Author Archives: Self Determination Advocates

Raghavendar Askani 

Founder: Youth Parliament Program.

Program Director / Co-founder:  Swatantrata Center

How did you become a classical liberal?

I am more of a Chicago school minarchist style limited government believer. I have been influenced by pro classical liberal politician Dr. Jayaprakash Narayan who is the Founder of the Loksatta movement and Loksatta Political party, and policy thinktank Foundation for Democratic Reforms. 

I have gained more understanding of classical liberal ideas and possible positive impact on India through India’s Future Foundation programs and the Foundation for Economic Education (FEE). 

I got actively Involved in the classical liberal movement in India and worked as Program Director for India’s Future Foundation (Predecessor of Swatantrata center) and in 2016, I started the Youth Parliament Program under the guidance of Dr.JP Narayan and Venkatesh Geriti which now serves as a youth outreach project of Swatantrata Center where I serve as Program director.

What is the vision for the Youth Parliament Program?

Youth Parliament Program is an ideal platform for socially conscious youth to voice their views & ideas & act as a change agent in building the India of our dreams!

YPP mission to create awareness and empower youth through Youth Parliament sessions where youth can come together, think, discuss and debate on various issues, such as education and health, electoral and political reforms, judicial & police reforms, local governments & citizen-centered governance, governance reforms, instruments of accountability, and public policy reforms in India.​

What is the plan to attain that vision?

In the process create awareness and empower youth through Youth Parliament sessions and boot camps on liberal Ideas where youth can come together, think, discuss and debate on policies that will inspire the youth to express their views in an organized way. It will also allow for the emergence of bright future leaders. 

We hosted a first-ever Leadership Bootcamp where we were able to bring 100+ students across India and 30+ policy experts from various domains such as public policy, business, academia, non-profits, civil society movements, and media. 

What challenges do you face?

Classical liberal ideas are almost alien to Indians and some have never even heard some of the ideas we talk about. Most political parties are socialist and semi communist leaning and they don’t have a certain world view/ideological point of view which becomes a huge problem. 

Most parties and political organizations compete to become big socialist and welfarist political organizations. 

How can we help?

You can help us by promoting our works and involving as partners in our projects as donors, speakers, and supporting organizations.

In his new book, “Break It Up: Secession, Division, and the Secret History of America’s Imperfect Union,” leftist journalist Richard Kreitner expresses doubt that the country can hold together, or should.

As he notes, English colonists came here to separate themselves from their rulers. Our revolution amounted to the colonies’ secession from the British Empire.

The concept of splitting off is as American as the Fourth of July. The high point of separation sentiment came after Abraham Lincoln’s election in 1860, resulting in the Civil War.

But New England states contemplated leaving over the War of 1812. And though the South was forced to stay, it fiercely resisted federal interference in race relations for a century — achieving an autonomy just short of independence.

I have an e-pub of this book. If you would like to read it send me an email at SelfDeterminationAdvocates@gmail.com

The rising wave of insecurity and loss of lives. Ethno-religious related upheavals. Unresolved farmers/herders clashes. An ailing economy. The increasing poverty rate among the population. 

Real and perceived imbalance in appointments into political and other sensitive positions. These are the key issues and complaints that have dominated the discourse when various self-determination groups and ethnic nationalities voice their desires to secede from Nigeria.

Liz Howse

Full-Time Mommy

LH: What’s self-determination. I know the definition of the words but the wider context?

Oh, that’s kind of interesting but I’m from the UK so I kind of feel maybe I should stfu about anyone else’s self-determination lol. I’d be interested to read your posts as they show me your wall though, I might learn some new stuff.

That’s interesting. I kind of assumed it was a state thing… and having read Celeste’s post and reread the above it seems you extend the definition to individual self-determination on a sort of global basis?

JE: Those are the things that make our group different.

LH: It almost reads like de-identifying from oppressive collective mentality, state or otherwise… that’s quite intriguing.

JE: We help defacto nations, unrepresented peoples, secession movements, and individuals gain self-governance through non-violent means.

LH: It would be a nice world wouldn’t it if we could just travel freely and ignore the old battle lines and bullshit?

JE: There are a lot of exciting experiments going on. If a new country project can’t secede they can go for autonomous territory, Special Economic Zone, Free trade Zone, Charter City, Private city, Co-op, or Intentional/proprietary community.

The other thing we focus on is helping people gain self-governance in their personal life.

Politics is a tool. But, honestly, it is a win/lose process.

LH: Yeah I liked that turn of phrase ” supporting the disillusioned.” That would be me… lol.

Yes! Zen and the Art of motorcycle maintenance.

JE: I love that book. I need to read it again. There are many things an individual can do to live a freer life. You feel disillusioned?

LH: I used to argue with a blac bloc friend… when you tear it all down what are you going to replace it with… not enough people understand the beauty of the system to really change it. IMO.

JE: That is so true… we need people with your wisdom… Societies develop over hundreds or even thousands of years…

LH: In the sense that Celeste’s post was referencing. I’m hitting forty soon… worldwide the corruption and conflict of interest are getting blatant… everything has to be polarised.

No one can seemingly live in fucking peace… it all takes money or tangling with bureaucracy. Lol. If by wisdom you mean people who accept they don’t know wtf anymore…

JE: Too many are in that certainty trap… and willing to fight about it.

LH: Lol.. ain’t that the truth.

JE: Would it be ok for me to post about you?

