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THE FREE NATION October 2018 ​ News and Views from the Freedom Association Free Nation Or Vassal State?

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THE FREE NATION October 2018 ​ News and Views from the Freedom Association Free Nation Or Vassal State? THE FREE NATION October 2018 ​ News and views from The Freedom Association Free Nation or Vassal State? THE FREE NATION Forget Brexit - independence is what we want ​ ​ I don’t know about you, but the longer the seemingly endless Brexit negotiations go on the more I have come to detest the very word, ‘Brexit’. It is ​ not that the case for leaving the EU is no longer valid - in fact, the success of the British economy since the referendum, combined with the hostility that the EU has shown towards us, added to its continued drive to annihilate the last vestiges of the nation state have all added weight to the vital importance of escaping its clutches without delay. The case for Britain leaving the EU has never been stronger, but the hostility of almost the entire political class has sullied the word ‘Brexit’ beyond repair. But, despite the worst efforts of anti-democratic Remainers, the wish of the British people to regain control of their own lives and their own country cannot easily be extinguished. It is time for us to reclaim the high ground and to fly the flag for independence: not just independence from the European Union but independence from an overmighty, interfering, bullying state too. It looks as though Theresa May’s inept handling of negotiations means that we shall obtain a far worse deal when we leave the EU than we could so easily have achieved had she not been in thrall to Tony Blair’s Europhile pal, Olly Robbins. The Freedom Association and its Better Off Out campaign has fought - and continues to fight - every inch of the way against the Prime Minister’s Chequers sell-out. The length of this fight has exhausted our limited resources so, whilst I know that so many of you have already been exceptionally generous in helping to fund our struggle against the Remainers, any additional help that you feel you might be able to give at this stage would be greatly appreciated in order to keep up the fight against our vastly wealthier opponents, backed by Soros, Branson, Heseltine, Blair and other kleptocrats. For all the failings of our politicians, we must celebrate 29th March next year as an historic step towards regaining our nation’s independence. As Winston Churchill said of Montgomery’s great victory at El Alamein, ‘Now this is not the end. It is not even the beginning of the end. But it is, perhaps, the end of the beginning.’ You have played a noble part in helping to get this far, so I hope that you will join me in marking that on 29th March. Simon Richards Chief Executive, The Freedom Association THE FREE NATION is The Freedom Association’s newsletter for Members only. ​ ​ Additional copies are available at £5 each, including U.K. postage. Either call us to pay by credit/debit card or send a cheque, payable to “The Freedom Association”, remembering to include your name and address. Please send any letters, articles, news etc. (by email or post) to Simon Richards: 500 words maximum. Copy deadline for the next (November) issue is Monday 29th October. If you have any ​ queries re your subscription, please call our office. For contact details, see the foot of this page: The Freedom Association, 122 Winchcombe Street, Cheltenham GL52 2NW Telephone: 01242 235333 (office hours: Mon to Wed) Email: [email protected] Website: www.tfa.net ​ ​ ​ 2 of 16 The law of unintended consequences In each issue, I include an extract from ‘Take Upon Retiring’, an anthology by our Patron, Lord Vinson (right), because I think that its contents deserve a wider audience. Here, quoting Friedrich von Hayek, the great Austrian-British economist and philosopher, Lord Vinson notes that ‘Government policies in particular seldom work out the way they are meant to. Mostly they are perfect examples of the law of unintended consequences: ‘Is there a greater tragedy imaginable than that in our endeavour consciously to shape our future in accordance with high ideals we should in fact unwittingly produce the very opposite of what we have been striving for?’ F. A. von Hayek CH, FBA (1899-1992) The wit and wisdom of Jacob Rees-Mogg Contrary to suggestions that young people would not vote for a Conservative Party led by Jacob Rees-Mogg, he is a big draw on university campuses around the country, despite leftist attempts to silence him. Earlier this month, Christian Calgie reported for the student newspaper, The Tab Hull ​ on Jacob’s recent visit to the University of Hull that ‘the high profile Conservative M.P. accused those who believe Yorkshire to be better than Somerset as “somewhat eccentric”. The comment came as Rees-Mogg countered the ‘little Englander’ jibe levelled at Brexit supporters; explaining he thinks of himself primarily as ‘British’ over ‘English’, but specifically that his loyalty is to North East Somerset - his parliamentary seat: “I hear some people here believe that Yorkshire is even better than Somerset which I believe is a rather eccentric position”, raising laughter from the audience.’ The report added that ‘the 100+ audience comprising of predominantly non-Conservative-supporting students later expressed mass support with a big round of applause when the M.P. spoke out against the silencing of free speech at universities in recent years.’ The Tab Hull report continued, ‘Recently at the University of West England, ​ ​ Rees-Mogg was involved in a fracas between Bristol ‘anti-fascists’ and his audience ​ supporters. He further told students that one university’s politics society was charged £600 ​ for the event’s security which he believes was "a disgrace". He informed Hull students that since the string of incidents he has resolutely undertaken more events at universities across the country prompting mass applause. The report went on to note that, ‘after the 2-hour event, Rees-Mogg stayed to take photos with the many students who wanted to . and ‘a self-professed campaigner for a second EU referendum- said that she had found much of what Rees-Mogg said to have been “very compelling”. The Freedom Association, 122 Winchcombe Street, Cheltenham GL52 2NW Telephone: 01242 235333 (office hours: Mon to Wed) Email: [email protected] Website: www.tfa.net ​ ​ ​ 3 of 16 Peter Mullen writes: Come on sweetheart - how about a bit of love crime? Lord Pearson has repeatedly asked a question in the House of Lords: “Can we talk about Islam?” He has been ​ told by officials in that place that, if he asks the same question again, he will be charged with having committed something called “a hate crime.” As a student of the English language, I’ve never been entirely at home with this phrase “hate crime.” What does it mean? Aren’t all crimes manifestations of hatred to some degree – as the criminal, by his very action, shows contempt for the person against whom his crime is perpetrated? We could ask what sort of thing a “love crime” might be. It’s strange too to find that someone could be considered guilty of a hate crime – or of any sort of crime – for merely asking a question. I can understand how a statement can easily amount to a criminal act. For instance, if I say to someone, “You are a liar and a thief,” that would be a defamatory slander unless I could offer proof of his guilt. But a question accuses no one of anything. A question is not a statement of any fact or alleged fact. A question is a request for clarification, for further information. Therefore, when Lord Pearson is told that, should he ask his question again, he will be guilty of a crime, he is thereby made the victim of politicised irrationalists – actually bigots and it is his freedom of speech which is being denied him. The fact that this is being done in the House of Lords, a part of parliament – a “parliament” meaning a place where people attempt to talk to some purpose – it is Lord Pearson’s freedom of speech which is being disallowed. Of course it is wrong – and perhaps even a crime – gratuitously to fling insults about. We must have regard for the dignity and feelings of others, and I can easily imagine that an insulting accusation might be a crime, even a so-called “hate crime.” But usually when someone is accused of hate crime, it means merely that someone else has taken offence at what has been said. We must draw a careful distinction here: there is no such thing as a right not to be offended. I am offended every day by the sheer fact of the publication of The Guardian newspaper and. Of course, by the BBC’s lefty flagship Today. I merely shrug, smile and take another sip of my beverage whose contents depend only on the time of day and my emollient – or not – disposition. Unfortunately, some people’s ticklish dislike of being offended has turned litigious and so they insist that, because they don’t like something that someone says, then that person is guilty of a crime. This sort of thing gets everywhere. There are some very fragile and hypersensitive university students – they have been referred to as “snowflakes” – who disapprove of statues to empire builders such as Cecil Rhodes. Do they exercise their freedom of speech and express their disapproval in a university debate or write a letter to the newspaper? Assuredly, they do not. Instead, they clamour for the statues to be torn down and removed. This is tyranny. They never pause to consider the feelings of those who approve of such statues.
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