The tradition of Libertarian Spring Seminars has outlasted the apartheid government, the Berlin wall, Russian communism, and the twentieth century.  We are about to add the Covid19 pandemic to that list.

This year’s Libertarian seminar begins next week on Monday the 19th of October 2020 at 7pm and runs to Saturday the 24th. 

The structure will be 2x2 hour Zoom sessions per day for each day of the week (i.e. 12 sessions in total), running from 19:00 to 21:00 (7pm to 9pm) and 21:00 to 23:00 (9pm to 11pm).

Participants will click on the meeting links below to join the meetings of their choice. They will be active participants, able to see all other attendees, and to interact with the host, the speaker, and the other members. 

The meeting will be streamed live to Youtube, allowing anyone in the world to view the proceedings, and to submit written questions, and register "Likes"  (You will need to create and/or login to a Youtube account, a quick and easy exercise). Of course the event will be available for later viewing as well.  

Most registered attendees have been added to the Libsem 2020 Online whatsapp group. This group will be used to communicate last minute changes and instructions, and can also be used to request help. Send a whatsapp message to 083 4411 721 oto be added to this group.

Protocols

• 1. Although the Zoom web browser client will download automatically when you start or join your first Zoom meeting, we recommend that you manually download it here to save time, particularly if you have a slow internet connection.

  2. Setup your camera position and lighting in advance using the Zoom image displayed. Ensure that your microphone and speakers are on. You can run a sound test to avoid the endless “Can you hear me” requests. We recommend that you allow 10 to 15 minutes before the scheduled meeting start time to sort out any problems, and to greet old friends already in the meeting.

  3. You will be asked to confirm that you wish to join the meeting, with sound on. The host will then accept your join request. You will see images of all the other attendees already joined on your screen. 

  4. Generally the host will mute all attendees when the meeting starts, except the designated speaker. You can submit questions in writing using the “Chat” function at the bottom of the screen. The speaker will address written questions first at the end of the presentation.

  5. If you click on “Participants” you will see a list of all the meeting participants. At the bottom of this list is an option to “Raise hand”. If all written questions have been addressed, the host will work his way through the names on this list, which is sorted by time of request. When you are unmuted by the host you can verbally raise your question to the speaker. Please ask specific questions rather than making lengthy arguments. In general, a maximum of one minute will be allowed by the host for each question.

  6. The Ria Crafford award for best speaker at a Libertarian seminar has been awarded since 1993.

  7. To record your selection of best presentations, please use the Like button on the Youtube videos of your choice. You can select multiple presentations.  The presentation with the most “Likes” will win. Selections can be made for up to 2 weeks after the seminar. A final count of likes across all presentations will be made on 7th December 2020, and the winner announced.

  8. Speakers should be judged in terms of the following criteria 

     1. Preparation: a good talk requires adequate research, assembly into a coherent thesis, and an attractive delivery..

     2. Presentation: The award is meant to reward interesting, well prepared and fluent presentations. It actively discriminates against the shy and inarticulate, no matter how well-intentioned. It should serve as an incentive to do better, to rehearse adequately, to fashion a first class presentation.

     3. Persuasion: The award is for the best presentation at a Libertarian seminar. The topic should deal specifically with libertarian issues and concerns. When ranking a presentation, the delegate must ask how this presentation adds to understanding of libertarian issues, how well does it persuade listeners towards individual freedom, how appropriate is it to a libertarian seminar?

Program

All the videos can be found on Hugo Kruger’s Youtube channel at https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCDpOqqU-myLWFp26CiPba4A/videos?view=2&sort=dd&live_view=502&shelf_id=2