The Establishment parties will do nothing to solve homelessness until they tackle thestranglehold that the Money Power has on government. Until that day comes, the National Liberal Party calls for all of its members & supporters to do what they can to support the homeless. Probably the best way to do this is by helping local charities and initiatives that seek to tackle homelessness at a grass-roots level.

SINCE THE general election was called at the end of October the main Establishment parties seem to have been making every promise under the sun. No matter what the problem is – from Brexit to climate change and everything in between – they all claim to have the answer.

However, it seems to us that they’ve all had long enough to sort out the many social and economic problem that we face. And they’ve all failed. For instance. take homelessness, which surely must be one of our most pressing (and distressing) social problems.

We’re not even going to bother to point out what the Establishment parties say in their current manifestos about homelessness. There’s no point. Their manifestos would promise free unicorns if they thought it was popular and would get them votes. Their words are useless. The Labour Party and Tories have both been in power for years and years. Even the Liberal Democrats ruled the roost (as part of the Con-Dem coalition government) during 2010 – 15.

Yet they’ve all failed to tackle homelessness. Of course their spin doctors will tell you different – but the evidence is literally on the streets for all to see.

To understand the scale of the problem, one only has to consider a report fromWelfare Weekly – https://welfareweekly.com/a-homeless-person-dies-every-19-hours-in-austerity-britain/ – from earlier this year. It made the startling claim that a homeless person dies every 19 hours in austerity Britain.

The shocking figures were provided by the Museum of Homelessness (MoH) –https://museumofhomelessness.org/ – which is a ‘community driven social justice museum, created and run by people with direct experience of homelessness.’ Data for the MoH study was collected from coroners’ enquiries, media coverage, family testimony and freedom of information requests.

However, some campaigners in the London-based MoH believe that the figures could be much higher. Incredibly, around 30% of deaths since 2017 have occurred where people were living in emergency or temporary accommodation.

Speaking at the time of the report, MoH co-founder Matt Turtle noted:

“People affected by homelessness continue to die at a shocking rate despite the passage of the homelessness reduction act nearly 18 months ago.

We regularly hear from people who feel they’re safer on the streets than in hostels and this data shows why.

People are placed in inadequate, unsafe accommodation, whether badly run hostels or other forms of private rented accommodation, with all too often fatal consequences.”

The NLP presumes that the use of ”inadequate, unsafe accommodation”is a case of dealing with the problem ‘on the cheap.’ Maybe the Establishment feels that if they can get as many people off of the streets as possible, it’ll be a case of ‘out of sight, out of mind.’

Linking Britain’s homelessness crisis to austerity, Mr Tutle said:

“There’s much evidence that almost a decade of austerity policies has had a clear and direct impact on society’s most vulnerable.”

As we noted earlier, all of the Establishment parties have had plenty of time to tackle homelessness. Despite what they say in the run up to the general election they’ll not do a thing. It’s all platitudes and empty promises. And they’ll keep on doing this for ever and a day.

Meanwhile hundreds of people will either die in inadequate and unsafe accommodation or on the streets. The latter will probably be particularly so, especially this time of year as we hurtle towards Christmas when the nights are bitterly cold. The killing cold, to coin a phrase. It’s not exactly the most wonderful time of the year for the homeless.

With the above in mind, we have to ask ourselves why the Establishment parties can’t – or won’t – tackle homelessness and itsunderlying causes, such as austerity, mental health issues and abuse.

The NLP believes that, in order to truly sort out these problems, we need a complete system change.

Indeed, we believe that looking at people in purely monetary terms is the real cause of virtually all of our social and economic problems. To get to the real root of these issues we need a completely different mindset. We need to forget about profits, GDP and balance sheets.

But the Establishment parties won’t do this. They’re all pro-capitalist – even the ‘socialists’ amongst them! – and all seem to be in hoc to the bankers. None of them will make any attempt to break the stranglehold that the Money Power has on government.

They’ll keep on borrowing from the banks, accruing more debt and paying back millions in interest. They’ll do nothing to break this vicious circle – like authorising a national bank tospend – and not lend – money directly into the economy. This will ensure that Britain’s housing & homelessness crisis can be tackled once and for all.

Until that day comes, the National Liberal Party urges all of its members and supporters todo what they can in terms of supporting the homeless. We’re simply not in a position to help in a ‘trickle down’ fashion. Therefore, we have to help from the bottom up. And that means supporting local charities and initiatives that seek to tackle homelessness at a grass-roots level.

