Category Archives: Libertarianz

Wim Verhoeven’s funeral

So I had a week off blogging … last Wednesday was Wim Verhoeven’s funeral, perhaps that had something to do with it. Wim’s now having an eternity off everything (according to the majority view of the familiar faces at the funeral). It makes you think.

The funeral celebrant told us that now is a time for mourning Wim’s death, but it is also a time for celebrating Wim’s life. This is no mere euphemism. In the words of Kahlil Gibran (The Prophet)

Your joy is your sorrow unmasked. And the selfsame well from which your laughter rises was oftentimes filled with your tears. And how else can it be? The deeper that sorrow carves into your being, the more joy you can contain. Is not the cup that holds your wine the very cup that was burned in the potter’s oven? And is not the lute that soothes your spirit, the very wood that was hollowed with knives? When you are joyous, look deep into your heart and you shall find it is only that which has given you sorrow that is giving you joy. When you are sorrowful look again in your heart, and you shall see that in truth you are weeping for that which has been your delight. Some of you say, “Joy is greater than sorrow,” and others say, “Nay, sorrow is the greater.” But I say unto you, they are inseparable. Together they come, and when one sits alone with you at your board, remember that the other is asleep upon your bed. Verily you are suspended like scales between your sorrow and your joy. Only when you are empty are you at standstill and balanced. When the treasure-keeper lifts you to weigh his gold and his silver, needs must your joy or your sorrow rise or fall.

This post is my small tribute to Wim. Some other tributes are here and here.

Was Wim’s life a success? Did he live a life worth celebrating? I think the answer is a resounding yes. Wim certainly ticked all his own boxes!

I didn’t know Wim particularly well but we conspired to overthrow the government at many, many Libz events and meetings. For a time, Wim hosted our regular meetings in his own home after we got kicked out of The Quiet Lady in Karori. I think it was fitting that after the funeral, half a dozen or so of the Libz members (past and present) who attended held an impromptu Libz meeting at a nearby coffee shop. Wim’s dead, but the cause of freedom, to which Wim contributed so much, is still very much alive. Onward Christian (and non-Christian) soldiers!

Narcissistic Nanny

What’s Up? 4 Non Blondes.
Twenty-five years and my life is still
Trying to get up that great big hill of hope
For a destination
And I realized quickly when I knew I should
That the world was made up of this brotherhood of man
For whatever that means
And so I cry sometimes
When I’m lying in bed
Just to get it all out
What’s in my head
And I am feeling a little peculiar
And so I wake in the morning
And I step outside
And I take a deep breath and I get real high
And I scream at the top of my lungs
What’s going on?
And I say, hey hey hey hey
I said hey, what’s going on?
ooh, ooh ooh
and I try, oh my god do I try
I try all the time, in this institution
And I pray, oh my god do I pray
I pray every single day
For a revolution
And so I cry sometimes
When I’m lying in bed
Just to get it all out
What’s in my head
And I am feeling a little peculiar
And so I wake in the morning
And I step outside
And I take a deep breath and I get real high
And I scream at the top of my lungs
What’s going on?
And I say, hey hey hey hey
I said hey, what’s going on?
Twenty-five years and my life is still
Trying to get up that great big hill of hope
For a destination

Trained circus seals

On Facebook, a libertarian friend posts

Sue Bradford complains:

“Bennett & English begin promoting next round of welfare changes – this time, it’s drug testing of beneficiaries. No thought appears to be given to lack of adequate A & D services, consequences to personal & family health & well being if you have no income, & downstream medical, police, court, prison & other costs. All aimed at appealing to beneficiary bashing vote, again, sadly.”

If you choose to take drugs, then get done when they stay in your system, any resulting consequences are of your own doing – so deal with them like a mature adult. It’s called taking personal responsibility. How hard is this to understand?

My response? Sue Bradford is right, for once. Here’s a post from my old blog that explains why.

[Reprised from beNZylpiperazine, August 2007. Five years later, National has picked up where Labour left off and nothing much has changed.]

What is it with right-wingers and their fetish for trained circus seals?

Popular among right-wingers is the following proposed solution to the problem of welfare abuse: make welfare beneficiaries jump through hoops. Exactly which hoops it’s thought welfare beneficiaries should jump through depends on the right-winger making the proposal. What particularly irks me is the suggestion put forward here.

Shouldn’t one have to pass a urine test to get a welfare cheque because I have to pass one to earn it for them??

Please understand – I have no problem with helping people get back on their feet.

I do on the other hand have a problem with helping someone sit on their arse drinking piss & smoking dope all day.

Surely, paying people to sit on their arses drinking piss and smoking dope all day is one of the better uses of government money. But I digress. There is an obvious problem with the proposal. If you make passing a urine test a condition of eligibility for the dole, this will have the unintended consequence of inducing people to apply for the sickness benefit as alcoholics or drug addicts, where failing a urine test is a condition of eligibility.

It’s all far too reminiscent of Jenny Shipley’s failed and embarrassing 1998 Code of Social and Family Responsibility. [PDF]

The truth is, there is only one solution to the problem of welfare abuse – remove the state entirely from the provision of welfare and devolve that responsibility to voluntary charities and private insurance companies – and only one political party advocating this solution – Libertarianz. Here are a couple of ideas which may (or may not) be part of the soon-to-be-announced Libertarianz transitional social welfare policy.

