Here we express our values in two formats.
First what we say in our Constitution.
Second a poetic expression of our guiding values.
From the Libertarian Party's Constitution (section 2)
The Libertarian Party is a political party that stands for individual liberty, free markets and small government.
It regards government as the principal threat to these values and therefore seeks to reduce its intrusion into our lives to the lowest level possible consistent with the preservation of a civilised society.
It aims to restore to individuals the right to make their own choices and to accept responsibility for their consequences, on the basis that they make better decisions than government.
The following Principles represent its enduring values.
Economic Principles
- Free markets and freedom of choice
- Small government, low taxation, limited government spending and regulation
- Widespread ownership of private property
Social Principles
- Civil society and voluntarism
- Civil liberties and individual freedom
- Individual liberty and personal responsibility under the rule of law
Government Principles
- Constitutional liberal democracy
- Ethical and impartial government under the rule of law
- Devolution of power including decentralised government and competitive federalism
International Principles
- Free trade in goods, services and capital
- Free trade in ideas and culture
- Freedom and human rights
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A Poetic Expression of our guiding values
WHAT WE BELIEVE:
We believe in Liberty, the natural condition of all humankind,
Born free and equal in dignity and right,
Endowed with reason and conscience,
And sovereign over their own lives and property.
We believe in the Rule of Law,
By which all are equally bound,
That no person shall be above it,
And justice be dispensed without fear or favour.
We affirm the dignity of the individual,
The sanctity of voluntary association,
And the right to speak, to worship, to trade,
To pursue happiness in peace,
So long as none do violence to the rights of others.
We hold that any government,
Must be instituted by consent to secure liberty,
Divided in powers, checked by law,
And answerable to the governed.
We confess the virtue of free markets,
Where goods and labour are exchanged by willing hands,
And innovation, not privilege, enriches the commonwealth.
We renounce tyranny in all its forms—
Whether by monarch, mob, or bureaucracy—
And denounce coercion save in rightful defence.
We await the flourishing of free peoples,
In nations governed by reason, not force,
And commit ourselves to the eternal vigilance
That liberty may not perish from the earth.
May a thousand flowers bloom.