EVERYONE KNOWS that the economy is a vital – almost central – element to life. Indeed, for some people, the need to make ‘money’ represents the very core of their outlook on life. Everyone talks about the economy and economics, but we’d hazard a guess that not many people really know much about economics – or indeed, how the economy works. Even less will know what economic system National Liberals favour.

To provide answers to a very complex subject matter, issue 1 of New Horizon – the online ideological magazine of the National Liberal Party – decided to produce a series of ‘short and sweet’ articles. The first of these articles, which describes the varied ideological influences, is reproduced below.

ECONOMICS Part 1 – The Economic Roots and influences of National Liberalism
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William Morris (left) was an English architect, furniture & textile designer, poet, novelist, translator, and Guild Socialist. Lord Rosebery (right) called for Britain to become (and Britons to be part of) a ‘great property-owning democracy’. Both men have influenced the economic ideas of National Liberalism.

SOME PEOPLE reading this issue of
New Horizon will have already heard of the National Liberal Party. Those that have may have a fair idea from our name what our (political) ideological roots are. Indeed, some folks may even know about a few of our policies. However, it’s probably a safe bet that not many would be aware of what economic ideas influence and guide the NLP!

Most people instinctively know that there is something drastically wrong with our economy. After all, why do we always seem to have endless cycles of boom and bust? However, trying to explain how the entire economic system works in plain and simple terms is another matter!

Therefore, we’ve deliberately kept this article short and sweet. Our intention is to produce a series of articles on the economy that will eventually form a ‘blueprint’ on how to get Britain back to work. Firstly, however, we need to trace the economic roots of National Liberalism.

IDEOLOGICAL ROOTS?

THE National Liberal Party is rightly proud if its ideological roots. As many readers may know, they largely stem from the ideas of those who formed the Liberal Nationals (LN) headed by Sir John Simon in the early 1930s.

According to David Dutton’s book Liberals in schism – A history of the National Liberal Party, an early form of economic nationalism was the driving force behind the formation of the Liberal Nationals. He noted:

‘In 1930s Britain the Parliamentary Liberal Party was divided over the measures they believed were required to govern a Britain rocked by a world depression. A minority (ultimately coalescing under the LN banner – Ed) had come to believe that protectionist measures, contrary to Liberal dogma in favour of Free Trade, were now necessary to save British workers jobs.’

The NLP’s political roots are also unique in that they represent a combination of two classical ideological trends: Nationalism and Liberalism. This fusion of nationalism and liberalism means that we give gave equal weight to ‘national questions’ (concerning all of the nations and peoples of the British Isles and in principal, beyond) as we do to ‘liberal questions’ concerning the individual.

BEYOND CAPITALISM & COMMUNISM?

This fusion of nationalism and liberalism provides us with a general position that can be best summed up as being ‘Neither Left nor Right – Neither Capitalist nor Communist.’

It’s probably easy to envisage how one can take a political position that’s ‘Neither Left nor Right.’ For instance, some subjects – like Britain’s membership of the EU and our involvement in foreign military adventures – clearly transcend the traditional ‘left/right’ political divide.

It is not so easy to see how one can advocate an economic idea that’s ‘Neither Capitalist nor Communist’? Many readers might assume that capitalism and communism are the only two economic options that have ever been advocated? Surely they’re the only two systems that have ever been tried? Indeed, can there be some sort of ‘Third (or any) Way’ that goes beyond capitalism and communism?

To answer these questions it may be best to look first at the economic ideas that influence and guide those involved with the NLP.

VARIED INFLUENCES

Some of these influences – and the people who have promoted them – include, the liberal national interpretation of classical liberal free trade, the progressive yet pragmatic Liberal National party approach to labour relations and economic affairs e.g. Earnest Brown’s tenure as Minister for Labour or even earlier, Lord Rosebery’s call for Britain to become (and Britons to be part of) a ‘great property-owning democracy’. Then there are ‘visionary’ ideas such as the Distributism of GK Chesterton and Hilaire Belloc, monetary reform ideas (including elements of Social Credit), even some early socialists such as Kier Hardie and Bob Blatchford and Guild Socialism (as advocated by the likes of William Morris, GDH Cole and Arthur Penty). The ideas of the Co-operative movement, the Chartists and Levellers and support for small businesses and shopkeepers, and some libertarian economists, are also of interest.

Therefore, it could be said that our economic ideological roots represent a synthesis of various radical, free-thinking ideas that seek to offer a genuine alternative to orthodox capitalist and socialist (or communist) solutions.

In future issues of New Horizon we’ll take an-depth look at all of these ideas – and the people associated with them. More importantly, we’ll also look at how they relate to modern day conditions, look at some of our distinctive economic policies, how we can get the economy back on the straight and narrow including how we can get Britons, especially our young, back to work via apprenticeships and limited forms of protectionism.