• ALSO Check out:

Social Justice & The Failure Of Capitalism http://nationalliberal.org/social-justice-the-failure-of-capitalism

News From Nowhere – Poverty & Homelessness in Britain & Éire http://nationalliberal.org/news-from-nowhere-poverty-homelessness-in-britain-eire

TWO MONTHS AGO we reproduced the Editorial to issue 1 of New Horizon, the online ideological magazine of the National Liberal Party. Launched towards the end of 2015, NH is designed ‘to showcase (and debate) the ideas and policies of the National Liberal Party. The ideology of National Liberalism and historical antecedents.’

So what is is ideology – and why is it so important to us? According to the Encyclopaedia Britannica – https://www.britannica.com/topic/ideology-society – ideology can be described as ‘a form of social or political philosophy in which practical elements are as prominent as theoretical ones. It is a system of ideas that aspires both to explain the world and to change it.’

Ideology is – or should be – particularly important to any political grouping as it provides the foundation for its policies. And for relatively small organisations like the NLP it provides what could be termed the ‘spiritual nourishment’ needed to keep us alive and kicking!

With the above in mind, we invite our readers to view the following article which looks at how, historically, Liberals adopted nationalism as part of their creed and became known as National Liberals.

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Head & Heart

Right: Giuseppe Mazzini (June 1805 – March 1872), nicknamed "Soul of Italy," was an Italian politician, journalist and activist for the unification of Italy. His Young Italy movement – and its form of European ’romantic’ nationalism -influenced many organisations and individuals. Mazzini advocated popular democracy and was vigorously opposed to Marxism and Communism. He lived in London for some time and his residence - 155 North Gower Street, near Euston Square - is now marked with a commemorative blue plaque.

MANY PEOPLE believe that Liberalism and Nationalism (Patriotism) are opposing philosophies. By the 20th Century Liberalism was seen as antagonistic to Nationalism. In crude terms, Liberals placed the rights of individuals above all whilst Nationalists believed the group was everything. Thus Liberals and Nationalists were often locked in political conflict over the nature and function of the state. It was not always so.

In the 19th century many (political) Liberals believed that the only way to create (in opposition to the multi-national monarchies/aristocratic rulers) and maintain (in a stable environment) individual freedom was within a community of equals. The nation (a people sharing a language, culture and history) was such a community. Nationalism was the pursuit of turning a ‘nation’ into a state. Thus such Liberals adopted nationalism as part of their creed and became known as National Liberals. Indeed many saw Nationalism as an aspect of Liberalism.

The end of history?

The success of peoples to craft out nations throughout Europe and largely create representative democracies within them boded well for the future. A commentator writing just before the Second World War (and fearful of the future) bemoaned the loss of an earlier age where Liberalism and Nationalism were working together towards a “completer humanity”. Further, it was felt “History…. was reaching, its final phrase, and increasing development of the rights of the individual and of democracy within Nation-States was all that the future would have to chronicle. The battle for liberty had been won at last; all the 20th century would need to do would be to garner the harvest.” *1

Unfortunately, it never worked out that way. The plethora of ‘nation-states’ after the First World War should have paved the way for peace rather than conflict but, since many of the states were bureaucratic constructs (creating national minorities in the process) and the democracy forcibly implanted, Europe descended into war as Authoritarian and Totalitarian forces took over as Liberalism withered and Nationalism was ‘hijacked’ by extremes. Thus Nationalism and Liberalism became in conflict as adherents of the former increasingly rejected the latter as an obstacle to the ‘greater unity of the people’, whilst they in turn saw them (correctly) as a threat to the ‘people’s freedom of choice.’ The terrible ‘excesses’ of so-called Nationalists (nee chauvinists) ultimately led to the pendulum swinging towards Liberalism and a suspicion of nation-states in general (at least in Europe). That suspicion still exists today. *2

What then is the natural order of their relationship?

The Heart

Both philosophies appeal to different aspects of Man. Nationalism is an emotion, a belief in a group loyalty that may require a sacrifice for the greater whole. In its basic sense it is the reason why we pay taxes the benefits of which we may not receive in return. Some theorists would say this is a ‘social contract’ i.e. we pay for peace of mind. We sacrifice our freedom of action towards laws and enforcement because it suits us e.g. a protection against the strong or the criminal. A Nationalist would say that it is our duty to make that sacrifice, being also a product of past and future generations i.e. we owe it to our families not just as a selfish choice. A National Liberal would say that an individuals family, community and nation require a proportionate form of sacrifice i.e. that which does not also take away his individuality or liberty. In all senses the Nation represents Man’s heart. It is an emotional feeling that justifies sacrifice and duty. Mazzini says that it has a call upon the duties of man. *3

The Head

Liberalism on the other hand appeals to the intellect. We are born as individuals and we seek a way of life that allows us to enjoy its’ fruits. How we organise ourselves, how we interact with others is dictated by our mind e.g. we should be able to choose our form of governance whilst still maintaining at ‘arms-length’ the designs of the state. This freedom to choose is essential as is the freedom to limit the control that a state exercises upon our lives. Liberalism, or more properly Liberty, is represented by our head for we choose to be free. A National Liberal would say that liberty (from an omnipotent state) is crucial to Man’s well-being. Mazzini says that it is one of the rights of man.

