Fundamental Rights - On Glasgow, Edward Snowden and the Inconsistency

Last week the Student body of Glasgow surprised everyone by electing Edward Snowden as University Rector, a notion subject to a number of jokes, including my personal favourite "The most important feature of a rector is the ability to leave Russia".

I'd like to add an interesting inconsistency with this entire debate, about surveillence, personal liberty, integrity etc. Snowden said the following in an interview given to the Guardian:

"If we do not contest the violation of the fundamental right of free people to be left unmolested in their thoughts, associations and communications - to be free from suspicion without cause - we will have lost the foundation in our thinking society." - Edward Snowden

Key points here are unmolested in their [...] associations. Most people would agree right.

Let's now apply that to other areas, say economic ones. Tax rates, for instance, or even food regulation laws. Where does that leave us?

How is any rate of taxes consistent with "unmolested in their associations"? Politicians decide to take some percentage of anything you make/sell/earn, add VAT to anything you buy, and also take chunks of a large bit out of corporative profits. If anything could come close to "MOLESTING", this would be it.

Ok, let's go with food regulations. In my native country, the rules that apply to retailers of food, producers, restaurants, café or anything connected to food, are extensive and the Government even has its own authority to give permits, inspect and decide upon what you can or cannot do in the food business. Likewise the UK, Germany, France (not to mention EU standards) have regulations for how such business is to be made. Yet again, how can anything be more in line with "molesting free people in their associations"? If I enter into a transaction of, say, disgusting and rotten food, that's my responsibility. Not to mention the obvious point of WHY I would enter such a transaction? (and, if food contains whatever substance I can't inspect on my own and that makes me sick, I say it's safe to assume that neither me nor anyone I know would buy from that company again - i.e, incentives align to produce good-quality food).

Point is, our Socialist Governments (including those labelling themselves as Liberal, Conservative etc) are filled with regulations, tax rates, fees, distortions to freedom - all of which represents "violation to the fundamental rights of free people to be left unmolested in [...] their associations".

Now tell me, if integrity, personal freedom and "Freedom to be left unmolested" are such virtues in terms of tele-communications, surveillence - how come they're NOT virtues in the fields that actually matter? THat is, taxes, price-levels, regulations to people and business and virtually all parts of British society?

Inconsistency. Hypocracy. Lousy. If freedom and integrity are good enough reasons to sanctify Edward Snowden, why are they not good enough reasons to reduce taxes, remove regulation and increase real freedom? Stuff that actually matter.

If you seriously want to embrace freedom, I'll be the first to congratulate you. But until then, stop pretending you're a supporter of freedom only because you agree with Snowden. Get real.