Punt Wars II - The Sequal

As the coverage of the "Punt Wars" continues in the national press, it's gets harder to work out what the truth of the story is. Are the independents the "good guys" or cowboys of the river? Is our modern age of health and safety strangling free enterprise or stopping the river Cam become the water bound grid locked equivalent of what has already happened to the local roads? Should we care about independents and independence?

It's hard not to find yourself asking what does independent and independence mean? Freedom? Freedom of personal choice, action and expression? John Stark the American general who fought in the War of Independence is generally credited with coining the phrase "Live free or die". Since then it has not only become the state motto of New Hampshire and but also for everyone from rednecks from the deep south to PG-13 Bruce Willis, the Vancouver punks D.O.A and Unix user groups.

With a bit of digging around it turns out that General John may himself have been a little free in borrowing the phrase from aa speech made by Camille Desmoulins titled "Better to Die than not Live Free" delivered early in the French Revolution. In fact the first Convention of the Delegates of the Scottish Friends of the People in Edinburgh on 11-13 December 1792 used the phrase "live free or die" and referred to it as a "French oath.

Still you get the feeling that what counted for all these people was not the precise origin or form of the words being used but the sentiment they were trying to express.

You can interpret his words as a battle cry or as a statement of the reality of our lives.

Do you believe others have the right or competency to choose where you live, what clothes you wear or even where you punt?


You can live as free men, but, if you choose not to, your society will die. If you don't exercise your freedom of expression when you have the chance you may find it is too late. So seize your freedom, get out on the water, raise your flag and Punt Free or Die Trying!