What it means to be MLPN
MLPN stands for Market, Liberty, Progressive, National. You lean towards free enterprise and a state held in check by law. You also favour freedom in private life.
You tend to guard your country's independence and your own. You may be wary of international bodies that tell people what to do. Your core idea is that free individuals, not governments, should run their own lives.
Views you probably hold
- The state should be small, and its powers kept in strict check.
- Markets, not planners, should decide how resources are used.
- Personal liberty, including in private life, should be wide.
- A country should keep control of its own laws and borders.
- Individual rights should be protected even when they are unpopular.
What admirers see
- Admirers say it defends the individual against both the state and the crowd.
- It combines economic and personal freedom in a single clear idea.
- It values self-government and checks on power.
What critics say
- Critics say a very small state may fail to protect the weak.
- Opponents argue that pure market rules can create harmful concentrations of wealth.
- Critics say it can underrate the value of international cooperation.
In history
This shape includes anarcho-capitalism and several thinkers from the liberal tradition. James Madison wrote checks on power into the US constitution. Frederick Douglass fought for individual rights and self-reliance, and Karl Popper defended the open society. Barry Goldwater later brought a freedom-first outlook into mainstream politics.