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The early revolts of the 19th century illustrate the differences of Man’s Dual nature (Heard or Heart). Such revolts were either Liberal or Nationalist in their nature (unlike the more National-Liberal revolts in 1848). Although mainly inspired by political liberalism (the head) the only successful revolt (in Portugal) was that inspired by nationalist impulses (the heart). Reaction in Europe was too powerful to be overthrown so whilst the masses might shout for liberty they would not fight (and inevitably die) for it. Where inspired by the heart i.e. nationalism they will do so even when the cause seems, in practical terms, lost.

A necessary balance of ‘Head & Heart’

Thus a vital Nationalism and Liberalism within society can be seen as a perquisite for a healthy people as a vital head and heart is for a healthy body. A National Liberal thus seeks to harness and maintain a balance between the needs of the nation and the individual as a doctor would between the needs of head and heart. One cannot be complete without the other.

Addendum:

*1 H. Featherstone, A Century of Nationalism (London 1939), P.9.

*2 One commentator however has suggested that, at least amongst Liberal political scientists, opposition to national discourse was restricted to a short period between the 1950’s & 1980’s and that liberal nationalism is again rising (as national liberalism once did 150 years previously). Dr S. Miscoiu , Liberalism against the Nation: A False Hypothesis of the Historical Analysis, Arts_and_Humanities, Journal for the Study of Religions and ideologies, 12, 2005, P.49 – 55 Mazzini

* 3 G. Mazzini, The Duties of Man (Lugano 1860)

• ALSO Check out:

Build New Horizon! http://nationalliberal.org/build-new-horizon

WELCOME TO the second debate hosted by

Liberty & Nation – the voice of the National Liberal Party – which looks at Earthship Biotecture, a system of constructing ‘autonomous houses’.

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These autonomous houses – known as ‘Earthships’ – are defined by six basic design principles, all of which take advantage of the existing natural phenomena of the earth. These are: Building with natural and repurposed materials, thermal/solar heating and cooling, solar and wind electricity, water harvesting, contained sewage treatment & food production.

We accept that some people may feel that Earthship Biotecture is a little bit ‘quirky’ or ‘leftfield’. However, Liberty & Nation (L&N) believes that it could provide a radical solution to many social ills, including the housing crisis, sustainability and pollution.

The National Liberal Party believes that our individual rights and our collective (community and nation) needs, require protection. We also believe that people value their individual freedoms and privacy from being invaded by the state (or private corporations). Earthship Biotecture enables us to do this and live in accordance with nature. L&N is also particularly interested in the sustainable and autonomous nature of these houses – which ensure a form of personal self-determination and freedom.

With all the above in mind, we’ve reproduced an article from Roadtrippers Magazine – you can read the original here https://roadtrippers.com/magazine/earthship-biotecture-off-grid-living/ – by San Diego-based Sanna Boman, the publications lead editor. Liberty & Nation invites its readers to consider the article and answer the question: Can Earthship Biotecture Help Solve Britain’s Housing Crisis? Share your thoughts when this article is reproduced on either of our two Facebook sites – National Liberals https://www.facebook.com/groups/52739504313/ – and National Liberal Party – https://www.facebook.com/NationalLiberalParty/

It goes without saying that there are no official links between Sanna Boman, Roadtrippers Magazine, Liberty & Nation and the National Liberal Party. Please note that we have kept the original US spellings and phrases as they are.

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In Taos, a community of ‘voluntary anarchists’ is taking off-the-grid living to the next level.

