Monday 13 November 2006

I am a "barking far right nutter"

Well, according to Councillor Terry Kelly, who writes:
When you write a political web page you expect feedback, some of it hostile, some supportive and some disturbing. I was told that some guy had written about me on his blog in a very uncomplimentary way, this complete eejit ( David Ferrens from memory ) writes very well which makes him even more sinister because he's a barking far right nutter. He uses Burns's phrase "whiskey & freedom gang the gither" as his title which I'm sure would have the second rate old Ayrshire plagiarist spinning in his grave, his views however and the views of the incestuous sycophants who write to him are capable of making your skin crawl. These people peddle very dangerous and disturbing views, they come across as being capable of almost anything which doesn't require courage, they describe themselves as libertarians of the right to which I have to say, I've never met or heard of a right wing libertarian who wasn't well off and self obsessed.
One of the useful things that this "complete eejit" learned at school in the county of Robert Burns (a "second rate old Ayrshire plagiarist") was that our national drink is whisky, not whiskey. I wonder which of my views are considered very dangerous and disturbing. Could one of them be my belief in the rule of law including those traditional liberties currently being trashed by Councillor Kelly's own party? Perhaps he objects to my supporting a free market economy without which there would be damned little wealth for the councillor to "redistribute".

Councillor Kelly describes folk like me as "libertarians of the right". I really don't know what he means. The traditional left/right political spectrum was intellectually demolished years ago. The issue is: are you a libertarian or an authoritarian? I'm a libertarian.

Apparently we libertarians are "well off and self obsessed". When I was eighteen, my father's job took us from Scotland to London. For almost twenty years I lived on an average sort of wage and then decided to get myself a professional qualification. That took four years of study at night, at weekends and during my holidays. I continued working full time and never received a penny of subsidy from the taxpayer. As a result of this I was able to get a much more highly paid job, but, guess what, that meant working longer hours, going in at weekends, not taking full holiday allowance and lying awake at night worrying about how the company was going to meet its payroll. Quite normal in the wealth-creating sector. Later, I did another four years of evening study (at my own expense and while continuing to work full time) and obtained a first class honours degree. So, if I earned more than average, I EARNED IT ALL.

As for other libertarians, I've known all of the most prominent ones in this country over the last thirty years or so. Very few of them are "well off". In fact, I would guess that the most active ones have had to struggle financially, precisely because they weren't "self obsessed" but had decided to devote their lives to the great struggle for human liberty.

2 comments:

David Farrer said...

Comments made on previous template:

Stuart Dickson
What a thoroughly insightful and charming person that nice Cllr Kelly is! Great grammar and spelling too - I always tremendously admire that in a blogger. And the masterly editing of his original post to counter David Farrer's observation on the "Yank (nuff said)" element shows that Cllr Kelly is a man of honour and considered dignity, set to inspire and lead the awed ranks of the Scottish blogosphere. Lord preserve us.

26 November 2006, 21:33:02 GMT
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Neil Craig
That he can't comment here makes him worthless. Hey, I get Norman Fraser, Lib Dem councilor (failed) posting anonymously, though to be fair he makes specific claims which can then be shown to be wrong.

16 November 2006, 18:17:15 GMT
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Longrider
What the good councillor does is confirm that old adage; better to remain silent and be thought a fool than to open one's mouth and shred all doubt. There is no doubt that councillor Kelly is a fool, we have it from his own mouth. An ignorant one at that.

15 November 2006, 22:31:36 GMT
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Max
Burn the witch!

15 November 2006, 20:45:51 GMT
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Robert Bove
Well and truly well aimed, the post that drew out Kelly. Now watch him bleed out as a consequence of self-inflicted wounds.

15 November 2006, 14:54:45 GMT
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The beekeeper
There seems to be confusion regarding social and economic libertartianism in both arguments. It is true that the traditional left and right wing arguments have substantially disinegrated in recent years. However to claim that the major political dividing line lies between libertarians and authoritarians seems slightly self-indulgent.  
Although the line between social and economic freedom is very blurred, those on the side of the economic libertarian may seek to curb civil liberties for economic growth (the argument deployed by certain Asian Tiger economies in the 1990's) or have a relatively tight social control with free enterprise being promoted.

15 November 2006, 14:26:15 GMT
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Andrew Ian Dodge
This guy reads like a total knob, an ignorant one at that. It does amuse me to hear that freedom, low taxes and personal responsability are all "far-right" ideals. That means left is authoritarian and from what one sees from Blair & Co that is pretty accurate. 
 
(He is not alone in saying that as Donal Blaney was called '"far-right" by a sitting Tory MP for calling for tax cuts. Donal was not amused.)

14 November 2006, 12:13:49 GMT
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David Farrer
The Councillor has accepted my comment but has subtly altered his original post. 
 
Previously he wrote: 
Mr. Leinen is a Yank (nuff said) 
 
Now he writes: 
Mr. Leinen is a Yank like Robert Duvall's character in Apocalypse Now " the smell of napalm in the morning " ( nuff said ) 
 
Really, Councillor: this kind of retrospective editing isn't the done thing in the blogosphere. Except for the BBC, of course.

14 November 2006, 11:57:39 GMT
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Martin
David 
 
"I have advice for Martin, 'You are not a well man sir - seek help !" 
 
What a cheeky git! He's a Stalinist!

14 November 2006, 11:46:00 GMT
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David Farrer said...

David Farrer
Comments are now appearing on Councillor Kelly's blog. One was from the US and resulted in this from Cllr. Kelly: 
 
Mr. Leinen is a Yank ( nuff said ). 
 
I have responded as follows: 
 
Councillor Kelly, 
 
Given that you oppose “nationalism and any kind of discrimination”, I was wondering why Mr Leinen’s American nationality was of any significance.

14 November 2006, 10:00:36 GMT
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Martin
No Bill. 
 
Yin.

13 November 2006, 23:39:38 GMT
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Bill (Scotland)
Really, Terry, if David is a right-wing nutter - what does that make me?" 
The 'entertainer'?

13 November 2006, 22:54:58 GMT
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Steven Wood
eh, it makes you a nutter Martin.

13 November 2006, 21:39:48 GMT
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David Farrer
Martin: 
 
The Clan Kelly must rank pretty highly in the diversity stakes...

13 November 2006, 21:25:22 GMT
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Martin
Dave, 
 
Sorry -  
 
I forgot to mention the abolition of the NHS and the dismantling of the welfare state.

13 November 2006, 20:49:56 GMT