Introduction

"A beginning is a very delicate time."
Frank Herbert

The Consensus is a new type political party in Britain, and is being presented rather differently from the rest (as you will notice). Nevertheless, we do have a quite practical vision of what needs to be done for this country and Europe as a whole. It is also a vision that could be implemented in a single parliamenary term, and which does not involve spending any more of your money. The precise details are in the manifesto.

However, to sum it up the party itself is rather difficult because it does not lie conveniently in the traditional Left-Right spectrum, nor does it sit easily within the confines of the bland style of modern politics – not that it was ever the intention that it should be thus, because a new conventional political party stands no chance whatsoever in British politics.

The closest concise description is something like "Libertarian Green technophile global nationalist" with elements from the traditional Left and Right and an underpinning of Transhumanist philosophy. It is this latter aspect which provides an overarching vision of what the future should be – a vision that is lacking in current politics.

To keep this brief we will explain the meaning of each term.

We are Libertarian at the personal level because we believe that consenting adults should be free, amongst themselves, to indulge in whatever beliefs or activities they like providing they do not directly harm other members of society.

We are Green because we consider Nature and Earth to be sacred. We intend to minimise the damage we are doing and if possible repair and restore the world, establishing a balance between other life and our technological civilisation, utilising fully renewable resources.

We are technophiles because we believe that the only realistic way forward short of global disaster is by applying new sciences and technologies to our most pressing problems, coupled with the political will to abandon old and damaging technologies.

We are globalists in the sense that we believe our most pressing problems need to be solved on a global scale through mutual co-operation between nations - not through military adventure or neo-imperialism.

We are nationalists in that we believe that every major cultural group should have its own homeland and live under laws of its own choosing and in its own way. Also that the independent nation state is the last line of defence for the common people against exploitation by unrestrained Global Capitalism. We are 'inclusive nationalists' in that we believe that all of our citizens have equal rights and are equally welcome irrespective of race. So if you are looking for nationalists who are not racists, sexists or into euphemisms such as 'traditional values', here we are. Our nationalism is a celebration of our future, not the past.

As for elements from the Left, we believe our citizens should regard themselves as being members of the same family, entitled to whatever help is required to make the best of the lives of every member and to expect a contribution from every member. And that a responsibility of government is to try to ensure that our society is fair.

From the Right we believe in individual responsibility to balance individual rights and that less government is best government – that governments should regulate, but not act as an employer or wealth producer. We believe in the impartial and firm application of the Law to protect our citizenry and their Rights, as well as a strong volunteer military geared towards self defence.

All who believe in our aims are welcome to join us irrespective of ethnicity, gender or sexual orientation.

Finally, we believe that Transhumanism will be the key political issue of this century. We believe the only viable way forward is to transform the whole notion of what it means to be Human - that Humanity is the beginning, not the end. Briefly, Transhumanism is: "Philosophies of life that seek the continuation and acceleration of the evolution of intelligent life beyond its currently human form and human limitations by means of science and technology, guided by life-promoting principles and values." Also called by Fukuyama “The world's most dangerous idea”.

Every politcal party need a core philosophy other than 'having power is good', which is one reason why politics is so bland and out of touch with most people today. This is our vision of the near future – one whose leading edge is upon us now.

If you want an adventure, a mission in life, this is it! The world is ripe for change and you can be part of it.
If you are old or have retired into the kind of future you didn't sign up for – join us.
If you don't like the world and the way it's going, but feel you are too young or insignificant to make a difference – join us.
If you think you could do better than the people running this nation, and this world, into the ground – join us.
There are no barriers.

Join us and become an active member - organise, recruit, administer, stand for election!
Don't be a spectator - be a player - seize the chance.

Last updated: 10 March 2004

© The Consensus 2002