Why I left the Libertarian Party and am now calling on others to follow suit - The Post Millennial - Trevor Schmidt:
October 5, 2018 - "This week I resigned from my position as Executive Director of the Libertarian Party of Canada (LPoC) in order to join the People’s Party of Canada (PPC). Now I am calling on all federal political party members who know a desperate change is needed in Ottawa to do the same.
"When I left the CPC to join the Libertarians in 2014 I did so because I saw in that small party the reflection of what I felt, and what I believed others felt, was a burning desire for a return to principled politics. Canadians desire this not for the sake of romance and not just for the sake of transparency, but because they’ve become acutely aware that it takes principled politicians to stand firm against all the lobbyists and special interests in Ottawa that will lead them astray from those that elected them.
"The strong showing by Maxime Bernier in the CPC leadership contest and the rise of the PPC have shown me that my belief likely had some merit.
"The difference between the PPC and the Libertarians is that Max enjoys popular support and the desire to build a broad coalition of voters that could actually see the party become a force for change on Parliament Hill. There are good ideas shared by good people across the political spectrum that have so much in common if only united by the understanding that the job of the public servant is not to get re-elected, but to, well, serve the public....
"Those paying attention know that Bernier has an avenue to success. Already, in only a few short weeks, PPC Electoral District Associations – the main bodies responsible for the recruitment, nomination process and fielding of local riding candidates – are being organized all across the country....
"[N]o movement against an entrenched established interest can be successful without people behind it. This is why I have, along with Deputy Leader Darcy Gerow* and other regional Libertarian leadership members, resigned from the Libertarian Party in order to unite with others who understand the urgency of returning principled leadership to Ottawa.
"This is also why I’m calling on Conservatives, Libertarians, and all Canadian party members who believe in principled politics to shed their previous party affiliations and help build the People’s Party of Canada into an effective federal option that leads with its ideas and seeks to govern for all Canadians, not just special interests."
Read more: https://www.thepostmillennial.com/schmidt-why-i-left-the-libertarian-party-and-am-now-calling-on-others-to-follow-suit/
'via Blog this'
October 5, 2018 - "This week I resigned from my position as Executive Director of the Libertarian Party of Canada (LPoC) in order to join the People’s Party of Canada (PPC). Now I am calling on all federal political party members who know a desperate change is needed in Ottawa to do the same.
"When I left the CPC to join the Libertarians in 2014 I did so because I saw in that small party the reflection of what I felt, and what I believed others felt, was a burning desire for a return to principled politics. Canadians desire this not for the sake of romance and not just for the sake of transparency, but because they’ve become acutely aware that it takes principled politicians to stand firm against all the lobbyists and special interests in Ottawa that will lead them astray from those that elected them.
"The strong showing by Maxime Bernier in the CPC leadership contest and the rise of the PPC have shown me that my belief likely had some merit.
"The difference between the PPC and the Libertarians is that Max enjoys popular support and the desire to build a broad coalition of voters that could actually see the party become a force for change on Parliament Hill. There are good ideas shared by good people across the political spectrum that have so much in common if only united by the understanding that the job of the public servant is not to get re-elected, but to, well, serve the public....
"Those paying attention know that Bernier has an avenue to success. Already, in only a few short weeks, PPC Electoral District Associations – the main bodies responsible for the recruitment, nomination process and fielding of local riding candidates – are being organized all across the country....
"[N]o movement against an entrenched established interest can be successful without people behind it. This is why I have, along with Deputy Leader Darcy Gerow* and other regional Libertarian leadership members, resigned from the Libertarian Party in order to unite with others who understand the urgency of returning principled leadership to Ottawa.
"This is also why I’m calling on Conservatives, Libertarians, and all Canadian party members who believe in principled politics to shed their previous party affiliations and help build the People’s Party of Canada into an effective federal option that leads with its ideas and seeks to govern for all Canadians, not just special interests."
Read more: https://www.thepostmillennial.com/schmidt-why-i-left-the-libertarian-party-and-am-now-calling-on-others-to-follow-suit/
'via Blog this'
I can't say I'm that impressed when somebody repeatedly talks about "principled" politics without ever saying what principles it is that he is supporting. All politicians operate from principles. Most of them adhere to the principles that everybody (but them) is the property of the state, that they should be in charge of the state, and once they are, they will make everybody else live their lives they way they just know they should. The principle that Mssrs Schmidt and Gerow appear to be operating on is to water down the presentation of - or even hide - libertarian principles as much as possible in order to appeal to that "broad coalition" of (non-libertarian) voters they hope to get at through the PPC. As far as I can tell, Maxime Bernier is not a libertarian. Don't forget, "a libertarian is a person who believes that no one has the right, under ANY (my emphasis added) circumstances, to initiate force against another human being for any reason whatever; nor will a libertarian advocate the initiation of force, or delegate it to anyone else." (L. Neil Smith) Just for a start, I haven't heard him denounce taxation... This follows right on the heels of a question in one of the LPoC Facebook forums about whether we should be principled or pragmatic. Someone responded, "Pragmatism IS principle." I don't think it was either of these gentlemen, but it clearly could be. And thus here we are. I will not be joining the PPC. I do not wish to govern anybody (I wish everybody would mind their own damn business and leave everybody else alone to do the same). I would find it impossible to vote for that baby-faced weasel Andrew Scheer. A choice between Justin the groper and him is not much of a choice at all. I might vote for the PPC, but I'll want to see some actual policies, a platform, a selection of candidates. I'll want to see the same thing from the LPoC. And if, in the end, it's impossible to vote for anybody, maybe I'll move back to Alberta and help start a libertarian separatist movement...
ReplyDeleteThe difference between the PPC and the Libertarians is that Max is not a libertarian.
ReplyDelete* I wrote to Darcy Gerow tonight on facebook, and he clarified that he has resigned only as deputy leader, not from the LPC: "My LPoC membership is still valid. I resigned from the Deputy Leader position. Nobody told me of a condition to terminate my membership."
ReplyDelete