• ALSO Check out:

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

New Horizon – Head & Heart http://nationalliberal.org/new-horizon-head-heart

New Horizon – National Liberalism In Action – Civil Liberties http://nationalliberal.org/new-horizon-–-national-liberalism-in-action-–-civil-liberties

New Horizon – National Liberalism In Action – The Nature of Democracy
http://nationalliberal.org/new-horizon-–-national-liberalism-in-action-the-nature-of-democracy

New Horizon – Ecology: The Silent Fourth Pillar of National Liberalism https://nationalliberal.org/ecology-the-silent-fourth-pillar-of-national-liberalism

NHS workers have gone from Hero to Zero for simply asking for a pay rise. National Liberal Trade Unionists - NLTU – believe that the NHS is our ‘National Pride’. As such, it needs massive & sustained government investment. This needs to target both infrastructure, recruitment & pay and working conditions for existing staff. This could be achieved by introducing a system of Sovereign Money as opposed to borrowing from private banks. Under the current financial system we’d be drowning in debtbased interest payments forever and a day. Here the only winners will be the banksters. Sovereign Money is where the money supply is controlled by the nation & is issued free of charge.

HOW DO YOU go from hero to zero in a single step? That’s easy – just ask for a pay rise! For that’s the extraordinary position thousands of NHS workers find themselves in after they held a massive demonstration in London on Saturday to protest against their exclusion from a recent public sector pay rise announcement.

The big London demonstration – as well as smaller ones held throughout the rest of England, Scotland, Ulster & Wales – were organised by Nurses United (1).

Nurses United describes itself as a ‘grassroots network of Frontline Nurses for Frontline Nurses.’ And like ourselves, Nurses United regard the NHS as our ‘National Pride.’ Indeed, it has pledged to ‘protect it and fight for a national service that is publicly owned, provided and that prioritises the care and safety of us all.’

In London, the ‘flagship march’ began at St. James’s Park, passing along Whithall before ending up at Parliament Square. It was the second demonstration in support of NHS workers to be held within the last few days in the capital. Over 1,5000 marched on Downing Street from St Thomas’ Hospital last Wednesday.

The union Unite – which has around 100.000 members in the health service – said that NHS staff were angry, discontent and frustrated at being overlooked for a pay rise.

The union noted that NHS staff have ‘seen their pay cut by 20 per cent in real terms – and no amount of Thursday evening clapping and warm ministerial words can compensate for this dramatic loss in income.

Poor rates of pay have contributed to the estimated 100,000 vacancies in the NHS and ensuing ‘recruitment and retention’ crisis.

We remain in the middle of a gruelling battle against Covid-19, and are facing a second wave, yet still we have to struggle to afford the basics.’

The reference to ‘Thursday evening clapping’ is a nod to the UK-wide Clap for Our Carers (2) campaign, which took place every Thursday at 8pm between March 26th and May 28th this year. Although it was a well-meaning campaign, it was – sadly – ultimately meaningless. Indeed, many ‘NHS Heroes’ claimed that it was an empty gesture, especially as the NHS faced budget cuts & severe shortages of equipment (3 & 4). This was particulary so as all manner of politicians – desperate for a photo opportunity – clapped their hearts out.

So what happens next? We National Liberal Trade Unionists – NLTU – believe that Boris Johnson & Co. will continue to praise the NHS to the heavens, especially in respect of Covid-19. In the meantime, NHS workers will have to content themselves by whistling Dixie when it comes to anything like a worthwhile pay rise.

Constantly praising the NHS will not change anything. Nor will another outbreak of Thusday evening clapping. And referring to NHS workers as ‘Heroes’ does not pay the bills.

So how do we turn the situation around?

First of all, we need to recognise that things are not going to change overnight. Years of underfunding have left the NHS in a terrible state. However, we National Liberal Trade Unionists – NLTU – believe that there needs to be massive & sustained government investment in the NHS. It needs to target both infrastucture as well as staff pay & working conditions.

Rishi Sunak, the Chancellor of the Exchequer (5) may well go on some form of spending spree – for a Tory he’s opened the purse strings more often than many would would have expected. But under the current financial system we’d be drowning in debt-based interest payments forever and a day. Here the only winners will be the banksters.

The solution, however, is very simple – and that’s to introduce a system of Sovereign Money (6-7) as opposed to borrowing from private banks. Unfortunately, this is something that none of the establishment pro-capitalist parties would ever contemplate.

Despite this, the NLTU proposes that nation should control its own money supply which should be issued free of charge. Thus Sovereign Money should be issued as and when needed to help with NHS recruitment, pay & the upgrading/expanding of NHS infrastructure.