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Earthship Biotecture wants to teach you how to live sustainably, one earth-rammed tire at a time

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By Sanna Boman

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Michael Reynolds (top) known as the ‘Garbage Warrior’ is the founder of Earthship Biotecture. Of the homes that he designs & helps build, he says: “Imagine a home that heats itself, that provides its own water, and grows its own food. Imagine that it needs no expensive technology, it recycles its own waste, and it has its own power source. And now imagine that it can be built anywhere, by anyone, out of the things that society throws away.” Michael Reynolds (top) known as the ‘Garbage Warrior’ is the founder of Earthship Biotecture. Of the homes that he designs & helps build, he says: “Imagine a home that heats itself, that provides its own water, and grows its own food. Imagine that it needs no expensive technology, it recycles its own waste, and it has its own power source. And now imagine that it can be built anywhere, by anyone, out of the things that society throws away.” The interior of a typical Earthship (middle) in Taos, New Mexico, USA. Effectively this is a passive solar greenhouse showing different food and plants which can be grown.The exterior of an Earthship (bottom) built in Adelaide, Australia. Food grown here includes bananas, kale and tomatoes. Whilst the house was dear to build, the owners don’t pay any bills.

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While the houses, with their rounded corners and colorful walls made of cans and bottles, may look more like spaceships than human dwellings, the opposite is true: The buildings are even called “earthships.” Located just outside of Taos, this community – known as the Greater World Earthship Community – provides full-time housing to at least 130 people. Under the name Earthship Biotecture –

https://maps.roadtrippers.com/us/taos-nm

/attractions/earthship-biotecture-visitor-center

– it also hosts an academy in partnership with Western Colorado University, an internship program, and a visitor center open to the public.

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Earthship Biotecture is almost completely self-sustainable – and it wants to teach you how to live off grid, too.

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Natural resources

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The earthship concept was created in the 1970s by architect Michael Reynolds, who still works and resides in the Taos community. Earthships are built the use natural resources – such as sunlight and rain – and turn them into clean energy. Built with recycled and natural materials, the houses are designed to produce water, electricity, and food for their residents year-round.

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“The basic premise of the earthship concept is that we’re looking to sustainably harvest naturally occurring phenomena so that our home will take care of us, verses us going out into the world, juggling jobs we may or may not like, just to come back and take care of a home,” says Adam Baisley, one of the staff members working at Earthship Biotecture’s visitor center. “We all have a million other things we’d rather be doing with our time and if we can get our utilities for free, why should we pay someone else to give them to us?”

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The visitor center is set up inside a typical two-bedroom earthship, and visitors are encouraged to take a self-guided tour to see how it works in practice. The tour starts in the indoor greenhouse. The entire southern wall of the building, which consists of angled floor-to-ceiling windows, is covered in greenery. Plants and vegetables grow from soil in the ground as well in hanging buckets, and require very little maintenance due to an intricate water harvesting system.

First, rainwater is collected using a cistern on the roof and channelled into a water organizing module, where it is filtered and fed into the house for consumption. Wastewater from sinks, showers, and washing machines (known as gray water) is sent into an underground botanical cell, where it is used to water plants in the indoor greenhouse. The gray water also goes back into the toilets in the house. After it’s flushed, the black water from the toilets is pumped into a septic tank, treated (separating solids from liquids), and then fed to an outdoor garden in the same way the gray water is used to water indoor plants. This means that the harvested water is being used four times – and it’s all fully automated.

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Windows on the south side of the house are designed for maximum solar gain during winter and they limit the amount of sun that gets in during summer. Solar panels on the roof create electricity, offering what Baisley calls “sustainable autonomy” – there is no need to pay the government or private companies for utilities.

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While earthships can grow fruits and vegetables year-round, most residents are not entirely self-sustainable when it comes to food. “Humans are humans.” Baisley says. “We love our variety and regardless of what somebody says to you, there’s no way they want to eat kale chips every day.”

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Meet EVE

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“This is EVE,” says Baisley as he shows me inside the largest structure on the premise. The two-story building is impressive in size, and it has a cathedral-like feel to it. the walls are almost entirely covered with empty bottles and cans, creating a stained-glass effect throughout the building. Massive, arched windows help flood the main room in natural light.

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“Depending on who you talk to in the company, anywhere from 25 to 40 percent of the bottles and cans you see here were actually drank by the crew members, the academy students, and the interns themselves,” Baisley says, adding: “Depending how inebriated they are when they talk to you, that number may be subject to change.”

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EVE stands for Earthship Village Ecologies. Designed as an “urban housing environment,” it’s made up of five studio apartments that share communal living space. In 2007, New Mexico Legislature passed the Sustainable Development Testing Site Act, written by Reynolds. It allowed Reynolds and his team to research and test sustainable housing on a two-acre plot within Earthship Biotecture. EVE is the result, but it was never fully finished.

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“Unfortunately, we were giving a five-year permit to build whatever we wanted with no regards to code enforcement or regulations, with the strict requirement that we stop building after that permit expired,” Baisley says.

