Various from Sean Gabb

1. I have just uploaded a video file of the “Libertarian World Conference 1991″. This contains rare footage of Chris R. Tame in his prime, before the clouds had gathered that darkened his final years. He is certainly at his best here! The video also shows Hubert and Rita Jongen, Tom Grey, and Alastair James, among other friends. You can view the footage here:

http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=4020756734522357390

(or http://tinyurl.com/yowcr5)

2. I did another BBC radio discussion the day before yesterday on free speech and that Oxford Union debate. You can find the mp3 file here:

http://www.libertarian.co.uk/multimedia/2007-11-26-freespeech-sig.mp3

(or http://tinyurl.com/ys2gtp)

3. I have just received the latest issue of “The Individual”, published by the Society for Individual Freedom. The SIF and LA are sister organisations. Though they do not live together, they do share Nigel Meek, who is Editorial Director of the LA and Editor of “The Individual”. This is an excellent issue of the SIF’ quarterly journal, and I hope Nigel will republish some of the articles though the LA.

you can find details of the SIF by going here:

http://www.individualist.org.uk/

Issues of “The Individual” are located here:

http://www.individualist.org.uk/the-individual-2002-2007.htm

(or http://tinyurl.com/2gup2q)

4. Christmas is coming, and I am sure you have friends and relatives who have already have everything that can be bought in places like John Lewis. Therefore, let me recommend two of my books:

Cultural Revolution, Culture War (£9.99)

(buy from Amazon at: http://tinyurl.com/2db7co)

The Column of Phocas (£8.99)

(buy from Amazon at: http://tinyurl.com/ynxldm)

You can read reviews of the Cultural Revolution book at

http://www.candidlist.demon.co.uk/hampden/culture.htm

(or http://tinyurl.com/34e2o3)

There are new reviews by Gregg Beaman and Kevin Carson.

Though it might not be good marketing, I will suggest that you might know people whose visits or telephone calls you wished to discourage. Giving such people one of my books for Christmas might be helpful.

5. Here is another book. I did not write this, but it is worth bringing to attention:

The Great Reading Disaster: Reclaiming Our Educational Birthright (Paperback) by Alice Coleman (Author), Mona McNee (Author) (£16.99)

(buy from Amazon at http://tinyurl.com/yta2tu)

That’s all for now.

Regards,

Sean Gabb
Director, The Libertarian Alliance
Tel: 07956 472 199
sean@libertarian.co.uk
http://www.seangabb.co.uk
http://www.libertarian.co.uk
http://www.hampdenpress.co.uk/

The mouse that “can’t get cancer”. Another example of free-market science success that won’t be available on the NHS in England.

David Davis 

The Daily Mail, in its rather sad “two sensational-health-scares plus two sensational-advances (and all for women mostly) per week per front page” editorial policy, trumpeted today;

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/pages/live/articles/health/healthmain.html?in_article_id=496751&in_page_id=1770&ito=1490

“The mouse that can’t get cancer”.

I object to this popularly-journalized demonization of cancer - not because it’s an often painful and sometimes currently incurable condition - but because news about our progess towards its being made nugatory, such as with colds and flu for instance, has fallen into the hands of those who drive popular culture and popular-use-of-popular-media.

Molecular biophysicists have known for some years that there are genes which act, sort of like a “dead-man’s handle”, in cells which become what we call “neoplastic”; that is to say, cancerous. these cells have “lost” the ability to respond to ordinary chemical signals from their host body, telling them all the while ”don’t divide”. So? They divide. Then they do it again…..and again, and again, and again, and…… the result is? Cancer. Some genes exist in multicellular organisms exactly to respond to this scenario, and they shut down any such cell line. Sometimes, tragically, these genes can become broken, in the course of many many cell replications in one’s life. (That’s why cancers are often conditions of middle or old age.)

But “The mouse that can’t get cancer” is I think a premature stab for us at some confidence in the future. Let’s not get too excited in England in 2007….for…………

Gordon Brown still wants you to die painfully, for a few decades more, like his political forebears still rationed foods and petrol and clothes (even CLOTHES for f***’s sake?) for years after the War. After all, if such was available on the NHS, then rich-people would queue up for it first, and we can’t have that. 

There is no doubt that Man will beat cancer generally and in detail. It may even happen in our lifetimes. But there is also no doubt that, as soon as such treatment whatever becomes available, it will “not be available on the NHS in England”. Probably in Scotland. Most probably in Poland too.

A freer market in university research in the USA has brought this new insight about. isn’t it interestingly tragic that a thingy called “NICE” (the national institute for clinical excellence) often forbids stuff automatically to England, which is permitted to be “funded” elsewhere. Well, there’s socialism for you.

Strategic policy-making for the new century; the Libertarian Alliance is your one-stop think tank.

Just a usual weekly reminder for policy-makers, movers and shakers, butchers, bakers and candlestick-makers (all of whom will experience “change” - that mantra word of management consultancy - if for example bio-fuels get a throttle-grip on the planet’s food supply.)

The Libertarian Alliance’s main web page has on the left hand sidebar, under “Libertarian Alliance Publications“, about 800 items categorised under almost any social or philosphical heading you can think of over a cup of tea.