First, stop treating “alcoholism” and “drug addiction” as afflictions which qualify the afflicted for the sickness benefit. Drug addiction is a lifestyle choice, not a disease.

Second, put a six month time limit on the unemployment benefit. I don’t mean that beneficiaries should cease to receive the dole after they’ve been on it six months. I mean that all unemployment beneficiaries should cease to receive the dole six months after the policy is implemented. So, if the policy were to be implemented tomorrow, the unemployment benefit would be off the WINZ menu come February next year. Six months should be ample time to find a job. Perhaps some right-wingers might offer employment opportunities for professional trained circus seals.

Gone by lunchtime!

[Reprised from Pacific Empire, October 2008. Big, big thanks to Luke Howison and Phil Howison. The list is now out-of-date—for example, in 2011 the Ministry of Research, Science and Technology was merged with the Foundation for Research, Science and Technology to form the Ministry of Science and Innovation—but I doubt it is any shorter now than it was in 2008.]

Just how big is Big Government in New Zealand?

Well, if you print off a list of all the government departments, state-owned enterprises, councils and quangos, there are 407 of them.

Hard to visualise, isn’t it? Libertarianz is here to help you out.

Gone by lunchtime!

That’s nine pages of normal-sized text. It reaches from floor to ceiling, with inches still lying on the carpet.

Gone by lunchtime!

You can find the whole list below, or look at it here.

Government Departments, SEOs, QUANGOs, Councils, etc.
And their fates under a Libertarianz government …

Gone by lunchtime!

Alcohol Advisory Council of New Zealand
Asia New Zealand Foundation
Audit New Zealand, part of Office of the Controller and Auditor-General
Auckland/Waikato Fish and Game Council
Broadcasting Standards Authority
Broadcasting Commission
Building Controls, part of Department of Building and Housing
Central South Island Fish and Game Council
Child, Youth and Family
Commerce Commission
Creative New Zealand
Department of Building and Housing
Department of Conservation
Department of Internal Affairs
Department of Labour
Eastern Fish and Game Council
Electrical Workers Registration Board, part of Ministry of Economic Development
Electricity Commission
Energy Efficiency & Conservation Authority
Energy Safety Service, part of Ministry of Economic Development
Environmental Risk Management Authority
Environment Bay of Plenty
Environment Canterbury
Environment Court, part of Ministry of Justice
Environment Southland
Environment Waikato
Families Commission
Family and Community Services, part of Ministry of Social Development
Fish & Game New Zealand
Gambling Commission
Governor-General (we’re a republic now!)
Hawke’s Bay Fish and Game Council
Heartland Services, part of Ministry of Social Development
Human Rights Commission
International Services, part of Ministry of Social Development
Investment New Zealand, part of New Zealand Trade and Enterprise
Measurement and Product Safety Service, part of Ministry of Economic Development
Ministry for Culture and Heritage
Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry
Ministry of Consumer Affairs, part of Ministry of Economic Development
Ministry of Economic Development
Ministry of Pacific Island Affairs
Ministry of Social Development
Ministry of Tourism, part of Ministry of Economic Development
Ministry of Women’s Affairs
Ministry of Youth Development
Motor Vehicle Traders Register, part of Ministry of Economic Development
National Advisory Council on the Employment of Women, part of
Department of Labour
National Health Committee, part of Ministry of Health
Nelson/Marlborough Fish and Game Council
New Zealand Climate Change Office, part of Ministry for the Environment
New Zealand Export Credit Office, part of The Treasury
New Zealand Game Bird Habitat Trust Board
New Zealand Geographic Board
New Zealand Historic Places Trust
New Zealand Sports Drug Agency
New Zealand Teachers Council
New Zealand Trade and Enterprise
New Zealand Valuers Registration Board
North Canterbury Fish and Game Council
Northland Fish and Game Council
Overseas Investment Commission
Otago Fish and Game Council
Parliamentary Commissioner for the Environment
Personal Property Securities Register, part of Ministry of Economic Development
Plant Variety Rights Office, part of Ministry of Economic Development
Registrar of Unions, part of Department of Labour
Removal Review Authority
Remuneration Authority, part of Department of Labour
Residence Review Board
Southland Fish and Game Council
Sport and Recreation New Zealand
SPEaR, part of Ministry of Social Development
Taranaki Fish and Game Council
Takeovers Panel
Te Mangai Paho
Te Matatini Society Incorporated
Tenancy Services, part of Department of Building and Housing
Toi Te Taiao: The Bioethics Council
Tourism New Zealand
UNESCO Secretariat for the New Zealand National Commission
Wellington Fish and Game Council
West Coast Fish and Game Council

Gone ASAP
Health and education bureaucracy – only needed until their functions are dissolved

