O would some Power the gift to give us
To see ourselves as others see us!Burns
Those lines from “To A Louse” spring to mind on reading Robert Sharp’s comments this morning:
One feature of recieving regular comments from the likes of hard-nosed libertarians such as DK, PG and Longrider (who also, belatedly goes onto the blogroll) is that one starts to pre-empt and address their arguments.
Hard-nosed, eh? It’s always interesting to see how others see us. Given that the written word frequently lacks nuance, this may sometimes give a misleading impression of the writer. I am certainly uncompromising when it comes to things such as personal liberty, freedom of speech and keeping the state out of our personal business. And I make no attempt to hide my contempt for the purse-lipped puritans who would poison our language with neutered, meaningless “inoffensive” pronouns and adjectives as they seek to stifle our right to speak our minds; or demand that we respect the beliefs of others no matter how absurd they may be. So maybe hard-nosed is appropriate.
Like many before me, I have drifted from young socialist to middle-aged pragmatist. Although I’ve always favoured liberty and freedom over authoritarianism (and gained a reputation for rebelliousness at an early age); economically, I have drifted to the right. Not least, because the evidence just doesn’t support the effectiveness of large, spendthrift government. That’s why I am depressed by David Cameron’s latest pronouncements about tax cuts. Reduced government income will force them to cut their cloth – one would hope. It’s how I’ve coped with a dramatically reduced income and avoided ending up on the streets. With an opposition like that, we might just as well stick with the monster we have. :dry:
I digress. Those who know me would probably not think automatically of hard-nosed as an adjective. I am a relaxed, easy going person. I take time to get to know people and rarely start conversations in company, preferring to listen and get a feel for what is going on. I am an extreme reflective introvert. For someone who trains others for a living this may seem a contradiction. However, the rail industry is full of reflective introverts. As one colleague put it, when entering the training room, we adopt a new outgoing personality. We become actors on a stage and play our part.
I see myself as quiet, introverted; diffident almost. There are times when I have to be assertive and will not countenance bullying, so, yes, I can be strong willed and pugnacious if I have to be.
Hard-nosed, though… that’s a new one. 