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Today, EVE is used to grow plants and vegetables year-round. It’s the only building in the community that faces southwest instead of directly south, in an effort to pick up the most light from sunsets. And it seems to be working: The plants inside are thriving, despite the fact that the windows are made with marine-grade plastic instead of glass. “This is what you would find in boats,” Baisley says.

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Building an earthship

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The residents of the Greater Earthship Community represent different demographics and socioeconomic backgrounds. What they have in common is a passion for sustainability and autonomy.

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“The majority of people here, I’ve found, are in some way, shape, or form voluntary anarchists,” Baisley says. “Not the kind throwing Molotov cocktails – the people here are really friendly, they just don’t want to be forced to participate in systems that they see as corrupt or amoral.”

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Many of the homes in the community were built as educational opportunities for Earthship Biotecture’s interns and academy students, and consequently, a typical build could take up to two years. “Although, if you have the money and you’ve got a hole in your pocket ready to burn, the company can build a three-bedroom home from start to finish in two months,” Baisley says.

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For those looking to try out earthship living, the opportunities are endless. You could build your own or hire Earthship Biotecture to build it for you. A small, simple “survival dome” can be constructed for 2,000 dollars or less. For a half-million dollars, Baisley says, you get a “very spacious, luxurious, opulently built showcase home.” And there’s everything in between.

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The bulk of the home is built using rammed-earth tires – that is, discarded automobile tires filled with compacted soil. This technique creates dense walls that naturally regulates the home’s interior temperature. Recycled cans and bottles are used for structure as well as for aesthetic purposes.

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If you’re not quite ready to commit yet, Earthship Biotecture also offers nightly rentals in one of its existing earthships.

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While life seems to move a little slower in the Greater Earthship Community – no one here needs to work long hours simply to afford living – there is a sense of urgency that permeates the Biotecture’s mission. Earthships are presented as a way to reduce the need for fossil fuels and combat global warming. And the world is catching on – there are currently earthships in South Africa, Australia, Guatemala, and several countries across Europe, among others.

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“The analogy that Michael likes to use is that humanity is the Titanic,” Baisley says. “We’ve already hit the iceberg and it’s just a matter of getting into the lifeboats. Conveniently, the earthship is the lifeboat.”

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If you go

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The Earthship Biotecture visitor center – https://maps.roadtrippers.com/us/taos-nm/attractions/earthship-biotecture-visitor-center – is open every day except Thanksgiving and Christmas. Summer hours are 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. A self-guided tour is $8, no reservation needed. Guided tours can be scheduled by calling the vistor center at (575) 613-4409.

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ALSO Check out:

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• Liberty & Nation Debate (1) – Can Permaculture Ensure Self-Determination & Food Sovereignty? http://nationalliberal.org/liberty-nation-debate-1-can-permaculture-ensure-self-determination-food-sovereignty

Brussels:

Today a third and find Request for Consultation requesting that at least €10 billion in a compensation fund be set aside for victims of cryptocurrency related crime and fraud was lodged by crypto lawyer Dr. Jonathan Levy with the European Union Commission. The claim is on behalf of over 30 named victims with losses now totalling over €20 million. The EU’s position is that the fix for crypto crime and fraud is that all crypto currency wallets will be regulated by the beginning of 2020.  But not a penny set aside for victims who have lost billions of Euros to organized crime syndicates.

Dr. Jonathan Levy

The victims’ lawyer lead counsel, Dr. Jonathan Levy rejects the EU position:

“Billions of Euros in crypto assets and cash are now in the hands of organized gangs of crypto criminals.  This is a national security issue.  The European Union Commission is ignoring its own rules on data protection, anti-money laundering and payment processing. Currently, 10-20 billion Euros in crypto assets are within reach and may be lawfully seized by the EU to compensate victims.  This is our immediate goal.”

Dr. Levy in today’s communication to the EU expanded the crypto-currency victims claim process to include ICOs, crypto casinos, and cloud mining frauds. Levy also called the EU and UK government for ignoring previous complaints about ongoing frauds and bitmixing. He suggested the EU was deliberately ignoring its own laws and that the UK was aiding and abetting crypto crime through non regulation and permitting the .IO top level domain (British Indian Ocean Territory) to become the world’s largest offshore money laundering centre by volume. More importantly, Levy reminded the EU Commission that individual Bitcoin and Cryptocurrency “Full Nodes” were operating as unlicensed payment processors and transfer agents and thus personally liable for Bitcoin related claims.

If the victims’ claims are not addressed, Dr. Levy promises legal action against the EU Commission before the hard Brexit date of October 31, 2019.

