-Caveat Lector- NEWS RELEASE FROM THE LIBERTARIAN ALLIANCE In Association with the Libertarian International
London, Saturday, 13th April 2002 For Immediate Use Contact Details: Dr Chris R. Tame, 07957 644519, [EMAIL PROTECTED] For other contact and link details, see the foot of this message "GOVT'S DATA SHARING PLAN IS A DAGGER TO THE HEART OF LIBERTY", SAYS FREE MARKET AND CIVIL LIBERTIES THINK TANK The Labour's government's plans to integrate the personal data held on British citizens by various government departments and agencies is a dagger to the heart of liberty, says the Libertarian Alliance, the radical free market and civil liberties think tank and pressure group. Libertarian Alliance Director, Dr Chris R. Tame, says: "In the light of the ever-more blatant attack on civil liberties in this country - including the proliferation of camera surveillance systems, the increasing involvement of intelligence agencies in political surveillance and dirty tricks operations, the push for a national ID card and DNA database, the gradual abolition of common law liberties by the removal of jury trials, of the presumption of innocence, of the right of silence and of double jeopardy, and by the adoption of the EU's despotic corpus juris - this proposal is even more ominous. The government's claim that data would be processed only 'where necessary' is laughable - especially when one sees that their list of 'necessary' reasons covers every conceivable excuse for nanny statism, paternalism, censorship, socialism, prudery, puritanism and prohibitionism. It is ironic that when the state has demonstrated that it is incapable of providing any 'public service' adequately, when it cannot defend its citizens from predators of every stripe, that is should be attempting to turn us into supplicants and serfs. The common argument that 'if you have nothing to hide you have nothing to fear' is absurd. In an age when health fascists have declared smoking to be a form of child abuse it is clear that everyone can be subjected to the prejudices of demented paternalists - whether of the fundamentalist religious nutters, the peddlers of PC pieties, the environmentalists, or the feminist anti-sex cranks. Your life style, your tastes, your sexuality, your political and social views, can be subjected to tomorrow's moral panic, propaganda scare campaign and witch-hunt and legislated as 'crimes' or as 'politically incorrect'. The citizens of Britain need to send a message to our would-be masters that we are not numbers, that we will not be pushed, filed, indexed, stamped, briefed, debriefed, or numbered - that our lives are our own. It is now clear that the 'social contract' has been broken by the state. Resistance to the usurpations of the state is both a right and a moral duty. It is the right, the duty, of all to resist and disrupt the state's data gathering and record-keeping ability, by whatever means are necessary". ENDS Note to Editors (1) Dr Chris R. Tame is the founder and Director of the Libertarian Alliance. A prolific writer and lecturer on many topics in sociology, economics, philosophy and the history of ideas. He is also the author of "Freedom, Responsibility and Justice: The Criminology of the New Right" in the book "The Politics of Crime Control" (Kevin Stenson & David Cowell, eds., Sage Publications, London, 1991), which can also be found reprinted at http://www.libertarian.co.uk (2) Dr Tame can be contacted for further comment at 07957 644519 or by email at [EMAIL PROTECTED] Extended Contact Details: The Libertarian Alliance is Britain's most radical free market and civil liberties policy institute. It has published over 700 articles, pamphlets and books in support of freedom and against statism in all its forms. These are freely available at http:www.libertarian.co.uk Our postal address is The Libertarian Alliance 25 Chapter Chambers Esterbrooke Street London SW1W 4NN Tel: 020 7 821 5502 Fax: 020 7 834 2031 Associated Organisations The Libertarian International - http://www.libertarian.to - is a sister organisation to the Libertarian Alliance. Its mission is to coordinate various initiatives in the defence of individual liberty throughout the world. Sean Gabb's personal website - http://www.seangabb.co.uk - contains about 800,000 words of writings on themes interesting to libertarians and conservatives Candidlist - http://www.candidlist.com - owned and maintained by LA Executive member Sean Gabb, it lists Conservative MPs and candidates according to their views on European integration. It had a major effect before the 2001 general election, and remains an important resource. Liberalia - http://www.liberalia.com - maintained by by LA Executive member Christian Michel, Liberalia publishes in-depth papers in French and English on libertarianism, anarcho-capitalism and the free market. It is a prime source of documentation on these issues for students and scholars. Libertarian Samizdata - http://www.samizdata.blogspot.com - works in association with the Libertarian Alliance and has an ever larger following. Check it out. -- Dr. Chris R. Tame, Director Libertarian Alliance | "The secret of Happiness is Freedom, | 25 Chapter Chambers | and the secret of Freedom is Courage" | Esterbrooke Street | Thucydides, Pericles' Funeral Oration | London SW1P 4NN England Tel: 020 7821 5502 Fax: 020 7834 2031 Personal Email: [EMAIL PROTECTED] LA Email: [EMAIL PROTECTED] LA Web Site: http://www.libertarian.co.uk Free Life Web Site: http://www.btinternet.com/~old.whig/freelife/fl.htm The Hampden Press Website: http://www.hampdenpress.co.uk LA Forum: groups.yahoo.com/group/libertarian-alliance-forum <A HREF="http://www.ctrl.org/">www.ctrl.org</A> DECLARATION & DISCLAIMER ========== CTRL is a discussion & informational exchange list. Proselytizing propagandic screeds are unwelcomed. Substance—not soap-boxing—please! 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