The NHS has recruited and trained people for years. They can be retained if they’re paid good wages. We know how to build hospitals, health centres and other infrstucture needed by the NHS. Money is man-made. As such, it’s impossible to ‘run out’ of money. Money isn’t some form of natural resource that we could run out of at any time. Therefore it should be used to benefit our nation and our people – such as a properly funded and resourced health care system.

(1) https://www.nursesunited.org.uk/

(2) https://clapforourcarers.co.uk/

(3) https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/apr/19/nhs-workers-dont-want-applause-they-want-ppe

(4) https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2020/apr/23/uk-key-workers-ppe-ministers-clapping-protect-nhs

(5) http://nationalliberal.org/britain%e2%80%99s-reactionary-racists-react

(6) https://sovereignmoney.site/what-is-sovereign-money

(7) https://positivemoney.org/our-proposals/sovereign-money-introduction/

• THE NATIONAL LIBERAL TRADE UNIONISTS – NLTU – would like to hear from any NHS workers who could provide us with up-to-date information concerning pay & working conditions in their local area. Contact us at natliberal@aol.com or via Facebook/National Liberal Trade Unionists

We’re passionate supporters of the National Health Service and believe that a huge debt is owed to Ernest Brown (1881-1962). Devon-born Brown was the Liberal National/National Liberal Minister for Health from 1941-1943 in the National Government of Ramsay McDonald. (Brown was also leader of the Liberal National Party from 1940 to 1945.) As Health Minister he commissioned the Beveridge Report which ultimately led to the foundation of the welfare state in the UK, with the NHS being one of its most important elements.

OUR LAST article explained how our friends & comrades at the National Liberal Party had hoped to bring the ideal of Self-Determination to the attention of millions of voters in London (1). They were going to do this by standing up to 25 candidates in the Greater London Authority (GLA) election, which was to be held on 7th May.  Sadly, Covid-19 put paid to that.  However, all is not lost as the election has been re-scheduled for Thursday 6th May next year.

To some extent, this delay has worked in the favour of all those who’re promoting the cause of the world’s captive nations.  It means that more & more Self-Determinists can become involved in the campaign to have Self-Determination For All! placed on the ballot ticket.  Hundreds – if not thousands – of volunteers are needed to raise money & spread the word, especially via various Social Media platforms.  Organising for & standing in the GLA election is no mean feat.  A simple glance at the official London Elects web-site – https://www.londonelects.org.uk/im-candidate/nominations – will easily confirm this.

As we indicated earlier, the whole raison d’étre for the National Liberal Party standing in the forthcoming GLA election is to draw attention to the fact that countless people around the world are demanding Self-Determination – whether it be some form of recognition, autonomy or independence.

With the above in mind, we’ll now take a look at the autonomous Finnish province of the  Åland Islands. Located in the Baltic Sea – at the southern end of the Gulf of Bothnia between mainland Finland and Sweden – Åland consists of around 6,500 islands – although only around 60 are inhabited – and a population of 25,000.  The largest island is Fasta Åland where 90% of the population lives.

Despite its relative remoteness and small population, the Åland Islands have been ruled – since the early 19th Century – by Finland, Russia & Sweden. Over 90% of Ålanders consider themselves Swedish and in 1917 started to organise for their own self-determination.  Three years later Finland granted them wide-reaching cultural & political autonomy.   Additionally, since 1922, Åland has had its own parliament as well as a representative in the Finnish national parliament.  This is ok to a degree – the only problem is that Finland effectively dictates Åland’s foreign policy, civil & criminal law, customs and monetary policy.

With the above in mind, Nations without States (NwS) understand that an increasing number of people are seeking independence for the Åland Islands.  Those who advocate independence say that this should be achieved by an Åland-wide referendum.

NwS would appeal to any Ålanders – currently living in London – to get in touch with the National Liberal Party as soon as possible.  Next year’s GLA election offers an excellent opportunity for Ålanders to promote their cause of self-determination to those living in Greater London area, which has a population of over nine million 9 (2).

We understand that the National Liberal Party is still looking for candidates, as well as help with their Social Media campaign & public activities like canvassing and leafletting.  Help with fund raising is also required.  If you want to promote the cause of the Ålanders – or any other group who desire Self-Determination – then don’t hesitate to email the NLP at nalliberal@aol.com

Make history – not excuses: On Thursday 6th May next year vote for Self-Determination For All!

1)  From The Liberty Wall – Nations without States – Calling All Aborigines, Aché, Ainu & Ahwazi People … http://nationalliberal.org/from-the-liberty-wall-nations-without-sates-calling-all-aborigines-ache-ainu-ahwazi-people

2)  https://worldpopulationreview.com/world-cities/london-population

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