LH: Sure if it helps other people who might think its not for them but really it is. I don’t suppose it matters where we are if we all want to be free… lol.

JE: Your profile pic or another?

LH: ERM.. its a carclipse..so my profile pic is probably fine. Most people get a kick out of the Tesla in space farce. I suspect the blue marble is imagined geography…

Even more, I suspect our political, geopolitical, and economic spheres are highly likely to be contrived geographies… and also our future too currently…

Which is why, internally, I believe all narratives are ripe for rewriting, reimagining and renegotiating.

During an episode of the Rational Radio webinar, BizNews founder Alec Hogg chatted to Phil Craig, the co-founder of the Cape Independence Advocacy Group. This political pressure group conducted a poll to find out how many people in the Western Cape would support what BizNews has dubbed as ‘Wexit’ – a move to separate the Western Cape from the rest of South Africa. Craig argues that as the Western Cape produces 13.9% of South Africa’s GDP, the province would only benefit from a Cape secession.

“The Western Cape economy, as it currently stands, is equal in size to the economy of Namibia, Botswana, and Zimbabwe combined. So, there’s no question of viability. There’s no question that we’ll be better off. As one economist put it to me, effectively it would be a giant special economic zone for South Africa. You now have this kind of freer market, less bureaucracy, investor-friendly territory next door.”

New Delhi, Sep 16

Indian anti-terror agencies have alerted law-enforcement agencies in different states after the banned pro-Khalistan group Sikhs For Justice (SFJ) on Wednesday announced to undertake a door-to-door drive for voter registration in Punjab for its secessionist agenda ‘Referendum-2020’.

The ‘news’ that Star Wars Jedi star Ewan McGregor has shifted his opinion from opposing Scottish independence to enthusiastically supporting it, is welcome and indicative of the fundamental and irreversible shift towards Scottish secession from the increasingly ugly and nasty British Union.

But it is neither ‘news’ nor as significant as the latest opinion poll which registers clear support for Scotland to become an independent nation once again by those who actually live in the country and particularly the young people who are the lifeblood of the nation.

Since the start of 2020, opinion polls have given “Yes” campaigners a consistent lead over their unionist rivals. One recent survey predicted a total reversal of the 2014 referendum result — 55 percent in favor of separation, versus 45 percent against.

Andy Evans

Chair, Straits Area Libertarian Party

From  Cheboygan, Michigan 

JE: Many libertarians up there?

AE: Finding more and more Libertarian minded folks here, rural areas seem to have a few more.  Too much Trump love at the moment though. I lose a few on the topic of immigration.   😉

JE: The Economist magazine says that if people could work where their skills are needed… world GDP would go up 5x. But many libertarians have issues with free migration too.

AE: I think the Ellis Island model worked fine.  The current quota with Mexico is a joke. BTW, I think the concept of a State of Superior needs to revisited.  Folks in the U.P. of Michigan and nearby areas are NOT happy with the dictates from Lansing and Madison …

JE: What can I do to help? Is there a website… or someone to contact?

AE: Well I’ll post your page in the U.P. Libertarians group for starters, and thanks for asking  ❤

JE: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Superior_(proposed_U.S._state)

AE: That’s the one.  Some challenges here, of course, I heard it would require a 2/3 vote from the Michigan State Legislature, then of course Congress, and they would probably want to balance the Senate seats, etc?  I say let in Superior and Puerto Rico (or DC at the same time) perhaps.

JE: What do you think of the election so far?

AE: Typical shit show lol Sure would love to see Jorgensen in the debates, she would mop up the floor with those two.    😉

JE: Yes, how is that going? The debate is the end of Sept?

AE: Well she has zero chance of making the debates.  You need a 15% average in the polls – and none of the polls list more than two candidates lol – quite the farce and I’ll probably boycott the debates myself.

JE: That is so sad… What do you think of the SDA group by now?

AE: Love the concept you guys have put together.  How many members are there now?

JE: 287 – It is big enough for good discussions… Do you like the concept?

AE: Self-determination is a natural decentralization of government i.e. at the most local level possible.  Of course, I suppose sovereign citizen would be the ultimate expression but I’m not quite there yet lol.

Have you reached out to some of the actual groups who have named their entities i.e. microstates etc. ?

JE: Yes, there was a book back in the 90’s “Sovereign Individual.” Different than the “Sovereign Movement.” I have thought of that… Maybe I should… What other ideas do you have for the group?

AE: Well that’s about all at the moment.  I guess anything that gets people thinking about the MANY layers of government we deal with, experiences of people in new nations, all the things! Also, I HATE zoning in so many ways.

Californians may be voting on whether to leave the United States and join the nations of the world as a stand alone country.  Last week, the California Secretary of State’s office announced that a proposed initiative has been cleared for circulation that would put the question on a future ballot. 

If 50% of registered voters participate in election; and 55% of those voting approve, the result would be treated as vote of “no confidence in the United States”. 

Thus, an approval vote would not necessarily result in immediate secession (even assuming that the federal government would assent).  The proponent has until March 8, 2021 to collect signatures of 623,212 registered voters (five percent of the total votes cast for Governor in the November 2018 general election) in order to qualify the initiative for the ballot.

Another poll, a recent Britain Elects survey, shows the Scottish separatist side ahead on the question of independence. (Yes at 53.5 percent) So, there may be another independence vote on the “neverendum” treadmill.