Crown Company Monitoring Advisory Unit, part of The Treasury
Crown Health Financing Agency
Employment Institutions Information Centre, part of Department of Labour
Employment Relations Authority, part of Department of Labour
Employment Relations Infoline, part of Department of Labour
Employment Relations Service, part of Department of Labour
Health and Disability Commissioner
Healthline, part of Ministry of Health
Health Research Council of New Zealand
Health Sponsorship Council
Immunisation Advisory Centre, part of Ministry of Health
Insolvency and Trustee Service, part of Ministry of Economic Development
Intellectual Property Office of New Zealand, part of Ministry of
Economic Development
Inland Revenue Department
Labour Inspectorate, part of Department of Labour
Maternity Services, part of Ministry of Health
Medsafe, part of Ministry of Health
Mental Health Commission
Ministry for the Environment
Ministry of Education
Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade
Ministry of Health
National Screening Unit, part of Ministry of Health
New Zealand Artificial Limb Board
New Zealand Blood Service
New Zealand Debt Management Office, part of The Treasury
New Zealand Food Safety Authority
New Zealand Health Information Service, part of Ministry of Health
Occupational Safety and Health Service, part of Department of Labour
Office for Disability Issues, part of Ministry of Social Development
Office for Senior Citizens, part of Ministry of Social Development
Office for the Community and Voluntary Sector, part of Ministry of
Social Development
Office of Ethnic Affairs, part of Department of Internal Affairs
Office of Film and Literature Classification
Office of Human Rights Proceedings, part of Human Rights Commission
Office of the Children’s Commissioner
Office of Treaty Settlements, part of Ministry of Justice
Retirement Commission, Whiriwhiria!
Securities Commission
Standards New Zealand
State Housing Appeals Authority, part of Department of Building and Housing
TeachNZ, part of Ministry of Education
Te Puni Kokiri
Tertiary Education Commission
Veterans’ Affairs New Zealand
Waitangi Tribunal, part of Ministry of Justice
War Pension Services, part of Ministry of Social Development
Work and Income, part of Ministry of Social Development
New Zealand Agency for International Development, part of Ministry of
Foreign Affairs and Trade
Ngai Tahu Ancillary Claims Trust
Te Taura Whiri i te Reo Maori (Maori Language Commission)
Treaty of Waitangi Fisheries Commission

Sell; profits into general fund

Accident Compensation Corporation
Accounting Standards Review Board
AgResearch Limited
Agricultural and Marketing Research and Development Trust
AgriQuality Limited
Antarctica New Zealand
Airways Corporation of New Zealand Limited
Animal Control Products Limited
Asure New Zealand Limited
Aviation Security Service, part of Civil Aviation Authority of New Zealand
BIZ Information Centres, part of New Zealand Trade and Enterprise
Career Services rapuara
Civil Aviation Authority of New Zealand
Crown Minerals, part of Ministry of Economic Development
Dispute Resolution Services Ltd , part of Accident Compensation Corporation
Earthquake Commission
Education Review Office
Electricity Corporation of New Zealand Limited
Food Standards Australia New Zealand
Foundation for Research Science & Technology
Genesis Power Limited
HortResearch
Housing New Zealand Corporation (assets on a building-by-building basis sold)
Industrial Research Limited
Industry Capability Network, part of New Zealand Trade and Enterprise
Institute of Environmental Science and Research Limited
Institute of Geological and Nuclear Sciences Limited
International Accreditation New Zealand, part of Testing Laboratory
Registration Council
Landcare Research New Zealand Limited
Landcorp Farming Limited
Land Information New Zealand
Land Transport New Zealand
Leadership Development Centre (?)
Learning Media Limited
Mediation Service, part of Department of Labour
Meridian Energy Limited
Meteorological Service of New Zealand Limited
Mighty River Power Limited
Ministry of Fisheries
Ministry of Research, Science & Technology
Ministry of Transport
National Institute of Water and Atmospheric Research Limited
National Radiation Laboratory, part of Ministry of Health
New Zealand Institute for Crop and Food Research Limited
New Zealand Lotteries Commission
New Zealand Lottery Grants Board
New Zealand Post Limited
New Zealand Qualifications Authority
New Zealand Railways Corporation
New Zealand Symphony Orchestra
New Zealand Venture Investment Fund Limited
New Zealand Film Commission
Pacific Business Trust
Pharmaceutical Management Agency Limited
Public Sector Training Organisation
Public Trust
Qualmark New Zealand Limited
Queen Elizabeth II National Trust
Quotable Value Limited
Radio New Zealand Limited
Road Safety TrustRadio Spectrum Management, part of Ministry of
Economic Development (sell the spectrum)
Reserve Bank of New Zealand
Research, Information and Capability Group, part of Ministry of
Economic Development
Royal Society of New Zealand
Scion (scientific research)
Solid Energy New Zealand Limited
Statistics New Zealand
StudyLink, part of Ministry of Social Development
Television New Zealand Limited
Testing Laboratory Registration Council
Transit New Zealand
Transmission Holdings Limited
Transpower New Zealand Limited

