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 Michael Gove's call for Liberalism Michael Gove has written his Times column this week on a call for more liberal opposition to ebbing liberty in the UK, and then come onto Radio 4s The World Tonight to push the theme. He looks to the Tories to protest against New Labour's disregard of traditional liberties but fears that they are only too keen to endorse New Labour in their indifference to them. "Where are the liberals when you need them?" he asks. The Queen's Speech shows that Labour is planning to criminalise everyone from fox hunters to shopkeepers who retain imperial measures (still more widespread than any rival units of measurement, owing to the success of the British Empire). The police are now to be allowed access to tax details that were private up till this year. The right to silence, to trail by jury and in some cases, like that of racism, the presumption of innocence is to disappear in the courts. Yet the reaction of Ann Widdecombe has been to say that New Labour has not gone far enough rather than to protest that liberty should be upheld. Gove thinks that this is not really coherent of the Tories. They ought to realise that freedom is indivisible, so they ought to defend freedom as a whole rather than just economic freedom.
The right to silence is an oddity for the rule altered is that the lawyers should not be able to speak on silence of the witness rather than that the witness must speak, as one might think from the wording. It is one of the many oddities about the courts. Another is the idea that if the Press or the outside world have discussions that might inform the jury, this will prevent a fair trail. Ditto the court knowing about the past character and even criminal charges and convictions of the accused. If lawyers were liable later for covering up the criminality of their defendants then that might be a reform for the better. "Those fighting for free enterprise and free competition do not defend the interests of those rich today. They want a free hand left to unknown men who will be the entrepreneurs of tomorrow and whose ingenuity will make the life of coming generations more agreeable. They want the way left open to further economic improvements. They are the spokesmen of material progress." LUDWIG VON MISES
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More Liberty Please 
