In Association with the Libertarian International
London, Wednesday, 31 July 2002
Contact Details: Dr Chris R. Tame, 07957 644519
chris@libertarian.co.uk
For other contact and link details, see the foot of this
message
"WE WELCOME ALAN DUNCAN'S 'COMING
OUT'", SAYS FREE MARKET AND CIVIL LIBERTIES THINK
TANK
Alan Duncan’s decision to come out publicly as gay
has been welcomed by the Libertarian Alliance,
Britian's leading pro-freemarket and civil liberties
think tank.
Libertarian Alliance Director, Dr Chris Tame
commented:
"Alan Duncan has performed a historically important
deed. His action can help liberate us all from the tyranny
of sexual hypocrisy.
"If Mr Duncan is followed by other parliamentarians
from all the political parties it will bring to rest the
hoary old myth of the absence of gays and lesbians from our
political life. Political insiders have known
for many years that Parliament, and politics generally, has
been an attractive profession for homosexuals. It is
thought that gays alone make up about 10% of the House of
Commons. A coming out party by Conservative MPs
would show there was no need for positive action to select
gay parliamentary candidates - simply a civilized
requirement to respect the sexuality of
incumbents. The media has generally acquiesced
in maintaining the myth of the exclusion of gays from
Parliament, failing to stress the real problem faced by
politicians - being open about their sexuality in the
face of a prurient media".
ENDS
Note to Editors
(1) Dr Chris R. Tame is the founder and Director of the
Libertarian Alliance. A prolific writer and lecturer on
many topics in sociology, economics, philosophy and the
history of ideas. He is also the author of "Freedom,
Responsibility and Justice: The Criminology of the New
Right" in the book "The Politics of Crime
Control" (Kevin Stenson & David Cowell, eds., Sage
Publications, London, 1991), which can also be found
reprinted at http://www.libertarian.co.uk
Dr Tame can be contacted for further comment at 07957
644519 or by email at
chris@libertarian.co.uk
Extended Contact Details:
The Libertarian Alliance is Britain’s most radical
free market and civil liberties policy institute. It has
published over 700 articles, pamphlets and books in support
of freedom and against statism in all its forms. These are
freely available at
http://www.libertarian.co.uk
Our postal address is
The Libertarian Alliance
Suite 35
2 Lansdowne Row
Mayfair
London
W1J 6HL
Tel: 07956 472 199
Associated Organisations
The Libertarian International - http://www.libertarian.to -
is a sister organisation to the Libertarian Alliance. Its
mission is to coordinate various initiatives in the defence
of individual liberty throughout the world.
Sean Gabb's personal website - http://www.seangabb.co.uk -
contains about 800,000 words of writings on themes
interesting to libertarians and conservatives
Candidlist - http://www.candidlist.com -
owned and maintained by LA Executive member Sean Gabb, it
lists Conservative MPs and candidates according to their
views on European integration. It had a major effect before
the 2001 general election, and remains an important
resource.
Liberalia - http://www.liberalia.com -
maintained by by LA Executive member Christian Michel,
Liberalia publishes in-depth papers in French and English
on libertarianism, anarcho-capitalism and the free market.
It is a prime source of documentation on these issues for
students and scholars.
Libertarian Samizdata - http://www.samizdata.blogspot.com
- works in association with the Libertarian Alliance and
has an ever larger following. Check it out.