Last month, I was in the Sydney Fish Markets with fellow Samizdatista Michael Jennings. We had a splendid lunch, as the Fish Markets have plenty of good places to eat. Anyhow on leaving we grabbed a coffee to go, and headed off back to the tram stop to return to the CBD.
I was tardy in finishing my coffee, and in fact I did not finish it until I had got to the tram stop. So I got up to put the cup in the bin. However, I found to my considerable surprise that the bin had been closed. A plastic lid had been placed over the top of the bin.
I had never seen anything like it in my life. Michael Jennings, though, knew why- he explained that it was the practice to seal such bins to prevent people from placing bombs there, and that this is a common sight in London.
Well, that makes sense. There is a war on, as they used to say.
If truth is the first casualty of war, then libertarian ideals seem to me to be not far behind. In a society under military pressure, the liberty of the individual is quickly appropriated by the State for its own ends, often quite justifiably. The needs of the RAF in England in 1940 really were quite important, after all.
In Australia, the touch is very light. We are rather remote and isolated from the crosscurrents of the War on Terror. But we’ve had experience of this phenomena before, in the Second World War. With the Japanese ‘at the gates’ so to speak, the Federal Government wasted no time in seizing power over large swathes of the liberty of the individual. And, as a libertarian minded individual, if I had protested, the government would have told me “hey, there’s a war on, you know”.
The only Western society that would really understand this these days is Israel, I would guess. Liberty is best enjoyed when you are alive, and sometimes the need of the latter have to take precedence over the former.
I think though, that it is no coincidence that the necessary loss of personal liberty in both Australia and Britain in the second world war acclimatised the citizens for the massive assault on personal liberty and responsibility that came straight after the war, when socialist governments in both nations erected all-embracing welfare states.
Not that they saw it that way at the time – it was seen as a ‘just reward’ for the people who had endured the costs of war. It turned out to be a false reward indeed, but the idea that there really is no such thing as a free lunch took thirty five years to sink into the minds of the electorates in both nations. (Indeed, it is arguable that it has not penetrated even now).
The lesson is clear though – the state will use the loss of liberties necessary to undertake the war on terror to its own advantage, and we must be vigilant to prevent a second welfare state disaster being built on the back of it.
Yes, so far it is just a rubbish bin. Let us keep it that way.
However badly the war on terror infringes our liberty,
there are at least appropriate ways in which
we can deal with the Wasabi strain of Islam.
“However badly the war on terror infringes our liberty, there are at least appropriate ways in which we can deal with the wasabi strain of Islam”.
Excellent.
What – exactly – is wrong with “the” welfare system? Your critisism of it doesn’t seem to mention that, and given that it has evolved and changed for the last 50 years, are you talking about the beast it is today or the consequences of it or the philosophy behind it?
Where’d you get the jumper?
Yobbo: if you click on the “Mercandise” link on the Network Column on the left hand side of the site- it’s just above the “Walls of samizdata.net” icon.
That will take you to the CafePress store, where there is a range of cool stuff.
Just on that, I would encourage readers to click on all the little sidelinks- they can take you to some strange and interesting places.
Alex: I am generally opposed to the welfare state. My reasons are a mixture of philosphical and practical reasons. Basically, to make it work you have to ruin the rest of society; in my view the costs are far too high.
Scott: Sounds like an upcoming rant of sorts. Please?
yes. i think so.
A rant on the follies of the welfare state? I’m sure it’s been done before, and by better minds then mine.
However, I suppose I can indulge you all. I will work on it over the weekend.
dare to strugle; dare to win.
Good post. Any practical suggestions for what the biggest threats might be, and how to avoid and/or combat them?
I assume they must have had a good selection of cheeses for Jennings. I’ll have to check his site for a menu-driven discussion of this encounter. Just kidding, Michael …
Actually, there is a “gourmet foods” shop at the fish markets that sells a wonderful selection of cheeses. I suspect they do good business: people who are entertaining will make a run to the fish market to get some fresh seafood, and will likely pick up some cheese and savouries while they are there. We didn’t have any on this occasion: just a large platter of sushi and a bottle of Semillon from the Hunter Valley north of Sydney (some of which you can see Scott drinking in the photograph).