From LA@capital.demon.co.uk Sat May 16 15:35:43 1998
Newsgroups: usenet.talk.politics.libertarian,usenet.alt.politics.libertarian,usenet.alt.politics.british,usenet.uk.politics.drugs,usenet.uk.politics.misc,usenet.talk.politics.drugs
Subject: [LA] Libertarians Slam EU Drugs Drive (old)
From: LA@capital.demon.co.uk (The Libertarian Alliance)
Date: Sat, 16 May 1998 11:35:43 GMT
[I've finally managed to get our previous news releases for this year
in electronic format so that I can send them out by email and usenet.
They may be of interest to some. Current news releases are being sent
out at the same time as hard copy versions - Ian]
News Release
Embargoed until: 00.01am Wednesday 28th January 1998
Contact: Brian Micklethwait on 0181 858 0841
or Sean Gabb on 0181 858 0841 or 0956 472199
LIBERTARIANS SLAM BLAIR GOVERNMENT OVER "CRAZY" EU DRUGS DRIVE
On the eve of the informal meeting of EU member states in Birmingham
to discuss justice and home affairs, the UK's most radical free
market think tank the Libertarian Alliance (LA), today criticised
the British Government in its drive to further criminalise drugs.
The LA's Editorial Director, Brian Micklethwait, says:
"Does anybody really believe that this "war on drugs" can be won?
When are Blair and his European counterparts going to recognise
that more harm is done than good by trying to buck the market?
The social costs of this prohibition now vastly out way any of
the possible benefits that state action might bring to our
communities."
LA spokesperson and former legal civil servant Sean Gabb states:
"The last thing the drugs barons want is for drugs to be made
legal and for their $500 Billion trade to be handed over to
reputable law abiding businesses. Any decision to extend this
futile prohibitionist war will do nothing but encourage organised
criminals to target, seduce and if necessary buy parts of the
state and pan-European security apparatus."
THE THREAT OF ITALIANISATION
The increasing tendency of politicians both here and abroad to use
the state security services (desperate no doubt to invent a function
for themselves in the post-Soviet world) in the prohibitionist war
against drugs poses a long term danger not only to the reputation of
these agencies but the operation of a free society.
The LA's Director, Chris R. Tame, points out:
"The world's drugs traffickers will now make the British and
European Union's intelligence community a top priority for their
penetration and subversion. Organised criminals will want to make
sure that the UK follows the American policy of asset forfeiture,
whereby state law enforcement organisations and intelligence
agencies are allowed to keep and utilise the money raised from
assets seized during operations. By providing state officials and
agencies with such sources of additional income, organised crime
will be able to slowly addict the police, MI5, MI6 and their
European counterparts to the drugs trade and in turn make sure
that they are no longer accountable to parliamentary scrutiny.
For once state law enforcers have an independent income beyond
the public purse, which is agreed and scrutinised by Parliament,
democratic accountability is no longer viable."
Tame concluded:
"Ultimately, state law enforcement agencies are ill suited to
countering the criminalised drugs trade as it has no centralised
command and control structure. Unlike MI5 and MI6s' old enemies,
the KGB, drugs traders are inherently decentralised, dynamic and
spontaneous in their workings. It is farcical to think that our
political masters want to deploy their agents in this unwinable
war. Individuals should be free to make up their own minds on
drugs. All drugs must be decriminalised forthwith."
END
--
Ian Geldard
The Libertarian Alliance
25 Chapter Chambers, Esterbrooke Street
London SW1P 4NN, England
URL http://www.digiweb.com/igeldard/LA/
ICQ 8091240