Full copies of today’s communication, the original claim and reply, and the EU response are attached or may be downloaded from:

https://www.scribd.com/document/427070987/Request-for-Consultation-Victims-Reply-Second

https://www.scribd.com/document/416405718/Dated-and-Signed-Letter-EU-Response-July-9-2019

https://www.scribd.com/document/416405737/Request-for-Consultation-Victims-Reply

https://www.scribd.com/document/414054883/Request-for-Consultation-by-Crypto-Currency-Victims-to-EU-Commission

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Dr. Jon Levy

jlevy@globalattorneys.org

Tel  +44 (0) 20 8144 2479

Fax +1 202 478 1970

http://nationalliberal.org/wp-content/uploads/2012/09/NewHorizon2.pdf

WELCOME TO the second debate hosted by Liberal Worker – the voice of National Liberal Trade Unionists.  As with our first debate held towards the middle of September – http://nationalliberal.org/from-the-liberty-wall-–-national-liberal-trade-unionists-liberal-worker-debate-1-–-how-should-workers-view-stop-search – this one also looks at an article originally produced by the Independent Working Class Association – IWCA.

Liberal Worker wouldn’t agree with everything the IWCA says.  For instance, it’s reasonably well-known that we’re not particularly ‘into’ restrictive class definitions.  However it’s refreshing to see an organisation of the ‘Left’ so in tune with the thinking of ordinary working folks.  This is particularly so with this untitled article (which was produced at the beginning of this month) which looks at the emotive issue of immigration.

This article exposes the disconnect between much of the modern ‘Left’ (including the Labour Party and some unions) who support open borders and many workers who bitterly oppose mass immigration.  It also proposes a ‘logical circuit breaker’ that – in part – ‘stands where the class stands on immigration.’  With the above in mind, we invite all Trade Unionists to read the article (below) and post any comments up once it appears on the National Liberal Trade Unionist Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/groups/277840098977231/

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“The question is whether we want to be a middle-class party. The middle class has no problem with [immigration]. They don’t really come across it, but the working class live with it. The left hasn’t wanted to look at this problem for decades, so working class people have moved to the extreme right.”

These were the words of Emmanuel Macron, President of France, two weeks ago.

President Emmanuel Macron (left) has shafted ordinary French working folks with his support for capitalism and immigration. Will Jeremy Corbyn (right) do the same here? Liberal Worker - the voice of National Liberal Trade Unionists - is opposed to mass immigration as we feel that it’s an exploitative event caused by capitalism. However, despite the NLTUs opposition to mass immigration we’ve nothing against individual immigrants simply because they wear a completely different style of clothing or pray to another God. In Britain, mass immigration began in earnest in the years following WWII. Here, Afro-Caribbean, Asian and Eastern European folks have been used to plug holes in the British workforce. With Globalisation now in full swing, capitalism has responded and has imported huge numbers of people from the other side of the world to prop up its flagging economies. Whilst the capitalists may be happy with this, ordinary working folks are not. Massive population shifts have made existing economic & social problems much worse. Many areas suffer from great poverty – from the brutal Austerity policies of PIP and Universal Credit (which are destroying the welfare safety net) through to sink council estates that attract anti-social behaviour.

The same question currently faces Labour, and last week’s conference passed a motion in favour of freedom of movement which included giving the vote to all migrants, rejecting any immigration system based on quotas, caps, or targets, and giving all migrants free access to the NHS. Labour’s direction of travel indicates they fully intend to become a middle class first party centred on open borders, identity politics, Islamophilia, and post-capitalism. In this sense, far from being a break with the Blairite project, Corbynism and whatever follows will complete it. In doing so, it will shift into high gear the cycle identified not just by Macron, but by Anti Fascist Action 25 years ago.

Macron is an instinctive neo-liberal, so an open immigration policy is what comes naturally to him. “The arrival of refugees is an economic opportunity, and too bad if it isn’t popular” he declared in 2015. The presence of Marine Le Pen and the concomitant demise of the French Socialist Party, along with forty six consecutive weekends of violent confrontation with the gilet jaunes, have undoubtedly served to concentrate the mind. It likewise cannot have escaped Macron’s notice that one of the few places bucking the trend is Denmark, where the Social Democrats have taken an unequivocal – and unsubtle – stand against hyperimmigration.

If it is the case that ‘not wanting to address the problem for decades’ has resulted in ‘working class people moving to the extreme right’ (or more accurately, the right adjusting to occupy the space deserted by the left), then how is the serious anti-fascist obliged to respond? It cannot be overstated that allowing human labour to be treated as just another commodity to be bought and sold in the marketplace, which the open borders position amounts to under extant conditions, is the polar opposite of what the socialist project was meant to envisage.