Distribute to community through shares

Alexander Turnbull Library (part of National Library of New Zealand)
Aoraki Polytechnic
Archives New Zealand
Auckland District Health Board
Auckland University of Technology
Bay of Plenty District Health Board
Bay of Plenty Polytechnic
Canterbury District Health Board
Capital & Coast District Health Board
Christchurch College of Education
Christchurch Polytechnic Institute of Technology
Counties Manukau District Health Board
Dunedin College of Education
Eastern Institute of Technology
Hawke’s Bay District Health Board
Hutt Valley District Health Board
Lakes District Health Board
Lincoln University
Manukau Institute of Technology
Maori Television
Massey University
Maritime Safety Authority of New Zealand
MidCentral District Health Board
Ministry of Civil Defence and Emergency Management, part of Department
of Internal Affairs
Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa
National Library of New Zealand – Te Puna Matauranga o Aotearoa
National Rural Fire Authority, part of New Zealand Fire Service Commission
Nelson Marlborough District Health Board
Nelson Marlborough Institute of Technology
New Zealand Fire Service, part of New Zealand Fire Service Commission
New Zealand Fire Service Commission
New Zealand Vice-Chancellors’ Committee
Northland District Health Board
Northland Polytechnic
Open Polytechnic of New Zealand
Otago District Health Board
Otago Polytechnic
School Services, part of National Library of New Zealand – Te Puna
Matauranga o Aotearoa
South Canterbury District Health Board
Southern Institute of Technology
Southland District Health Board
Tai Poutini Polytechnic
Tairawhiti District Health
Tairawhiti Polytechnic
Taranaki District Health Board
Telford Rural Polytechnic
Te Wananga o Aotearoa
Te Wananga-o-Raukawa
Te Whare Wananga o Awanuiarangi
The Correspondence School
Timberlands West Coast Limited
Unitec Institute of Technology
Universal College of Learning
University of Auckland
University of Canterbury
University of Otago
University of Waikato
Victoria University of Wellington
Waiariki Institute of Technology
Waikato District Health Board
Waikato Institute of Technology
Wairarapa District Health Board
Waitemata District Health Board
Wanganui UCOL, part of Universal College of Learning
Wellington Institute of Technology
Western Institute of Technology at Taranaki
Whanganui District Health Board
Whitireia Community Polytechnic
West Coast District Health Board

Councils
Dissolved and assets sold, with land records etc. transferred to public trusts

Ashburton District Council
Auckland City Council
Auckland Regional Council
Banks Peninsula District Council
Buller District Council
Carterton District Council
Central Hawke’s Bay District Council
Central Otago District Council
Chatham Islands Council
Christchurch City Council
Clutha District Council
Dunedin City Council
Far North District Council
Franklin District Council
Gisborne District Council
Gore District Council
Greater Wellington – The Regional Council
Grey District Council
Hamilton City Council
Hastings District Council
Hauraki District Council
Hawke’s Bay Regional Council
Horizons Regional Council
Horowhenua District Council
Hurunui District Council
Hutt City Council
Invercargill City Council
Kaikoura District Council
Kaipara District Council
Kapiti Coast District Council
Kawerau District Council
Mackenzie District Council
Manawatu District Council
Manukau City Council
Marlborough District Council
Masterton District Council
Matamata-Piako District Council
Napier City Council
Nelson City Council
New Plymouth District Council
Northland Regional Council
North Shore City Council
Opotiki District Council
Otago Regional Council
Otorohanga District Council
Palmerston North City Council
Papakura District Council
Porirua City Council
Queenstown-Lakes District Council
Rangitikei District Council
Rodney District Council
Rotorua District Council
Ruapehu District Council
Selwyn District Council
Southland District Council
South Taranaki District Council
South Waikato District Council
South Wairarapa District Council
Stratford District Council
Taranaki Regional Council
Tararua District Council
Tasman District Council
Taupo District Council
Tauranga City Council
Thames-Coromandel District Council
Timaru District Council
Upper Hutt City Council
Waikato District Council
Waimakariri District Council
Waimate District Council
Waipa District Council
Wairoa District Council
Waitakere City Council
Waitaki District Council
Waitomo District Council
Wanganui District Council
Wellington City Council
West Coast Regional Council
Westland District Council
Western Bay of Plenty District Council
Whakatane District Council
Whangarei District Council

Keep
These will be reviewed for efficiency, and many will be combined.
These comprise the core Government functions:
Parliament/Governmental; Defence; Police; Justice System

Chief Electoral Office
Companies Office, part of Ministry of Economic Development (becomes
part of Ministry of Justice)
Court of Appeal, part of Ministry of Justice
Crown Law Office
Department of Corrections
Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet
Disputes Tribunal, part of Ministry of Justice
District Courts, part of Ministry of Justice
Electoral Commission
Electoral Enrolment Centre, part of New Zealand Post Limited
Employment Court, part of Ministry of Justice
Family Court, part of Ministry of Justice
Government Communications Security Bureau
Government Superannuation Fund Authority
Guardians of New Zealand Superannuation
High Court, part of Ministry of Justice
Law Commission
Legal Aid Review Panel
Legal Services Agency
Legislation Advisory Committee, part of Ministry of Justice
Maori Land Court, part of Ministry of Justice
Maori Trust Office, part of Te Puni Kokiri
Ministry of Defence
Ministry of Justice
New Zealand Army, part of New Zealand Defence Force
New Zealand Customs Service
New Zealand Defence Force
New Zealand Government
New Zealand Immigration Service, part of Department of Labour
New Zealand Parole Board
New Zealand Police
New Zealand Security Intelligence Service
Office of the Clerk of the House of Representatives
Office of the Controller and Auditor-General
Office of the Ombudsmen
Office of the Privacy Commissioner
Parliamentary Counsel Office
Parliamentary Service
Police Complaints Authority
Refugee Status Appeals Authority
Royal New Zealand Airforce, part of New Zealand Defence Force
Royal New Zealand Navy, part of New Zealand Defence Force
State Services Commission
Supreme Court of New Zealand, part of Ministry of Justice
The Treasury
Transport Accident Investigation Commission (combined into Police)
Youth Court, part of Ministry of Justice

[Originally cross-posted to SOLO.]

MMP Review

In the 2011 Referendum on the Voting System, held in conjunction with the General Election on 26 November, the majority of voters chose to keep MMP as New Zealand’s voting system.

