Stage WSPPer

Right now, the URL wspp.info points to a collection of posts on this blog related to the World's Smallest Political Platform. Pretty soon, though, it will point to a site I'm building to more actively promote the WSPP. Content so far:

- Link to a signable petition asking the Libertarian Party to adopt the WSPP as its platform.

- Link to a Yahoo! Group for discussion of the WSPP.

- Some buttons for linking.

Check it out. If you're a better button designer, etc., than I am, I'd welcome some assistance in making those things prettier.

WSPP, version 1.1

Yes, I am a comma and "and/or" nitpick. Here's the new version of The World's Smallest Political Platform. Future users of the WSPP should use this one, not the previous version (the Boston Tea Party is stuck with the old one, having unmodifiably codified it in its bylaws ... my bad):

[Name of organization] supports reducing the size, scope and power of government at all levels and on all issues, and opposes increasing the size, scope or power of government at any level or for any purpose."

World's Smallest Political Platform by
Thomas L. Knapp is licensed under a
Creative Commons Attribution-No Derivative Works 3.0 License.

Public offering: The WSPP

[Update/Note: This version of the WSPP has been superseded]

Hey, y'all -- long time no see. I've been off-blog a lot again lately, but I have my reasons. I should have new material up soon, but the purpose of this post is to handle a tiny administrative detail:

The general content of this blog is published under a Creative Commons license, but I've decided to specifically license the World's Smallest Political Platform differently: Less restrictively in that it may be reproduced in commercial works without special permission, more restrictively in that it may not be modified. I've left the attribution requirement in because I'm vain (it doesn't have to be overdone, though -- once on a site or whatever).

So, let's get this over with:

The World's Smallest Political Platform

"The [insert name] Party supports reducing the size, scope and power of government at all levels and on all issues, and opposes increasing the size, scope and power of government at any level, for any purpose."


This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NoDerivs 2.5 License.

OK, that's done. Now, why am I doing it?

Well, I've already started one political party based on the WSPP, but I don't see any reason why there shouldn't be others (in the US or elsewhere), or why people shouldn't be able to make a buck off of the WSPP ... and, in the process, publicize it. Hey, it will fit on a t-shirt. It will fit on a bumper sticker. It will fit on a keychain fob. Since I suck at creating and marketing those kinds of things, so go ye forth and profit (for small products on which space is a consideration, attribution on the product site, order form or whatever is sufficient).

I've registered a domain for the purpose of providing information on the WSPP. There's nothing there but a "coming soon" whatsit at the moment, but it will eventually list (and link to) the parties which have adopted the platform, offer versions in other languages, and link to any cool WSPP-related articles, merchandise, etc., that come across my radar screen.

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Platform shoes

Those readers who are active in the Libertarian Party are likely familiar with various "platform reform" efforts.

The most active such effort aimed at securing changes through this year's national party convention in Portland, Oregon, is the Libertarian Reform Caucus. I was briefly a member of LRC and a participant in its deliberations, but recently left the organization for reasons that aren't especially important to this post. It seems likely that there's going to be a bit of a dust-up in Portland between LRC "reformists" and their various opponents. I can't predict what the fallout from that fight will be, but I've been considering the issue of "platform reform" and want to offer a single proposal of my own.

First, a little background:

- One of the staples of outreach and recruitment by the LP and other libertarian groups is the Advocates for Self-Government's World's Smallest Political Quiz. While I have reservations about its accuracy in terms of political classification, it's a neat little tool at any rate. It's engaging, catchy and easy to use.

Engaging. Catchy. Easy to use. Keep those things in mind. They're important.

- While I've engaged myself in the "platform reform" debates for some time now, one thing I hadn't done in a long time was take a "from scratch" approach. That is, I hadn't really given much thought, recently, to how I would put together a party's platform from the ground up rather than simply revise an existing one.

This morning, while doing some household chores, I was thinking (yes, I do household chores; yes, I think), for some reason I've already forgotten, along precisely along those lines. When I reached a stopping point, I sat down at my trusty computer to take a shot at a "ground-up" platform, with the Green Party's approach -- "Ten Key Points" -- in mind as a guide.

I knocked out my first "Key Point" quickly and easily. And then I sat, considering which point should come second. And then I sat, considering, some more. And then I sat for awhile. And then the bolt of lightning hit me.

That first key point is catchy. It's engaging. It's easy to use. Sort of like the World's Smallest Political Quiz. Furthermore, in my opinion, it is an accurate summation of the bare minimum which any party claiming the label "libertarian" should stand for. It's "big tent" insofar as it does not specify an anarchist or minarchist end state, nor does it preclude either incrementalism or "giant steps."

Why do we need ten, or even five, "Key Points," let alone sixty-odd separate planks, when one simple statement will get the job done, fit easily into damn near any "sound byte" length, and leave the party free to address issues with relevant, short program points and resolutions addressed to the issues which Americans actually care about in each election cycle? Believe it or not, the Moon Treaty is unlikely to be a hot issue this November.

Ladies and gentlemen, I give you The World's Smallest Political Platform:

The [insert name here] Party supports reducing the size, scope and power of government at all levels and on all issues, and opposes increasing the size, scope and power of government at any level, for any purpose.

One sentence, folks.

Next time: A revised Statement of Principles in limerick format.

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