Douglas Carswell's Blog

The Freedom Zone is the heart of the conference

What happens when you tax and regulate things too much? They move elsewhere.

You can see a brilliant illustration of this when you look at what has happened at Conservative Party conferences.

The main conference action used to take place on the conference fringe. These are events organized around the main hall, inside a secure zone.

But gradually the conference fringe began to be taxed and regulated. For a start, you need a conference pass costing, in some cases, over �100 just to get in. You need to stand in long, airport security-style queues.

As happens when you tax and regulate, it is big business that prospers. Slowly but surely, the fringe has been taken over by corporate interests - each with an agenda. Many of the fringe meetings lack authentic debate, as nodding heads and lobbyists talk to one another without a party member in the room.

So along came the Freedom Association under the brilliant Simon Richards, and established the Freedom Zone outside the conference area all together.

Now in its sixth or seventh year, it is rapidly becoming the place where the live debate takes place.

The Freedom Zone brims with vitality. Perhaps, on a macro scale, Treasury ministers wanting to revive our flagging economy should come and see what happens when you take away the restrictions?

Come along to the Bridgewater Hall for the real conference.....

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