The Libertarian blogger Willis Hart came out in favor of Brexit (United Kingdom withdrawal from the European Union) in a 7/4/2016 commentary, although I'm not sure why (as I noted in OST #155).
| Willis Hart: On Slant-Headed British Millennials Who Are Trying to Equate Britain's Leaving the European Union with Fascism... So, giving more and more power to some distant and corrupt central authority ISN'T fascism but self determination is. Man oh man is this current generation ever dumb. (7/4/2016 AT 8:35pm). |
OK, so the "distant and corrupt central authority" would be the Institutions of the European Union... I suppose. But what proof does Willis have that any/all of the seven principal decision making bodies of the European Union are corrupt? Also, why is giving power to these bodies bad, but giving power to the WTO (the intergovernmental organization which regulates international trade) OK?
And, speaking of trade, how is opposition to free trade "nationalism", while support for Brexit isn't? I mean, MANY of the supporters of Brexit voted YES because they wanted the brown/Muslim people to leave. That's why many in the media are making a comparison between Brexit and the rise of Trump. Not that I think these comparisons are entirely valid (I think there is more to it), but I'd have guessed that because he's in favor of "free trade", he'd also oppose Brexit.
Because Brexit allows workers from lower wage European countries to travel to Britain and accept jobs for less than a British worker might expect/need. It would be similar to if the United States opened up the border between us and Mexico and (instead of Mexicans crossing the border illegally and working here illegally) as many Mexicans as wanted to could cross the border legally and legally accept US jobs.
Something the perennial Libertarian candidate for President Gary Johnson says he is in favor of. Gary Johnson's official positions page quotes him as saying "yes, we should have open borders". Yet, apparently Gary Johnson (same as Willis Hart) is in favor of Brexit? According to Johnson, the UK rejected "crony capitalism" by choosing to leave the European Union. And therefore he "hailed the outcome of the Brexit vote".
Now, like with Willis Hart who makes allegations of "corruption" which left me wondering WHAT corruption he was referring to (after reading his blog post), I am now wonder WHAT crony capitalism Johnson is talking about (the author of the article I linked to above does not address the question).
So, while I agree with both Hart and Johnson on Brexit (on the YES vote part), I'm guessing I'd disagree with their reasoning (WHY they'd have voted yes). My suspicion is that Hart and Johnson's opposition stems from the fact that the oligarchs aren't DIRECTLY in control of everything. And that they like the open borders but dislike the Institutions of the European Union making the rules (which I'm guessing is where the "crony capitalism" comes into play).
And, while I'm not saying there is no corruption or crony capitalism (as I'm not familiar with the institutions in question AT ALL), there is (at least a patina of) democratic control when it comes to the Institutions of the European Union. Which Libertarians absolutely can NOT stand. The "self determination" the Hartster refers to being code for rich people doing the determining (as opposed to citizens democratically doing the determining).
What we're really talking about is self determination. The Brits self determined. Sound American patriotic to me.
ReplyDeleteSince you agree with the yes vote on Brexit can we assume you also with the argument Texas should be able to dissolve their ties with the American union?
Texas isn't a separate country. You're talking about something that will NOT happen. The politicians who speak of succession do so only to get out the rube vote. They would never actually vote to leave the union. A BIG reason being the fact that Texas is a red Taker state.
DeleteUm, okay. Me, I'd be down with it. Hey Ho, let em go!
ReplyDelete