This triggered an independent review of MMP, conducted by the Electoral Commission, in which all of us can have our say on any changes we’d like to see made to the way MMP works.

TODAY (5 April) is the deadline for submissions for those wanting to present in person to the Commission. Submissions must be lodged with the Commission by midnight on 5 April.

You can make a quick submission. Or you can make a full submission. To make a quick submission, all you have to write is, e.g.,

I believe that to achieve better representation the MMP threshold should be lowered to 2.5%.

Let’s give freedom-friendly parties such as the ALCP and the Libz a better chance next time. And dissuade people from committing “the ends justify the means” atrocities such as “strategically voting” for John Banks to get Don Brash into Parliament.

In the words of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ

What you are about to do, do quickly (John 13:27)

Okay, so that was quoted totally out of context. Never mind. Just SUBMIT! DO IT NOW!

Low skilled workers: Go to Hell!

Libertarianz Party leader Dr. Richard McGrath has visited here before … and, judging by the title of yesterday’s press release, I think he must have been reading my series of posts on Hell.

National Party Throws Low Skilled Workers into the Furnace

Monday, 2 April 2012
Press Release: Libertarianz Party
National Party Throws Low Skilled Workers into the Furnace

Libertarianz leader Richard McGrath described the government’s decision to raise the minimum wage as short-sighted command-and-control interference in the economy, and predicted it will cost jobs.

“Raising the minimum wage to $13.50 an hour means anyone whose productivity falls below that level is now even more likely to be laid off,” he said.

“Clearly, Kate Wilkinson would rather have unemployed 16 and 17 year olds sitting at home on their Playstations earning $3.82 an hour on the dole, than earning $10 an hour in training or $13 an hour in a job.”

“This speaks volumes about the priorities and the economic literacy of this government. Like the Labour one before them, they believe it acceptable to consign unskilled kids to the scrap heap by pricing them off the job market, as long as it looks good.”

“If Kate Wilkinson thinks repeated upward adjustments of the minimum wage are just and viable, why doesn’t she lift it to $100 an hour?”

“The Libertarianz Party is the only political party in this country that would help low skilled school leavers and others into work by abolishing the minimum wage, thus allowing a fluctuating jobs market to determine the price of labour.”

“This would create a more transparent relationship between the skill level required for different occupations, the relative overall value of these jobs, and the supply of people willing and able to be employed in them.”

“Without the minimum wage distorting the job market, it is likely that anyone truly willing to work would be able to find a job commensurate with their talents and abilities.”

“Minimum wage laws cause false signals to be generated about the worth of various occupations, which is cruel and misleading for low skilled people who wish to work. My party is saddened to see National going down the Muldoonist road yet again.”

Libertarianz: More Freedom, Less Government
www.libertarianz.org.nz

Dr Richard McGrath
Libertarianz Leader
Phone: 027 322 2907
Email: richard.mcgrath@libertarianz.org.nz

Throwing low skilled workers into the “fiery furnace” like weeds (Matthew 13:42) is exactly what National’s decision to increase the minimum wage amounts to. In effect, National is telling low skilled workers: Go to Hell!

I prefer the new-fangled “trash” to the old-fashioned “fire” metaphor. Of course, it is the National Party and their wealth-destroying poverty-trap-perpetuating minimum wage laws that should be consigned to the waste-basket of history, not the State-forsaken low skilled workers.

Thanks, Richard, for one hell of a press release!

The Failure of Objectivist Libertarianism.

The following is a speech I delivered at the Libertarianz Party AGM in 2006… the Tenth anniversary of the Party.
The main thrust of the speech was to decry the destructive notions contained within the Philosophy of Objectivism, and why I believe that Philosophy is the chief reason the Libertarianz Party never achieved any traction.
I was promised that my speech would be published in the next Free Radical… It never was.
Why? Ask the Fanatical Objectivist Editor Peter Cresswell.

This was just one example of how skewed The Libertarianz Party was/ is… Dominated/ perverted by The fanatically un-objective and Rabidly Anti-religious philosophy of Objectivism.
After 10 years of enduring their Fanaticism I realised The Libertarianz Party was as fraudulent as it was Hopeless, and so I left.
The Party was not truly Libertarian, but a recruitment scheme for the NZ Church of Objectivism, and as long as it remained so it would only succeed in turning away religious people from true Libertarianism.
You may be thinking… “FFS Tim its been 6 years since you delivered that speech…And you still have a Bee up your ass about not making the Free Rad?” To which I reply… “ Hell Yes!” I am still pissed about it. My speech was Important! I am putting it up Today because it contains valid criticism about how the Philosophy of Objectivism hurts The Libertarian cause around the globe, esp the Lies against religion, and self-sacrifice. This is the common experience around the globe. I consider Objectivism an insidious evil that perverts history and rots Libertarianism from the inside out…like a virus.
The more popular it becomes, the more untenable any Libertarian movement infected with it becomes for religious people.
The millitantly Atheistic aspect of Objectivism is not the focus of this Speech, The issues I raise are linked, and just as detrimental for the Libertarian movement.
I will let you read it to get what I am talking about.

