May
29
Yeah, sounds like a police state to me
May 29, 2008 | Leave a Comment
One of the reasons I can’t completely buy into the libertarian platform is the absolute, well, absolutism expressed by many libertarians. For example, Brendan O’Neill decries the supposedly thuggish policies of the newly elected Mayor of London, Boris Johnson. Pardon me if I don’t join in O’Neill’s concern over the abolishment of drinking on the Underground. I’ve actually written about this before, half-jokingly, and I really don’t think it’s a big deal either way.
This also sounds a bit hyperbolic:
Now, Boris has joined the Blairites in declaring war on youth. He announced that young people who commit even minor misdemeanours on public transport will have their travel passes confiscated, and they won’t get them back until they carry out some form of community service. Like a Stalinist thug, he’ll deny internal freedom of movement within London to any youngster who fails to behave in a Boris-approved fashion.
Stalinist thug? For punishing young people who commit misdemeanors? Really? Johnson isn’t denying freedom of movement to people who simply don’t behave as he wishes, he is taking away privileges from people who break the law. There’s a bit of a difference there, and I think anyone but the most radical libertarian idealist would be able to see that.
So excuse me if I join Ramesh Ponnuru in not freaking out over these so-called violations of liberty.