Ralph Waldo Emerson’s immortalized The Minutemen who made a stand against British Tyranny at Lexington and Concord in his “Concord Hymn”. Here is the first verse:
By the rude bridge that arched the flood,
Their flag to April’s breeze unfurled,
Here once the embattled farmers stood
and fired the shot heard round the world.
Could Brexit be a seminal moment moving forward in the history of liberty? We won’t know until the future unfolds. All we know right now is the UK decided they didn’t want to be ruled by a bunch of unelected bureaucrats who usurped British sovereignty when they went beyond the EU’s original mandate.
The UK was fortunate that they were able to throw off the tyranny of the EU through the political process. They didn’t have to fire a shot. Colonial America had to physically fight to free themselves from British tyranny. The cost of “dissolving the political bands which have connected one with another” is exponentially higher if, in order for you to part ways, you have to fight as opposed to just agreeing to separate. Thank goodness the EU didn’t hadn’t become a military power or maybe this would have turned out differently.
It’s always beneficial for individuals when layers of bureaucratic regulations can be gotten rid of. This allows decisions to be made at the level closest to the individual, which means they have a better chance of working and a better chance of getting changed when they don’t.
I hope the British realize that just because they got rid of the EU central planners doesn’t mean they got rid of the central planning socialists in their Parliament. If the people want more individual liberty they will have to vote in members of Parliament who will stand for individual freedom and vote out members who have supported government solutions to economic problems. This will be difficult because voting to cut the size and scope of Government means many people will have to vote against their own self-interest. For inspiration, the British people need look no farther than Nigil Farage (click here) and Daniel Hannan (click here). These two men were British representatives in the European Parliament. There support for leaving the EU guaranteed they would lose their job. They voted against their own self-interest which is rare among “public servants”.
If the British Parliament and the Bank of England try to centrally plan the British economy through regulation, taxes and money printing, than all the people have done is exchange one set of central planners, who are far away, for a set of central planners who are local. I hope the people who voted to leave understand that if they don’t remain vigilant, their local central planners will see this as an opportunity to grab more power. All but a few politicians and bureaucrats are sucked into the gravitational black hole of Government power. It is hard to resist. No one with this kind of power should be trusted.
How will this end? No one knows. Let’s hope other countries fire political shots, against central planners, that will be heard round the world.
NIGIL FARAGE RUBS SOME SALT IN BREXIT WOUND
Some good articles about Great Britain leaving the EU.
BROVO BREXIT! by David Stockman, at davidstockmanscontracorner.com. Excerpts from the article:
“The central bankers and their compatriots at the EU, IMF, White House/Treasury, OECD, G-7 and the rest of the Bubble Finance apparatus have well and truly over-played their hand. They have created a tissue of financial lies; an affront to the very laws of markets, sound money and capitalist prosperity.”
“…Brexit is a contagious political disease. In response to today’s history-shaking event, determined campaigns for Frexit, Spexit, NExit, Grexit, Italxit, Hingexit and more centrifugal political emissions will next follow.”
“Smaller government – at least in geography – is being given another chance. and that’s a very good thing because more localized democracy everywhere and always is inimical to the rule of centralized financial elites.”
WHAT NOW, BRITAIN?, by Matthew McCaffrey, at mises.org. Excerpt from the article:
“Britain’s historic decision to leave the European Union represents a blow to political centralization. However, it’s also a sobering reminder that the work of advancing peace and economic freedom is never done. Britain may be extricating itself from EU political control, but if its goal is genuine progress and prosperity, it will need to do much more than simply sever its ties with Brussels.”
“Without winning the battle of ideas, the gains from leaving the EU will amount to very little. In this battle, Brexit is not so much a victory as an opportunity…….Brexit offers a chance to once again spread those long-neglected ideals of peace and free trade from which all human progress derives.”
EIGHT KEY TAKEAWAYS FROM BREXIT, by Dan Mitchell, at freedomandprosperity.org. Excerpts from the article;
“What an amazing vote. The people of the United Kingdom defied the supposed experts, rejected a fear-based campaign by advocates of the status quo, and declared their independence from the European Union.” Here are some takeaways, thoughts and interesting developments (click on article).”
AUSTRIAN ECONOMICS ADDICT 