And Lastly I post this Speech now because I have just quit discussions with a group of ‘Liberal minded Kiwi’ whom were considering starting a New Liberal Party that was hoped would take over from the Libertarianz Party and attract the support of those thousands of Liberal minded people who have lost faith in the Act Party. I quit those discussions because it became clear to me that this group are heading down the same failed course that castrated the Libz Party. Ie they want to enthrone Ayn Rand as Goddess, and consider anyone (Like Me) who critsises her Deity or atheist irreligion… to be a trouble maker… to be a malicious thorn… They are incapable of considering the validity of any Critisism of Randism.
Thus I believe any New party such narrow minded people start is doomed.
It will simply end up another vile atheist club that promotes the Bogus idea that Religious people cant be Libertarians.
It would be a waste of my precious time and energy to get involved with such a travesty.

Thus I post my speech now as a historical testament of the negative nature and perversion of the Libertarian movement by Objectivism, as a rebuke to any attempt to create a New Liberal Party that blindly worships Ayn Rand, and marginalizes everyone who criticizes her. I hope that in some small way My speech helps Religiously minded Libertarians in their struggle against this Rabid Ugly Atheist religion… not to abandon the cause of freedom which truly is the Christian Ideal.

To My Objectivist Friends I make no apology. An Eye for an Eye! If your Goddess was not such a Psychotic Vicious Narcissistic Megalomaniac Bitch there would be no need for me to confront you. Rand drew First blood, and you all dance to her tune… so I am here and now Justly returning you in Kind. As My speech shows… I have spent years trying to reason with you but to no avail. And I am not just saying these things. Rand and her sick philosophy is world Famous for its Self-delusion and Malice. For anyone wanting to check out the validity of what I am saying they ought to buy Nathaniel Brandens book “My years with Ayn Rand”, and Google James Valiant’s critism of the Brandens. Also go visit just about any objectivist group on the net and the same Egotistical guile will be there for you to behold. If I appear extreme in my tone… it is because I have swam in the cesspool that is Objectivism.
***********************************************************************

Libz 10th birthday speech.
Monday, 31 July, 2006 11:23 PM
By Tim Wikiriwhi Christian Libertarian.

Good morning brothers and sisters!
This is the day that the Lord has made, let us rejoice and be glad in it!
Today’s sermon is about integrity to truth and justice!
I want talk from my own philosophy and show how it keeps me committed to our party in the face of much hardship and I also want to question the validity of other philosophies that I see as detrimental to our cause.
In the spirit of friendship I have endeavoured to keep any criticism as impersonal as possible and yet as individualistic as possible so not to unfairly lump goodies with baddies simply because they all hang out under the same banner.
Most people here know I’m a Christian and though I will be unashamedly using Christian concepts, I hope non-Christians listening will be objective enough to see the points I am making as valid in spite of their religious origins.
If the shoe fits I hope you have the integrity to wear it!
Having set the tenor of my speech I shall now get into it!

I could have called this speech “Who Dares Wins” but I prefer to call it “Keeping the faith” Don’t become a Luke warm Libertarian!

We must Attack! Attack! Attack! With our dying breath! Attack!
This aint no game people! This is war!
Peoples lives are being destroyed!
Children are dying!

The most frustrating thing for me as an activist is convincing those poor souls out there who are being ram-rodded by the socialist tyrants to throw their lot in with the Libertarian party and putting up the necessary cash to win the fight, even when they can see we are 100% right!
This is so frustrating! I am busting my ass trying to help them but they wont even help themselves!
Did I just say that the sheeple are the most frustrating thing?
Sorry!
Let me now tell you that they aren’t the most frustrating! There is something much worse!
What is much more frustrating is that so many people who are members of our party, and claim to be passionate about freedom, never put themselves out in the slightest little inconvenience for the values they profess to hold dear!
What more a high percentage drop off after a period of good work as if they have done their bit!
I want to talk about this…about what bullshit is used to justify dropping the ball and why this is a travesty!

Why is it so hard to get Libertarians to go to meetings?
It has often been said that trying to organise any libertarian activity is like herding cats!
This is a disgrace! And I consider this a fundamental problem!
Recently I was asked a very important question…it was “Do you really believed it is possible to get a Libertarian government here in New Zealand?”
And I found that I could honestly answer, “Yes!”
I think this point is of vital importance!
So many great freedom fighters seam to loose faith in the dream and drift into inactivity.
We have many talented new faces, yet we are not gaining numerical strength on the front!
‘Loss of faith’ seams to keep us from making real gains.
Why is this?
The bible talks about different kinds of people and what they do with the seed of truth.
Some people are called “The wayside” where the truth cannot take root.
Others are the stony/shallow ground where the seed may sprout and shoot up, but when the heat of the day comes, the seed quickly withers and dies for lack of root and depth.
Some are called “the good soil” in which the seed shoots forth and is able to weather the heat and in due season bares much fruit!
I ask what sort of ground are you? How good is your value system?
Are you a Possibility thinker or an Impossibility thinker?, A pessimist, or an optimist?

People quit the party over petty little disputes or because someone like myself was too crass and not P.C enough to be worthy of their company!
We get the “ I must quit for personal reasons”…I always wonder what bullshit reasons are good enough?
Few quit for reasons of life and death!
Most are quitting for shameful reasons, and that disappoints me.
This lack of conviction makes me feel not pity but contempt!
The Bible says that “no man putting his hands to the plough yet looking back is fit for the kingdom!”
Some quitters retreat with the cowardly excuse that “only deluded dreamers believe the Libertarianz party will ever get its act together!
(thump table!)
I say this sort of pessimistic self-defeatism is self-defeating!
It is political suicide!
I see this lack of faith and resolve as the greatest enemy we face!
Our own irresolute determination to remain committed to the cause to our dying breath!
There is no reason/passion dichotomy!
If you don’t have the passion…There must be something wrong with your reasoning!

