Lindsay Perigo
The Politically Incorrect Show - 16/10/2001
Music - Die Fledermaus
Good afternoon, Kaya Oraaaa & welcome to the Politically Incorrect Show for Tuesday October 16, proudly sponsored by Neanderton Nicotine Ltd, the show that says bugger the politicians & bureaucrats & all the other bossyboot busybodies who try to run our lives with our money; that stands tall for free enterprise, achievement, profit & excellence against the state-worshippers in our midst; that stands above all for the most sacred thing in the universe, the liberty of the human individual.
[Music up, music down!]
Many of you will be aware that I am "moderator" of the Libertyloop, a discussion forum for members of New Zealand's Libertarianz party & overseas sympathisers. I say "moderator" in inverted commas because I don't do any moderating at all - it's open slather, with all the benefits & hazards such an approach entails. The thing drives me nuts because it's plagued by concrete-bound drones who obsess about single issues &, in some cases, buy into contemptibly stupid conspiracy theories, as idiotic as they are discredited.
Last night, I had occasion to remonstrate with one of the Libertyloop's contributors about the wisdom of single-issue campaigns. It occurred to me that one of my posts was of universal relevance, so I am reproducing it here, without further comment - other than to explain three things:
1) The "NaZis on Air campaign" referred to was against a dedicated tax imposed to support two radio networks - one for classical music, the other to disseminate left-wing political ideas - & the production of sundry politically correct television programmes. I spearheaded it myself in the (vain) hope that it would awaken people to the evil of coercively acquiring money for ANY purpose, not just these ones.
2) The "RMA" is New Zealand's Resource Management Act, a fascist piece of legislation that effectively nationalises private property, against which Libertarianz maintained a relentless campaign.
3) The "IRD inquiry" was a parliamentary investigation of the modus operandi of New Zealand's Inland Revenue Department.
Now my post should be self-explanatory:
"We all would like to think that there's a single issue with which we can break the circuit & wake everyone up about all other issues. Ain't gonna happen. Here I can speak from direct experience - the NaZis on Air campaign. Sure we got the tax abolished. Did it make a blind bit of difference to anything? No. Our RMA campaign finally prompted d'Uptart to appoint McSham to do a review. Did THAT make a blind bit of difference? No. Rodney got a commission of inquiry into the IRD. Did THAT make a blind bit of difference? No. Lindsay M, I hate to be a party-pooper, but if you get your inquiry into the DPB, THAT won't make a blind bit of difference either. The status quo is like Ol' Man River - "he jes' keeps rollin' along" - unless challenged AT ITS ROOTS. Our campaign is fundamental, & must be fought PRIMARILY at the fundamental level. Use single, incidental issues to illustrate our fundamental point by all means, but our energies should never be deflected obsessively into a single issue campaign. As Rand said, we are fighting the tradition of 2500 years. That's gonna take a bit of time. Get used to it. And it requires a modicum of effort on the part of those of you who bitch about "big words" to come to grips with their meaning, & the fact that they are of life-&-death import. Our battle is NOT about a toll bridge, though the toll bridge is a (infinitesimal) part of it - it's about philosophy."
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