Musings of a Libertarian

With U-turn number 3167, Labour’s proposed treaty to transfer Chagos to Mauritius has now been pulled from ratification, at least for the time being. That pause is welcome, but it is an indictment that Starmer ever pushed this far. Chagos is a remote chain of islands in the Indian Ocean, best known for Diego Garcia, home to a major UK–US military base. The historical backdrop is shameful: the Chagossians were forcibly removed in the late twentieth century to facilitate the base, and then blocked for decades from returning. That injustice is real, and Britain owes them a serious remedy, not another elite stitch-up dressed as “decolonisation”. The recent political saga began under the Conservatives, who opened negotiations with Mauritius in pursuit of a diplomatic “settlement”. But it was Starmer’s Labour that chose to sign the deal: transferring sovereignty of the entire archipelago to Mauritius while leasing back Diego Garcia for 99 years, at huge cost to British taxpayers. Predictably...

In recent days we have seen a selection of proposals making it harder for people to drive, fitting neatly into Labour’s wider authoritarian, nanny-state instinct: the belief that everyday life must be managed, supervised, and regulated ever more tightly by the state, regardless of cost, evidence, or personal freedom. The first of these, additional eye-tests for the over-70s, seems reasonable — a precautionary safety measure — but still one that represents an additional burden on older drivers, imposed as a blanket rule rather than on the basis of individual need. Then there are proposals to reduce the drink-drive limit in England and Wales, bringing it down from the current 35 micrograms in line with the more restrictive 22 micrograms currently in force in Scotland. Regulatory alignment for regulatory alignment’s sake is not a logical argument, particularly when the SNP are involved. England and Wales already enjoy an enviable safety record, with 24 road deaths per million annually: th...

The Libertarian Party UK notes the removal of Nicolás Maduro from power in Venezuela with acknowledgement of the immense suffering his regime has inflicted on the Venezuelan people. Maduro presided over hyperinflation, expropriation and destruction of private enterprise, systemic corruption, political repression, arbitrary detention, torture of opponents, and the violent crushing of peaceful protest, driving millions to flee shortages of food, medicine, and basic services. We unequivocally condemn him as a communist dictator and recognise that many Venezuelans have long sought his departure. We also note that Argentina’s libertarian president, Javier Milei, has publicly welcomed the news of Maduro’s reported capture, consistent with his longstanding description of Maduro as a “criminal dictator” and his solidarity with Venezuelans suffering under Chavismo. At the same time, enforced regime change by external military force raises serious concerns of principle and precedent. This is all...