The Devil wants us to quit And would love to see our party fold! And guess what…The socialists aren’t beating us! We’re quitting due to our own fickleness!
Sloth and apathy are great sins!
Don’t give in to such temptations!
Never choose the low road!
Why do I reject defeatism and believe it is possible for Libertarian victory in our lifetime?
Well, first of all the competition is morally bankrupt to their core and utterly absurd!
I say to be quitters or fence sitters in the light of this indisputable fact is in itself an unforgivable lack of character and integrity!
“Lord give me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, the courage to change the things that I can, and the wisdom to know the difference!”
Where’s your head at?
Where is your self respect founded?
Don’t go fooling yourself by thinking you are facing facts or being realistic when you deny the possibility of the Libertarianz party making global history and a giant leap forward in human civilisation!
You are being a quitter pure and simple a U.I.N!
You have no claim to a greater truth or higher reason
You are shirking the burden of carrying the torch of freedom and the scales of justice, pure and simple!
They are heavy but glorious!
And I can find no tolerable excuse for faltering in the face of the enemy!
The socialists aren’t beating us…were quitting due to our own fickleness!

The bible says that the lukewarm are to be spewed from God’s mouth!

As Individualist’s, when no one is prepared to stand beside us, we ought to be prepared to fight on alone, tooth and nail!
Loneliness ought to make you even more determined not to falter!
“Evil prevails when good men do nothing!”

The bible tells us never to forget our first love!
Never forget the principles and reasons you joined our party.
They become even more valid as time goes by.
Not less relevant, not less believable and essential, but more so every day!
Values are to be weighed against each other and the value of always choosing to sit on your ass smelling the roses instead of exhausting your time and resources in the Libertarian cause means you value pleasure more than justice.
What sort of human is that? A debauchee!
Certainly not a man of virtue!
While hundreds of so-called Libertarians sit on their arses, the Legions of Hell are marshalling!
Rust never sleeps!

We must daily review our highest values and renew our commitment to what is right and good!
In my view it is a very noble and great honour to work for the success of the party.
It is the measure of our integrity and fortitude!
I say “All play and no work makes Jack a very dull boy!”

What sort of person are you?
What moves you to action and to despise your own fears?
Why be active?
Why heavily invest yourself personally in this party?
I say for freedom lovers it is irrational not to commit yourself fully to the Libertarian cause!
If this cause is not important enough to get you out of your comfort zone what is?
In my ethical code full commitment to the party is not only the purest form of self-defence it is something even more praise worthy.
It is the defence of the poor, the week and the needy!
I.e. it is also the highest expression of charity and love of our fellow man!
A philosophy that does not include such love is shallow indeed!
Therefore to abandon this cause is to poison your soul with uncharitable inconsideration of your fellow human beings.
True love makes you go out of your way for others!

My Grandfather wisely reminds me that “No man is an island”
Free society, rights, etc are community values and meaningless to the lone castaway on a deserted island! My Grandfather is 100% right!
Being an individualist is no excuse for being uncharitable and I question the validity of a rational selfishness that excludes concern for others!
I say that’s a perverse individualism and the philosophy of cold self-conceit and a failure to value human life!
Think about Bill Gates. Is he a fool giving all his money to charity or is he a saint? How you answer that question will be a yardstick for your humanity.
I say Bill Gates is one of the greatest human beings ever to grace this earth!
He’s someone to aspire to, not merely for his genius but especially because of his heart!
Bill is my kind of guy!
Bill has won my heart and respect!
I’m not interest in hearing about his sins!

I ask, what sort of Libertarian society is possible without voluntary consideration of your fellow man and the desire for the common good?
The scripture says “though I have all wisdom yet not charity I am nothing!”
I ask how successful can any party be that is inconsiderate of the common good and does not make this a chief factor in seeking support.
That is just plain stupid and the public can see your fickleness!
That you don’t really give a damn about them!
I say the common good ought to be worthy of our inconvenience and is a vital yet grossly undervalued component in our fight!
Do you have a compassionate heart?
If you say you do, then I say “prove it!” by resolving never to waiver from the Libertarian cause!
Don’t tell me you care when you are backsliding from activism and party business!

Everything I am saying is aimed at our “ought ness” in the light of our own individual values. Nothing I have said is in anyway contrary to Individual voluntary action, Indeed it is the voluntary choice to commit ourselves to such a worth cause that gives us the right to have self esteem and to claim the high ground as the defenders of truth , justice and the common good! If any of you are mumbling under your breath that I’m trying to ensnare you in bondage to the collective I feel very sorry for you!
I’ll go further and say Altruism is a great good, and that you have been sold a giant Mickey if you think self sacrifice for the good of others can have no place in virtue for the individualist!
Right to claim a value always entails a cost or else its just lip service. Action defines personal values!
Long suffering is the keynote of high value.
A cost free value system is irrational and a cheap fake!
Even true friendship means we must be prepared to risk offending and loosing that friendship if we see the need to rebuke them for their own good!
The higher the value the more we must be prepared to sacrifice for it’s sake to claim it as our own. This being true it logically follows that Altruism is heroic when practised voluntarily and Jesus Christ was a great man of virtue!
He said it was out of love that he would give his life for his friends, and was faithful to his beliefs unto death even the death of the cross!
This is heroism!
The volunteer fireman, who risks the inferno for the sake of others.
The heroic rescue workers that entered the Twin towers on 9/11 and never came out!
The Christian heroes that died fighting evil in the flight that was supposed to hit the Whitehouse!
The army soldier who falls upon a grenade as a human shield for his Brothers in Arms!
These are indisputably mans greatest kind of deeds and acts of love and as such are worthy of the greatest honour!
Contrary to what Rand says, Altruism, in it’s true sense, is voluntary and is the highest expression of individualist values and character!
It is Love!
It opposite is a deluded egotistical ‘covetousness of self’ as the centre of reality! Self-worshipping Megalomania!
Sadam Insane is an ‘Egoist’ so was Adolf Hitler!

