Free Market Regulation
We continue to add pamphlets. Perhaps unexpectedly for a Libertarian Alliance pamphlet, political note number 74, argues in favour of regulations.
Regulation is a good thing. We all do it. Regulation ensures the regular delivery of milk bottles at the same time of the day, every day, rather than just at any old time, if you’re lucky. Sony TV sets work every time, because Sony workers all have to abase themselves before great thick books, crammed with regulations. The Sunday Times puts all its job adverts in this massive supplement, but all the lonely hearts adverts (not too raunchy please) in that one, and so on. Regulations. Regulations. Regulations.
However:
But what there ought not to be is more government regulations. The nationalised regulation industry, in other words, should be denationalised.
Brian argues that free market regulation in advertising is preferable because it allows for differing preferences. One of the many troubles with government regulations is that the lack of choice makes it a problem when the government gets it wrong, which is all too likely.
If you fashion an instrument of arbitrary repression, never forget how things would be if someone used it against you.