Anyone who is well versed in political literature knows that studies from think-tank organizations are often referenced for their research by news media and public policy makers. I can hardly blame them. Think-tanks are very direct with their research. They have a point and they make it using known credible research methods.
Can You Trust Think-Tanks?
Libertines and Liberal Bigots
Libertarians are being torn apart from within. Two groups are responsible for this: the libertines and the liberal bigots. ‘Liberal bigots’ is a phrase that I have stolen from Peter Hitchens and I am using it to describe a group within the libertarian movement who are more concerned about being politically correct than defending anybody’s right to discriminate. By libertines, I mean simply those who view libertarianism as a rebellion against tradition, hierarchy, morality and authority and who believe that the best way to achieve libertarianism and the libertarian ends of life, prosperity, cooperation and so on, is to live in communes, engage in ‘free love’, and at every opportunity attack conventional wisdom and morality.
Why is Gibraltar so important?
Recently we have witnessed an escalation of the struggle between the United Kingdom and Spain over a small territory of Gibraltar. Although the roots of this conflict are almost 300 years old, the real reason for it is still very much alive. Continue reading
The Forgotten Heroes of our Liberty Part 2
Written by Chris Stockdale
“PHILIPPUS SIDNEY MANUS HAEC INIMICA TYRANNIS EINSE PETIT PLACIDAM CUM LIBERTATE QUIETEM”
(“This hand, enemy to tyrants, by the sword seeks peace with liberty”) - Algernon Sidney
An English Republican, military veteran and political theorist; Algernon Sidney not only lived in pursuit of liberty, he also gave his life for it. Continue reading
Miranda Case: Abuse of Powers Which Should Not Exist in the First Place
At 6:30 am on Monday, the partner of a Guardian journalist was detained for questioning by police at Heathrow Airport under Schedule 7 of the Terrorism Act of 2000. This legislation allows for a nine-hour period of detention, along with search and interrogation of individuals, without arrest or charge. The act allows the police to detain individuals at any airport, port, border or international rail station.
David Miranda, a citizen of Brazil, was held in custody for the full nine hours, while being subjected to the confiscation of his property and questions about his ‘entire life.’ Apparently the authorities were more interested in him than in the vast majority of suspected terrorists. According to a document published by the UK government, over 97% of examinations under the anti-terrorism law last for under an hour, while only 0.06% of people detained are held for more than 6 hours.
Psilocybin Still Strictly Prohibited, Despite Medical Potential
Two very similar chemicals, psilocybin and psilocin, are the main active components of many species of mushroom.* Upon seeing the common term “magic mushrooms,” or simply “shrooms,” readers may think of familiar references to the recreational use of the fungus, such as the Jefferson Airplane song White Rabbit. The former Harvard psychology professor and psychedelic advocate Timothy Leary attributed his initial inspiration to psilocybin, and encouraged the use of such substances in an essentially uncontrolled manner. However, serious scientific study of psilocybin, abandoned for many years in the wake of the 1960s, is now beginning again. Partly funded by the Multidisciplinary Association for Psychedelic Studies (MAPS), it suggests much more concrete benefits than some might think.
I’m in Love with Owen Jones
I have a confession. A deep, dark secret which for so long has remained hidden within myself, smothered by all the self-denial I could muster. But to no avail. It seems I must come clean with myself and the world; I am in love with Owen Jones. This is certainly a difficult thing for me to admit, as a Right-winger — and a heterosexual one at that — to express a strong, almost obsessive, (platonic) passion for a poster-boy of the hard-Left revival this island is currently witnessing. I have to say that to achieve this level of personal honesty has been hard, and I tried to resist the forces of attraction which drew me to him, only to come to the conclusion expressed above. Continue reading
GM food is good for you
People fear what they do not understand. And no issue is more misunderstood, maligned and shrouded in conspiracy than that of genetically modified crops. The issue is really three-fold: fear of science, hatred of corporations, and the naturalistic fallacy. And when the two meet, many tend to imagine the birth of something akin to the Umbrella Corporation from the Resident Evil games. Such is the popular culture view of large-scale science application.