Yes we Individualists ought to be prepared to die for our faith and those we love.
Not to have contempt for death and hardship and relentlessly attack the enemy is to give the enemy the advantage!
They are often prepared to die for their beliefs!
Look at the suicide bombers!
Do they have values superior to yours?
They must if they will sacrifice their lives for them but many Libz wont even inconvenience themselves in the slightest to support your local Libz candidates!
I have made this point because my goal of this speech has been to inquire into the philosophical origins of inertia, and I see a collection of shallow excuses for denying what is indisputably the most heroic and noble of values… Altruist self sacrifice!
And this is a most common excuse for sloth in party activism and lack of willingness to carry the party’s burdens voluntarily and with honour.
I ask the question that if we were in ancient Greece facing the Persian horde who among you would stand at Thermopile?
They who will not inconvenience themselves in the fight against our pathetic socialist enemy, I guarantee would flee and die as cowards!

Christ said a philosophy may be known by its fruit.
Do you have love in your heart or contempt?
Many egoists, hiding behind ‘Individualism’, go out of their way to find fault with good Samaritans like Mother Teresa, and then fall over themselves praising someone who leaves a man to die in favour of getting to the top of a hill!
They do this so their peers will give them glory for being rugged egoists and to make themselves and their egoist buddies feel good about not giving a damn about anything but themselves!
And that’s a real ugly philosophy!
And it shows despite claims of integrity and honour!
That’s contempt for your fellow man!
That is not a passionate or compassionate philosophy but a dispassionate cold, and loveless one!
By that fruit I know its full of shit!
And the relevant point regarding party activism is that individuals with that philosophy have no problems ignoring a call to arms whenever it suits them and especially when there is little chance of personal glory!
That philosophy is costing our party dearly!
Both in lost manpower at the front and making our party ugly even when support such support is forthcoming!
I say Mark Inglis is a legless hypocrite and an asshole, not a hero!
He’s an Egoist!
“Stepping over corpses is the price of greatness” according to Hedrich Himmler! (And I say this total disregard for others is also the logical conclusion of atheism!)
Experts say David Sharp might have been saved and Sir Edmond Hillary would have forsaken his attempt at the summit and given it a shot!
He’s a real man of virtue not a vain poser!
And despite some silly ideas, Mother Teresa was a real Hero!
To paraphrase Barbara Brandon… “I have long since graduated from the school that perfection is the price of admiration, and I wonder from what lofty moral height some dare to gaze down onto a woman like Mother Teresa! Since she did not act according to their terms, her life of love and caring for the weak is seen as having no value! I do inquire into their psychology and I say their contempt does not become them. It stresses their distance from reality!
Enough said about bad philosophy, and why many Libertarians are as useless as tits on a bull to our party!
Self-serving, self-glorifying, small-minded intellectual masturbators!
The Bible says that “though we have all wisdom yet not charity we are nothing!”
Socialism is a giant tragedy and so if your heart is not breaking there is something wrong with you!
Christianity changed the world because it is a philosophy of Love and a call to action!
It has brought civilisation to the darkest regions of mankind!
It has turned cannibals into lovers of humanity!
How does your philosophy measure up to that?
Do you understand that hate can only be overcome by love?

Despite our many troubles and conflicting views, I’m still proud to be a member of this group and I’m prepared to continue to bare troubles and toils for its sake.
The Libertarianz Party does count because we force the public to choose between slavery and freedom!
You cant tell me that this isn’t an absolutely worthy truth that demands the man of virtue always to step up for the party, and hold it dear!
This party ought to be the embodiment of what makes you tick and of who you are!
And to live without making the greatest effort to achieve its goals is to fail to appreciate its greatness, and to grossly undervalue what has been built up to attack the enemy and liberate us from great evils.

What have I achieve with this speech?
Maybe nothing!
Hopefully I have started a revolution within a revolution!
I have done my utmost to encourage you all never to be quitters no matter what!
I have tried to expose the grievous weakness of egoism in revolutionary action and promote love as a chief overcoming motive energy.
By doing this you can swap a fake egoism for real self esteem and change Objectivism from the ultimate pragmatism into true Idealism!

Perigo had no qualm disputing Rand in regards to homosexuality, and I’m hopping you will do it again and acknowledge that Individualism need not be anti-altruism and indeed that when it is voluntary it empowers us to stand for our highest values and instils a heroic contempt for death and hardship!
Cowardly defeatism is for losers!
I call you all to live a heroic life for victory and start turning up to Libz meetings on a regular basis!
I pray for the strength to live up this high calling myself!
Of wearing the emblem of the Freedom Fighter!
I expect to see you all next year up at Waitangi!
God bless the Libertarianz!