Hans-Hermann Hoppe: Anti-Communist Manifesto
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Category Archives: Conference Speeches
The Twelfth Conference of the Property and Freedom Society (2017), by Sean Gabb
Bodrum 2017:
The Twelfth Conference of the Property and Freedom Society
Sean Gabb
22nd September 2017
The twelfth conference of the Property and Freedom Society took place last weekend, in the usual place and with the usual enjoyments. The Hotel Karia Princess was about the same as ever, and I believe I was put up in the same room as last year. Bodrum itself was somewhat busier than last year, which must have been a mercy for its tradesmen and hoteliers – though it remains but a shadow of what it was when I first knew it. This year has seen two earthquakes, at least one terrorist attack, a fallen pound and a bitter argument between Berlin and Ankara – none of which was helpful to the tourist trade. This being said, it all made a peaceful stay for those possessed of a steady nerve. Read more
Keir Martland: The Middle Ages as Ordered Anarchy
The Value of the Greek and Roman Classics
The Value of the Greek and Roman Classics
Speech Given to the Property and Freedom Society
15th September 2017
Sean Gabb
When a member of the House of Commons rises to speak on a subject in which he has a pecuniary interest, both the rules of the House and plain decency require him to declare that interest. It is a just requirement, and I propose to follow it here. My agreed title for this morning is “The Value of the Greek and Roman Classics.” I run the Centre for Ancient Studies, which provides tuition in Greek and Latin and Classics in general. I am also the author of twelve novels set in the early Byzantine Empire. Give or take the inevitable problem of converting interest into direct sales, the more people I can inspire to a love of the Ancient World, the greater my income. Read more
Britain and Europe: The Long Goodbye? – Sean Gabb Speech in Bratislava, 15th August 2017
A speech given by Sean Gabb in Bratislava, on the 15th August 2017, to the Institute of Economic and Social Studies (INESS). He spoke to an audience of Slovak journalists and politicians on the background to Britain’s impending departure from the European Union, and discussed what may happen next.
The video was produced and edited by Philippa Gabb.
NB – the main speech is in English, though the flattering Introduction by Richard Durana is in Slovak.
Summary:
- In the 2015 general election, David Cameron needed to attract large numbers of UK Independence Party votes in order to secure an overall majority for the Conservative Party.
- British entry to the European Union (then called the European Economic Community) had split the Conservative Party. This led eventually to the emergence of the UK Independence Party, which was able to take enough votes in the 2010 general election to deny the Conservatives a majority.
- David Cameron’s strategy in 2015 was to offer a referendum on EU membership.
- He made an error in calling the referendum in June 2016, when much British attention was fixed on the migrant crisis of 2015. The result of the referendum was largely due to fears of more immigration from Europe.
- After the referendum, the Conservatives declared that Britain would leave, but had no plan for leaving. Either they were unaware of the complexities, or they were unable to agree on how to manage these complexities.
- They still have not plan. Even so, Britain is to leave in March 2019, and the process will become increasingly exciting for impartial observers.
- Dr Gabb’s own view is that the peoples of Europe are bound together by common experience and common problems, and that a close working relationship must emerge from the process of British withdrawal. His final point is that the European Union is not the best vehicle for articulating these commonalities.
On Discrimination
ON DISCRIMINATION
By Christian Robitaille
The following is a translation of a speech delivered in French on the 5th August 2017 at the occasion of the 2nd edition of the Montreal Free Market Seminar.
Today, I will talk about a phenomenon that is increasingly decried as unfair or evil by Canada’s and Québec’s mass media and by the most vocal leftists of our society. I will talk about discrimination. However, I will not talk about it in a conventional way, i.e., by decrying as unjust any form of discrimination whatsoever and by demanding that the State intervenes in order to reduce or eliminate it. Rather, I will take advantage of the fact that I am speaking in front of a civilised audience to talk about the true nature of discrimination and to show that it is, in and of itself, a useless concept insofar as one seeks to find in it the ultimate criterion of injustice. Read more
What Drives the Modern Left?
The New Barbarians: What Drives The Modern Left?
Andy Duncan (Honorary Vice-President of Mises UK)
A Speech Delivered in May 2017 at the 5th Austrian School Conference of Mises Brasil
I have a confession to make to you. Up until the age of thirty-five, I was a committed socialist. This is incredible, especially considering that now I am only twenty-seven years old! My personal time frame is quite confused.
I was always what you would consider a difficult child, always asking impertinent questions. I was so stubborn that my parents had to rebel against me, rather than the other way around. It got so bad for some teachers at my local state school, that they put me in a remedial class for children with learning difficulties. This was because I had the temerity to ask them awkward questions, such as why I had to obey them. Read more
