Happy Thanksgiving!
Thanksgiving is a US festival, and the ASI is a think tank based in the UK. Nevertheless, we have always celebrated Thanksgiving. Since it was founded in 1977, the Institute has marked Thanksgiving as a special occasion. The directors cook a meal for the staff. It is traditional stuff, with New England clam chowder, followed by roast turkey with chestnut stuffing and sweet potatoes, and a homemade pumpkin pie finishes the meal.
We celebrate, as the early settlers did, our deliverance from tyranny and persecution. Britain was in a bad way in 1977, with a largely state-owned and state-controlled economy under the thumb of union bully-boys. Under the leadership of Margaret Thatcher, and inspired by her determination, it took only a few years to turn things around.
The UK and the world face difficult times once more, and there are threats to freedom no less real and no less imminent. But we have much to be thankful for, and what was done before can be done again, provided the same insights and the same qualities of character are brought to bear.
We celebrate Thanksgiving, and we wish a happy celebration to our US friends on their special day. To those travelling, we wish a safe journey and may you all enjoy happy times with family and friends.