LONDON (January 14, 1998) - While passing by Freedom Party's headquarters for a visit, professor emeritus of history at the University of Western Ontario, Kenneth Hilborn, dropped off a couple copies of his 91-page booklet, The Quest for 'Equality': From Robespierre to Rae and Beyond: How An Unattainable Ideal Has Threatened Freedom. It's an excellent read for those interested in understanding how the concept of equality has been turned into a "fanatic" ideology where "results are the same for all."

"What can voters do when the leaders of 'opposition' parties are also committed to something like enforced 'equality'?" Hilborn asks. "Small parties (like the Libertarians and Ontario's Freedom Party) may --- and often do ---challenge the consensus of the entrenched political elite and provide an outlet for discontent, but they lack the money, organization, experienced personnel and media coverage needed to present themselves to a mass electorate as a credible alternative. In effect, the electorate is deprived of genuine options."

Hilborn's observation certainly hits the mark, and as readers may note, his message strikes a theme that repeats itself throughout this newsletter, whether about the dilemma faced by small political parties or the dilemma faced by voters who have no option at the polls.

"The argument for a substantial degree of direct democracy, through citizen-initiated referenda, is therefore a strong one," suggests Hilborn, "but its introduction is bound to be resisted by left-liberals as a threat to 'equality.'"

No kidding. But what to do? Hilborn's recipe for a solution is in the question he asks: Small parties need money, organization, experienced people, and increased media coverage. Voters need a choice.

A long-time Freedom Party member himself, Hilborn practices what he preaches, and in addition to supporting the party financially, has also contributed essays to our sister newsletter, Consent, on three separate occasions.

"As always," he warns, "complacency could prove to be a recipe for ruin. Unless one is foolish, one will never despair because of defeats, and never be confident that a victory is permanent. These are thoughts that conservatives today would be wise to keep in mind."

To get a copy of Hilborn's book, The Quest for Equality, contact: Citizens for Foreign Aid Reform Inc. (CFAR), Box 332, Stn. B, ETOBICOKE Ontario, M9W 5L3. ($6 single copy; $5 two to five copies; $3.60 six or more.)

e-mail

Page last updated on April 28, 2002