> In general Greens put forward strict regulation to reduce damage to the environment. It takes a bigger government to put those regulations in place and enforce them. A good example of Green style regulation is the deposit the californians pay for their drink beverages. A huge bureaucracy had to be developed to make sure that the same container would not be redeemed twice to defraud the system.

Cant comment on this particular example, cause I have no knowledge of it, and the question concerned the UK Green party. My impression of which is that they are not afraid to attempt to regulate big business to some degree, but are not controlling when it come to indivdual choice. Maybe im just reading what I want to hear as it were, but in terms of size of government, the party seems to be about localised, informed and co operative decision making rather than top heavy federal style politics.

> The ultimate libertarian goal is to have an efficient minamalistic government that protects basic rights (that of life and property) and insures that the system stays in place.

Id go further and say that the ultimate libertarian goal would surely be no government at all, the question for me is how to approach that goal.

> Libertarianism trusts individuals to make informed choices about the behaviours they partake in and ultimately suffer the consequences of those decisions. The city that wants the good jobs the mine provides better ready to accept and increase in the incidence of cancer. The drug user needs to accept the responsibility that those substances may kill or poison him/her. etc... The Government only steps in when one persons life or property rights conflict with another.

Im with you on all that - the Greens are amongst the voices calling for repeals of drug prohibition laws.

> I would say much of the Green agenda is more toward the liberal or authoritarian slant.

Liberal I can understand, but I dont see the authoritarian thing yet.

Rich
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