live attitude, hated by lawyers and bureaucrats. In Magna Carta , one of the most coomin words used is “reasonable “. Reasonable invarialy means common sense based on proven experience – what works in practice. As this nation has become ruled by university middle class people wth little or no practical experience then reasonability and common sense has withered:especially, as thsese virtues threaten their well paid jobs. From Newton’s development of his understanding of the universe to Dyson’s invention of his vacuum cleaner, an understanding of the theory, common sense born of practical experience and the correct deductions have provided progress. That is why Britain gave the World the Industrial and Agricultural Revolutions. Without patent rights, intellectual property rights, then there may have been no Technological Revolutions.
Constantly Furious said...
23 Jun 09 at 10:33 pm
You may be being a little too pessimistic about the next Government.
It’s taken 12 years for the Authoritarian Left to slowly push us into a corner and force us onto our knees, inch by grudgingly-given inch.
Give the next guys more than a couple of weeks to undo that, won’t you..
Charlotte Gore said...
24 Jun 09 at 1:15 am
I was pessimistic about Obama, I’m positively suicidal about the Tories
Constantly Furious said...
24 Jun 09 at 8:58 am
[sings] “Thiiiiiinnngs can only ged bedder…”
Ian B said...
24 Jun 09 at 10:33 am
Oh, the Tories have no intention of reversing the authoritarian trajectory or leading us into the broad sunlit uplands of freedom or any of that crap. Possibly the greatest fallacy of voters is “well, the other side can’t be any worse than what we already have. I vote for CHANGE!”
David said...
24 Jun 09 at 4:30 pm
I think the scale of mismanangement under Labour has left us with a wonderful opportunity. Cameron won’t be able to deliver the type of changes needed due to the reactionary make-up of his parliamentary party. With Labour (hopefully) wiped out an opposing vision will be needed. Classical liberalism/libetarianism would appeal to a wide range of people if it was voiced in a coherent way. 40 years of creeping-socialism followed by another 30 years of centralisng authoritarianism has left the country a much worse place. It’s time for us to take up the challenge.
Liberal Eye said...
24 Jun 09 at 4:44 pm
As Charlie says – there are neighbours. That creates externalities which, on average, cut both ways so it pays to be a good neighbour. Utopian dreams can be indulged on a desert island but must be compromised on a crowded one.
Tom James said...
24 Jun 09 at 7:38 pm
Ah: you want Ronald Coase and the Problem of Social Cost.
It isn’t that we need fewer planning restrictions, we need a better allocation of property rights.
More details here.
Niklas Smith said...
25 Jun 09 at 8:17 am
@Tom James: Fantastically interesting articles. Thank you for the links!
That said, for global externalities like CO2 emissions Coase’s approach would still imply that a (Pigouvian) tax on carbon is the best way of dealing with the problem.
Roger Thornhill said...
25 Jun 09 at 10:01 am
Excellent post and many excellent comments augmenting the points.
Dave is a salesman and when he gets his 5 year, non negotiable (for us, not for him) contract, that will be the end of the soap.
There is a window for Libertarianism – many people realise they have been “had” by the false promises of the Left-”liberal” child catchers. Lots of tasty free sweets and all the cake you can eat…but then once inside the cage is eventually revealed.
The population are almost all in and the door is being closed by the Fabians (the traitors within) and their co-conspirators, the EU (the traitors without).
In removing New Labour we did not get rid of the Childcatcher, we just saw the monopoly concession pass from one operator to another.
Roger Thornhill said...
25 Jun 09 at 10:02 am
did=will not