John F. Kennedy is not a particularly big hero to the libertarian movement. Sure, we’re all up on not asking our country to do anything for us, but not too keen on letting the state demand anything it wants of us. However, not only did he certainly know enough of libertarian ideas on taxation, he had the nature of liberty down to a T, when he said, “Liberty without learning is always in peril, and learning without liberty is always in vain.”

Taking that to heart, this past week, thirty young libertarians (and one young liberal conservative: that’s entryism for you) have been in Cambridge, learning about liberty, to help defend their ideals. Held at Sidney Sussex College, Freedom Week is a week-long programme of seminars, designed to help develop ideas and networks crucial to move the libertarian movement forward. Better than that, due to the generous support of its sponsors, it’s entirely free for attendees, including all lectures and full-board, not to mention drinks on Freedom Week’s organiser.

That organiser is JP Floru (as assisted by our own Charles Groome) of the Freedom Alliance, who bases Freedom Week upon similar programmes in the United States. The programme covers all topics of classical liberal thought, from the economic to the social, from the historical to the philosophical, and covering public policy issues as diverse as education, the environment, and the European Union. And those are just the ones beginning with ‘E’s.

The result is a well-rounded and thoroughly-engaging series of talks, delivered by some of the foremost experts in their respective fields, and a sense of intellectual rigour that other philosophies simply lack. It is also a great chance to make good friends with innumerable fellow libertarians from across the country, even the globe, and a chance to prove that libertarians can have fun (even in an empty summer-time university city). For all that John F. Kennedy frustrated libertarians, he was certainly onto something when he talked of liberty and learning going hand in hand. And he also had good times down, too.

Editor: If you’d like to know more about what went on at Freedom Week, get more information about organisers, lecturers, or attendees, or attend next year, feel free to email me at president [at] ucllibertarians.com.