If you think Theresa May has made life difficult for ‘right-wing libertarians’ in the UK, spare a thought for the poor schmucks across the pond. I was in Washington DC for a few days either side of the presidential election and the overwhelming impression I got from various think tank wonks I spoke to was one of utter despair.
When ‘liberty’ is branded on your currency and is supposed to be the whole reason your country exists, you expect to be thrown a bone every now and then – even the odd square meal under Reagan. But a contest between a warmongering progressive and protectionist nationalist was always going to be a choice between a rock and a hard place for libertarians.
I found a gaggle of them huddled together at the Union Pub in Massachusetts Avenue the Friday before the election. At that point, they seemed to be in the first of Kübler-Ross’s stages of grief: denial.
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