We are very sad to report that on Monday, March 20 at 15:30
hours, Dr. Chris R. Tame passed away at the age of 55. With him to the end were Helen Evans, Petica
Evans; and Sean Gabb, new Director of the Libertarian Alliance.
Chris Tame was a pioneer in building the libertarian movement in
Britain, having founded the Libertarian Alliance (LA) in the early 1970s.
Tame and the LA became very active in promoting libertarianism
– through the development of an extensive series of academic papers that eventually
topped 700 in number (now on-line at the LA website)
– and with Brian Mickelthwaite, David Farrar, and others of the LA, they operated the
Alternative Bookstore in Covent Garden, London for many years (the photo of Chris Tame at the
right was taken in 1984).
This enterprise proved a thorn in the side of London's militant
Marxists, who were upset enough at this font of free market-capitalism, to not only spray-paint
graffiti ("Profits Kill") all over their windows but also to attempt several firebombings. Talk about
being on the frontlines of freedom.
Over the years he became a strong and articulate spokesman for
liberty, and became known as one of Britain's outstanding libertarian broadcasters.
During the 1980s the LA had so heavily infiltrated London's
Conservative Youth organization that the Conservative Party yanked funding. Headline news in the
London Times announced "Loonie Libbies Take Over Conservative Youth".
In 1984, Chris and the LA people hosted ISIL's world conference at
Royal Holloway Castle in Egham Surrey. An excellent location for a libertarian conference –
just a half-mile from the fields of Runnymede where King John signed the Magna Carta in 1215. This
event featured a kaleidescope of movement luminaries – including Robert Poole of the Reason
Foundation, Madsen Pirie of the Adam Smith Institute and many others. It was a smashing success.
Chris and the LA team have stressed cooperation and networking
with other prominent libertarian organizations in order to maximize the effectiveness and outreach of
movement institutions. In recent years this was accomplished through joint directorships in the
Libertarian Alliance, the Libertarian International,
and ISIL – a practice that endures to this day.
Chris Tame Wins ISIL's
Freedom Torch Medal
In mid-November last year (2005) ISIL VP Jim Elwood and I flew to
London to attend a conference of the Libertarian Alliance – and to meet with Chris Tame, who
by that time had become seriously ill with the cancer that would eventually take his life. At one
point it was doubtful that we would arrive in time to see him before he succumbed – but he
rallied, and in spite of having been hospitalized for the previous three weeks, he presided over
this event, driven by sheer power of will. At the closing banquet at the National Liberal Club, a
magnificent old Victorian building, I presented Chris with ISIL's Freedom Torch Medal which is
presented (in alternate years) to individuals who have over the years made outstanding contributions to the
international liberty movement. We then reminisced a bit about our mutual experiences.
Chris Tame's Legacy
Before leaving London, Jim Elwood and I had the great pleasure of
dining out with Chris and LA President Dr. Tim Evans and his wife Dr. Helen Evans. Chris stressed
his desire to see the movement to which he had devoted so much of his life grow and prosper. He
outlined his wishes to see closer cooperation between the LA and ISIL – particularly vis à
vis European conferences. And indeed this was discussed. Dr. Tim Evans will, with LA Director
Sean Gabb, take over the reins of the LA – with Chris's blessings.
So Chris is now gone. We will miss the infectious enthusiasm and
boundless energy he showed for everything he touched – for his formidably sharp wit and for
his lifetime devotion to a noble cause. He was an inspiration to a generation of British
libertarians and will be greatly missed.
See
also LA Director Christian Michel's obituary on
the Libertarian International website
International Society for Individual Liberty
> Hall of Fame
> Chris Tame, 1949-2006