None of this will be new to followers of this page. So the question is, what happens next? What happens when Labour becomes a fully-fledged middle class party, as the composition of their membership dictates they eventually must?

The dynamic described by Macron is evident across Europe. What hasn’t been attempted is the only logical circuit breaker: a working class first political formation that stands where the class stands on immigration, while out-flanking the liberal left in terms of orientation and out-radicalising the populist right on questions of economics. It is increasingly clear that Labour are unwilling and unable to perform this task, and so a fate similar to their counterparts in France and Germany is what ultimately awaits them.

• CHECK OUT the National Liberal Trade Unionists Words Of Wisdom series here:

From The Liberty Wall – National Liberal Trade Unionists – Words Of Wisdom – Eleanor Roosevelt (1884 – 1962) http://nationalliberal.org/from-the-liberty-wall-–-national-liberal-trade-unionists-–-words-of-wisdom-–-eleanor-roosevelt-1884-–-1962

From The Liberty Wall – National Liberal Trade Unionists – Words Of Wisdom – Bob Crow (1961 – 2014) http://nationalliberal.org/from-the-liberty-wall-–-national-liberal-trade-unionists-–-words-of-wisdom-–-bob-crow-1961-–-2014

From The Liberty Wall – National Liberal Trade Unionists – Words Of Wisdom – Hilaire Belloc http://nationalliberal.org/from-the-liberty-wall-–-national-liberal-trade-unionists-–-words-of-wisdom-–-hilaire-belloc

From The Liberty Wall – National Liberal Trade Unionists – Words Of Wisdom – Palmiro Togliatti http://nationalliberal.org/from-the-liberty-wall-–-national-liberal-trade-unionists-–-words-of-wisdom-palmiro-togliatti

From The Liberty Wall – National Liberal Trade Unionists – Words Of Wisdom – John Kenneth Galbraith http://nationalliberal.org/from-the-liberty-wall-–-national-liberal-trade-unionists-–-words-of-wisdom-–-john-kenneth-galbraith

Two National Liberal Party (NLP) posters raising awareness of - and promoting - the concept of Self-Determination. The NLP hopes to run a slate of candidates in the Greater London Assembly elections, scheduled for May 2020, in order to highlight the plight of peoples who aspire to nationhood. Such peoples include the English, Flemish, Kashmiris,Kurds, Sikhs, Tamils and many, many more. Our article seeks to introduce various Self-Determinists to the National Liberal Party andwhat is philosophically termed the‘Three Pillars’ of National Liberalism. Our ideas relating to National, Political and Economic Self-Determination all flow from these ‘Three Pillars.’ Those who wish to increase their in-depth knowledge of both National Liberalism and Self-Determination should readNew Horizon, the ideological journal of the National Liberal Party. To get hold of issues 1 – 4, simply e-mail natliberal@aol.com and ask for your FREE pdf copies.

IN LATE AUGUST of this year, the National Liberal Party announced –https://nationalliberal.org/ self-determination-for-all-3 – that it intended to fight the forthcomingGreater London Assembly elections, scheduled for May 2020.

Our intention was (and still is) to run on a Self-Determination For All! ticket at the ballot box.  This will give us the opportunity to highlight the plight of the various peoples of the world who aspire to nationhood.

Many of these people now live in the Greater London area and are in the sad position of being political refugees, who are hundreds of miles away from their homelands. Others, like the indigenous English, are still waiting for some form of national parliament or assembly, years after those in Scotland, Ulster & Wales were given theirs.

After posting up thispreliminary information about our campaign, we decided that it would be appropriate to provide some general background material relating to self-determination and explain why we feel that it’s such an important concept. In fact, we noted that ‘it’s probably fair to say the raison d’êtreaof National Liberalism is the concept of self-determination.’

Our article#SelfDetermination4All – https://nationalliberal.org/ selfdetermination4all– invited supporters to read an comment on a general statement relating to the concept of self-determination. It noted that the principle of self-determination could ‘be applied largely in three areas; National, Political and Economic’ and went on to briefly describe thenational element of self-determination:

‘National Self-Determination seeks to ensure decisions affecting the collective future of a nation are taken by ALL the people via referendum. This may be ‘External’, for example: the creation or maintenance of a nation state, or ‘Internal’ – framing/updating a constitution to reflect how a people should rule themselves. (We favour independent nations and liberal, democratic, states).’

