Apathy or Ego? Which is Worse?

Indifference is why the two-party system thrives, but who really cares? Well, this writer does and hopefully his readers. But how many of the readers have put themselves up for election to try and change things? How many will actually go and vote for a freedom-loving candidate, even if there is one standing in their ward?

As much as we may loathe the current first past the post system (and there is plenty to find fault with) it’s the one we have – and we have to accept that there are limits to what changes will be made unless there are large numbers of people starting to vote against the establishment parties. The thing here is that we in the rebel camp don’t even have to win.

For forty years, the establishment kept us in the European Union. How? By denying anyone a choice in the matter. Whether you voted red or blue (or even yellow), the answer was the same; we stayed in the EU. Oh, the Tories may have claimed a little more reticence to full integration, but they didn’t want to leave.

It so annoyed me that, at almost fifty years of age, I’d never had a proper vote on what was a burning issue to me. It’s what drew me into the murky world of politics in the first place. So many gave up, thinking they’d never change things, but the four million that repeatedly voted UKIP worried David Cameron enough to get the referendum that got us at least part-way out. There is still work to be done on that front though. Apathy was overcome.

Then there’s the organisers of the plethora of new parties that have sprung up in the last few years. A great number of these are freedom orientated, but constantly end up fighting each other.

Recent by-elections show multiple candidates fighting for the same thing and few make a dent in the percentages. But what if all those votes were added together?

Divide and rule has been the dictator’s mantra for thousands of years and how our political overlords must love the formation of every new political party.

Somehow, a way of working together needs to be found; if not under one banner, then in an alliance of common ground. The Libertarian Party have a non-competition agreement with the Freedom Alliance. More needs to be done along similar lines, much more. Will some egos let their owners participate? That remains to be seen.

The 2016 referendum showed things can be changed, but only if the twin evils of apathy and ego are overcome. So please, for this year, get down to the polling booth and put your X against a freedom loving candidate, or spoil the paper if there isn’t one. That way apathy is beaten.

For next year and thereafter, let the libertarian cause be more focused on the real opposition. Egos must be put to one side, or they serve only our authoritarian enemies.

Martin Day – Party Secretary