This bastardised libertarianism makes ‘freedom’ an instrument of oppression

George Monbiot writes: Freedom: who could object? Yet this word is now used to justify a thousand forms of exploitation. Throughout the rightwing press and blogosphere, among thinktanks and governments, the word excuses every assault on the lives of the poor, every form of inequality and intrusion to which the 1% subject us. How did libertarianism, once a noble impulse, become synonymous with injustice?

In the name of freedom – freedom from regulation – the banks were permitted to wreck the economy. In the name of freedom, taxes for the super-rich are cut. In the name of freedom, companies lobby to drop the minimum wage and raise working hours. In the same cause, US insurers lobby Congress to thwart effective public healthcare; the government rips up our planning laws; big business trashes the biosphere. This is the freedom of the powerful to exploit the weak, the rich to exploit the poor.

Rightwing libertarianism recognises few legitimate constraints on the power to act, regardless of the impact on the lives of others. In the UK it is forcefully promoted by groups like the TaxPayers’ Alliance, the Adam Smith Institute, the Institute of Economic Affairs, and Policy Exchange. Their concept of freedom looks to me like nothing but a justification for greed.

So why have we been been so slow to challenge this concept of liberty? I believe that one of the reasons is as follows. The great political conflict of our age – between neocons and the millionaires and corporations they support on one side, and social justice campaigners and environmentalists on the other – has been mischaracterised as a clash between negative and positive freedoms. These freedoms were most clearly defined by Isaiah Berlin in his essay of 1958, Two Concepts of Liberty. It is a work of beauty: reading it is like listening to a gloriously crafted piece of music. I will try not to mangle it too badly.

Put briefly and crudely, negative freedom is the freedom to be or to act without interference from other people. Positive freedom is freedom from inhibition: it’s the power gained by transcending social or psychological constraints. Berlin explained how positive freedom had been abused by tyrannies, particularly by the Soviet Union. It portrayed its brutal governance as the empowerment of the people, who could achieve a higher freedom by subordinating themselves to a collective single will.

Print Friendly, PDF & Email
Facebooktwittermail

2 thoughts on “This bastardised libertarianism makes ‘freedom’ an instrument of oppression

  1. sharon-marie

    Well written truth,
    Clinton speaks about the treatment of women but is very tight lipped about the 1,ooo,ooo widows she has left totally decimated in Iraq,how many women are left bereft in Afganistan, lets not think about Palestine eh? lets not mention Palestine?
    how about the women yet to feel her insane reasons for killing across the globe.The sooner the White house doors are closed and the Pentagon doors are closed and more to the point when all Zionist buildings around the gobe are in ruin just as has been done to Libya.my god hope the world is preparing for that celebration .From Washington to the present day all Presidents have and are Masons/Zionists/Occult defenders to the destruction of ancient cultures ..Check my facts should you doubt .oh Mr President happy what?Do you say happy christmas to the Queen Mr President?

  2. Susan

    they killed an eight-months pregnant women in Afghanistan just yesterday….. in a night raid on a home.

    shameful behavior.

    and so is the behavior of the military in Egypt.

Comments are closed.