Earlier this month we provided a follow-up articleGreater London Assembly Elections 2020 – Help Us Fight For National & Political Self-Determination For All! –https://nationalliberal.org/greater-london-assembly-elections-2020-–-help-us-fight-for-national-political-self-determination-for-all– which provided some more details of the May 2020 election and what would be expected of the 25 London-based prospective candidates ‘who’d like to represent their people & nation.  Candidates must be prepared to help partly self-finance their campaigns.’  If you think that you fit the bill, please contact us as soon as possible by e-mailingnatliberal@aol.com

It also went on to reproduce more from the NLPsgeneral statement relating to the concept of self-determination. This time it focussed on the political element of self-determination:

‘Political Self-Determination seeks to ensure that the collective will of the people as well as the variety of political opinion is reflected in decision making. Thus, for example, we favour greater use of referendums to meet the former, and PR to reflect the latter (we favour a system close to the Swiss model of Direct Democracy).’

We aim to follow this up with another article – provisionally titledWill You Represent Your People? –which’ll look at theeconomicelement of self-determination. This should be published early next month.

Before we do that, however, we thought that it would be both instructive and beneficial to formally introduce ourselves to those who’re considering standing on our

Self-Determination For All! ticket in May.

So who – or what – is National Liberalism and why does the National Liberal Party put so much emphasis on self-determination?  Hopefully, the following will answer some of these questions:

National Liberal Party – True Liberalism

The National Liberal Party is a British political party launched in late 2013.  It’s full title is theNational Liberal Party – True Liberalism but is normally called the National Liberal Party, or NLP. It took over a party registration with a similar name.

Its political ideology can be broadly described as National Liberalism and Centrist.

Ideology and policies

The National Liberal Party is a political party supporting the principle of National Liberalism. This is expressed as the protection of individual rights (civil liberties) within the framework of a democratic nation state.

This is in contrast to left-liberalism which the NLP accuses of supporting the breakdown of nation states, most notably by supporting the Unionist aims of the European Union and the breakdown of borders through globalisation.

The result is a weakening of a nation’s traditional cultures and loyalties which has encouraged Western Governments’ to impose or attempt to impose, anti-liberal measures to help control a fragmented populous e.g. via ID Cards, increasing surveillance and information gathering.

The NLPs main slogans are Liberty, Independence, and Democracy, which it calls the ‘Three Pillars’ of National Liberalism.

The first pillar, Liberty, concerns individual rights and liberties (often called political liberalism) it sees threatened by Governments under the guise of ‘security’. The NLP calls for a Civil Liberties Watchdog to guard against any erosion. It has some sympathy with libertarian opposition to state intervention on individual choice.

The second pillar, Independence, highlights opposition to any loss of ‘British’ (or any other nation’s) sovereignty to the European Union but also supports greater recognition of the United Kingdom’s constituent nations i.e. England, Wales, Scotland and Ulster via a Federalist/Devo-Max Constitution. The NLP looks to Switzerland’s ‘Neutralist’ position as a model in world affairs.

The third pillar, Democracy, focuses on what the NLP views as a lack of democracy in the U.K. and supports measures which would increase participation.  This would include the greater use of electoral proportional representation, a None of the Above (NOTA) box on ballot paper, Recall and Direct Democracy along Swiss lines using referendums and citizens’ initiatives. The NLP also opposes over-centralised government and promotes Subsidarity i.e. decision making at the lowest practical level.

There is fourth, unstated, pillar, namely Ecology, which is based upon a belief that the land is held in trust for future generations, and that urban development is in danger of threatening the citizen’s ‘Quality of Life’ by reducing green spaces and building on flood plains. It ultimately foresees an ecological ‘point of no return’ if the UK does not seek to limit population growth and thus opposes ‘open borders’.

Economically the NLP supports the self-employed, small business, small shopkeepers and co-operative ownership.

• DURING THE run up to the May 2020Greater London Assembly elections, we hope to feature many more articles which’ll look at National Liberalism, the National Liberal Party and self-determination.

We intend to look at the work of the NLPs ruling National Council – which consists ofDoris Jones, Upkar Singh Rai, Jagdeesh Singh, Dean Williamson and Graham Williamson – in promoting the ideal of self-determination.

We’ll also examine the legacy ofearly 19th century European liberal thinkers such as Hilaire Belloc (1870 – 1953), Rudolf von Bennigsen (1824 – 1902), Earnest Brown (1881 – 1962), Joseph Chamberlain (1836 – 1914), Eduard Lasker(1829 – 1884) andGuiseppe Mazzini (1805 – 1872).

If you wish to comment on this article or pose questions to be answered as part of our  series on self-determination, simply leave a post on either theNational Liberals Facebook site –https://www.facebook.com/groups/52739504313/ – or the National Liberal Party Facebook site –https://www.facebook.com/NationalLiberalParty/ And just remember, speech is free with the NLP!