VrijheidsBijeenkomsten

Neil Lock, webmaster van Libertarian International, was een van de deelnemers van de Internationale Libertarische Conventie in Parijs. Hij maakte snel een korte impressie over deze conventie, die zoals gewoonlijk zeer gezellig en zeer leerzaam was.
Een volgende internationale conventie is in Londen op het weekend van 24 oktober.

Ook een aanrader.

Maar voor die tijd kunt u nog deelnemen aan de Nederlandse VrijheidsParade in Den Haag op 26 september.    
 
Well more than 100 liberty lovers, from many European countries and other parts of the world, gathered in the 5th arrondissement of Paris from 10th to 13th September 2009 for the Paris Freedom Fest. (http://parislibertarian2009.wordpress.com/). This was organized and sponsored by Libertarian International, Liberté Chérie, ISIL and the Manifesto Club.

The weather was perfect. The Parisian cuisine was excellent, though some of the waiters conspired to make us late for after-lunch sessions. The wine was fine, and the beer was dear. A good time was had by all, except for the impecunious beer-drinkers.

On the ideas front, Pascal Salin began with his analysis of policies that transfer wealth from the responsible to the irresponsible, and their consequences. Bertrand Lemennicier proposed independence for St.-Cloud – with, if we heard him right, some assistance from the Pakistan Navy.

Guillaume Vuillemey told us about some of the troubles and opportunities for tax havens today. Guido Hulsmann used his scalpel to dissect the real causes of the current economic “crisis”. (It’s government interference, stupid!) Josie Appleton gave us some good insights into the minds of the freedom-haters that want to inflict green policies on us. And Frank van Dun told us about the “convivial order”, a fundamental aspect of order in which people interact solely as people, without the structures or roles which exist in almost all societies.

The best was saved for the last day. In a hot, basement theatre more accustomed to stand-up comedy than libertarian discourse, Anthony Daniels (aka Theodore Dalrymple) told us about the distressing psychological effects of welfare on its recipients (aka victims). And James Panton made us think about the warped, self-contradictory view of the citizen – dangerous, destructive, and yet weak and vulnerable at the same time – which statists seem to have today.

But it was Kevin (“Worse than you thought!”) Dowd who stole the show. In a homely, kindly voice, he proved, beyond reasonable doubt, that the state is economically unsustainable. And that its Ponzi scheme, of inter-generational warfare disguised as welfare, will inevitably collapse. The sooner, the less hard.

Last, Butler Sheaffer’s message was wider in scope, but no less revolutionary. We are suffering from the virus of institutionalism, and we need to cure ourselves of that virus. And of the past-it institutions that are its symptoms.

Mes amis, le jour de gloire s’approche.