THE ORGANISING COMMITTEE of Nations without States – NwS – hopes to produce new issues of both Freedom and Nation in the very near future. Freedom is the Street Paper of Nations without States – whilst Nation is the Newsletter of Nations without States. Both are aimed at totally different markets. We’ll examine the role of Nation in a future article. Here we just wish to concentrate on Freedom.

Freedom acts as our ‘Red Top’ paper. Essentially it’s a populist agitprop street paper, which’ll be used as a regular leaflet. It’s aimed at those who read the Star, Mirror and Sun. It features screaming – and sometimes provocative – headlines, graphics, photographs and straightforward reporting. The idea behind Freedom is to provide a simple introduction to the concept of self-determination.

It’s our intention that Freedom – with its no-nonsense and straight-to-the-point style – will initially grab the attention of its target audience. It then has to wean its target audience away from the X Factor, Hello! and various soaps. Then the long process of education must begin.

With this in mind, NwS invites supporters to read the Fight For Freedom! article below. This is the shorter of two versions that have been used as a simple introduction to NwS and the idea of Self-Determination in Freedom.

The NwS Organising Committee wishes to know if there are any ways that it can be improved? Remember the idea behind Freedom is to alert people to the idea of Self-Determination. NwS can then educate and recruit these people. The idea here is to produce quality from quantity and not vice-versa. NwS must first have a large quantity base from which to pluck its quality personnel.

To submit your ideas simply look out for this article when it appears on the Nations without States Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/groups/184919468292372/ and have your say in the comments section.

Fight For Freedom!

Issue 1 – 4 of Freedom, the Street paper of Nations without States. Issue 5 will be out soon. Aimed at readers of the Sun, Star and Mirror, the idea behind Freedom is to provide a simple introduction to the concept of Self-Determination.

FREEDOM is the street paper of Nations without States. Nations without States – NwS – is a Facebook group formed in March 2012. It is sponsored by the National Liberal Party.

NwS has supporters from all over the world. All are different. And all are proud of their heritage, history and culture. But we are all able to come together and work to help each other achieve self-determination and freedom.

Freedom has two aims:

Firstly, it wants to highlight the fight for self-determination and freedom we face here.

Secondly, it wants to tell ordinary working people based in the British Isles about the different nations around the world who are fighting for self-determination and freedom.

We think that these people deserve our support.

They are all like us. They all want self-determination and freedom.

They just want to have the right to run their countries for themselves. They don’t want any outside interference. Like those of us who are opposed to the EU, they are fed up with Politically Correct outsiders telling them what they can and cannot do.

In fact, we all want the same thing.

We all want a real say in the way our countries are run. And we want the right to make our own laws, rules and regulations.

We all want to keep our traditions, customs and way of life. And we want the right to say how we work, who we trade with and who can come to live and work in our countries.

Freedom thinks that it is right for the different peoples and countries of the world to work together for these aims.

Above all, we all just want to live in peace and freedom.

If you agree with what we say check us out on Facebook today!

Facebook/NationswithoutStates

Issue 1 of Liberal Worker - the Voice of National Liberal Trade Unionists – is as opposed to socialism as it is to capitalism. It would be of great interest available to all those who take a particular interest in the economy, employment and general Trade Union issues. To get hold of your copy, simply e-mail natliberal@aol.com and ask for your FREE pdf copy of issue 1 of Liberal Worker.

WE KICKED off 2015 with a social and economic article which looked at “the devastating news that nearly 1000 jobs will be lost when the JTI Gallagher tobacco factory in Ballymena closes. This will come as a real hammer blow to the Co. Antrim town. The factory is a major employer and it’s believed that it contributes £60m in wages to the local economy.”

Our article was naturally very sympatheic to the position the workers at Gallaghers now find themselves in. (Northern Ireland is one of the UKs main economic blackspots. And with nearly one-in-four youngsters out of work, it faces the prospect of having a lost economic generation.) However, we also sought to explain that the job losses are a symptom of the madness of globalism and capitalism. We also looked at the useless nature of government. (1)

Like many of our articles it sought to inform and to provoke thought and debate. In doing so, it posed some vital questions for National Liberal Trade Unionists.

For instance, is it ok for one nation to go it alone – to ‘secede’ – from the rest of the United Kingdom purely on economic grounds? To date, Scottish and Welsh calls for self-determination have predominantly been made on ‘national’ and not ‘economic’ grounds.

There have also been calls for Ulster independence, but these also have been on ‘national’ grounds, calling for a loyalty to Ulster only. “Our divided people have been prisoners of their traditional loyalties for far too long. We want to give Ulsterfolk something to struggle for – rather than the endless die-in-the-last-ditch rearguard action to defend an already lost cause. We want to encourage the reawakening of Ulster’s national identity.” (2)

Our article also effectively posed another question to all National Liberal Trade Unionists: When should the government act to save companies?

As Trade Unionists we hate Cameron and Clegg’s Austerity Agenda which has seen workers thrown on the scrapheap. We think that it is the height of madness for a government to give out dole money for people who’re not working – whilst they they refuse to pay those who do work!

We fully support the stance taken by Ulster National Liberals who argued that – to save 1000 jobs – Gallagher’s should have been immediately nationalised:

“This would keep the factory open and secure jobs. After all, what’s the point of having skilled tradesmen and workers rotting on the dole?

Nationalisation will also stabilise the immediate Ballymena area. It would stop this part of Co. Antrim from becoming yet another economic blackspot.

Once the situation had settled, Gallagher’s could have been handed back to the workforce and run as a cooperative. Ultimately, this would mean that Ulster workers would own – and Ulster owners would work!”

However, is it feasible for government to step in and nationalise any business that may be going under? Should there be a ‘ceiling’ on the number of jobs that can be saved this way? Saving 1000 jobs – and keeping £60m in the local economy – is understandable. But would it be even possible for a government to step in and nationalise a shop that employs, say, a dozen people?

With nationalisation in mind, another question is what industries should come under state control?

Our Liberalism dictates that we want as little state ‘interference’ in our lives as possible. However, we have to balance this against national security, national sovereignty and national preference. Surely, what could be termed ‘vital’ industries should come under national control?

(1) http://nationalliberal.org/ulster-voice-says-save-our-jobs

(2) http://ulsternation.org.uk/

Bad housing is one aspect of the modern world that we can do without

However, one question we have to ask ourselves is: are we truly against the modern world?

• CHECK out our previous English Green Debate (1) – How Do We Square The Circle?    http://nationalliberal.org/from-the-liberty-wall-%e2%80%93-english-green-debate-1-%e2%80%93-how-do-we-square-the-circle