Good Manners

Ron Manners’ life story is testament to the importance of both sound ideas and a workable strategy, writes Masters of Business candidate Nathan Cuthbertson.

For the past four years I’ve had the great pleasure of knowing and working for Ron Manners AO. I have learnt a great deal about life and business from hearing about his many adventures, so when approached to review his latest book, The Impatient Libertarian, how could I say no?

Written in four parts, the first section of the book identifies five of the most influential figures in Manners’ life, these being: Leonard E. Read, John Hospers, Friedrich August von Hayek, Prince Philip the late Duke of Edinburgh, and Sir Antony Fisher— each figure notable for having their own approach to implementing their particular goals. Part two outlines a number of accidental experiences with a theme of serendipity (more on that later). The third part recounts his time in the Free Market Road Show, and features three speeches that he delivered. Finally, part four is a call to action, highlighting the “impatient” nature of the libertarian author.

Manners has never stood by and let opportunities slip through his hands.

Summarising what you have learnt from your mentors is always a challenge. But Manners attempts just that, focussing on five of the most important people to shape his own view of life. He writes of his initiation to classical liberalism and libertarian thought. Unpacking bearings at his family’s company, Manners noticed some crumpled packaging paper. It was pages from The Freeman Magazine, published by The Foundation for Economic Education (FEE). Manners took the pages home and read them, irrevocably changing his life. Inside the reconstructed magazine, a young Manners read of free markets and self-responsibility, ideas which were then entirely new to him. Excited by these new concepts, he attempted to disseminate them through the Kalgoorlie School of Mines’ student paper, to little effect. Undeterred, Manners wrote to the FEE’s founder, Leonard Read, asking him why he was gaining so little traction in Kalgoorlie. Read’s reply posited that perhaps the rejection was because Manners did not yet understand his own position well enough. Understanding one’s own views is critical to formulating a communication strategy that is consistent with the ideas one is seeking to convey.

Manners next evaluates Professor John Hospers, American philosopher and one-time presidential candidate for the Libertarian Party. Hospers was first introduced to Manners by way of a controversy around one of the American’s textbooks. While studying philosophy at the University of Western Australia (a course in which he enrolled after reading about philosophy in Playboy magazine), Manners came across a critical assessment of Hospers’ book. Thinking he must have missed something, he wrote to Hospers enquiring about the attacks. Hospers noted that any academic who puts forward their ideas is subject to such attacks. From this exchange a lifelong friendship developed, with Hospers becoming a mentor and philosophical coach to Manners. In assessing the view Hospers had on life and change, Manners argues that Hospers’ ideas served as the basis for everything he stood for, and this basic fact was reflected in his teaching.

Prince Philip is admired for his steadfast strategic approach. Manners recalls his experience at the 1968 Duke of Edinburgh Study Conference. Prince Philip, aware of the diverse origins and views of delegates from business, government, and trade unions, refrained from sharing his own personal philosophy for fear of being seen to be “taking sides”. Instead, he aimed to forge lifelong bonds between these traditional “warring parties”. At the end of the conference, he expressed the hope that everyone shared the common goal of “just getting on with it”.

Manners notes that the personal lessons he took from this experience informed his creation of the Mannkal Economic Education Foundation, a Perth-based libertarian institute which provides scholarships to enable Western Australian tertiary students to attend conferences, undertake internships and connect with industry both domestically and internationally. The ideas and inspiration behind Mannkal’s creation derive from Leonard Read, but the ‘how’ of Mannkal was drawn entirely from Prince Philip’s approach to leadership.

Professor Hayek is of course a figure whose influence still looms large over the disciplines of economics, philosophy and public policy. His influence on Manners’ life is no less significant. He first met Hayek in 1976 when Ron Kitching, a friend of Manners, asked him to chip in some money to help bring Hayek to Australia, an invitation Manners jumped at with enthusiasm. In one meeting, Hayek was discussing economics and Manners interjected that he was not an economist, and that the professor would need to slow down. Hayek replied, “I’m glad you’re not an economist. We economists simply dream our ideas and think our thoughts, but businesspeople like you go out and fire the bullets!” This line affected Manners deeply, reflecting as it did the combination of ideas and practicality that Hayek believed would lead to success. Hayek understood, unlike most academics, that ideas need a workable strategy to succeed.

The final influence that Manners cites is Sir Antony Fisher. Inspired by Hayek’s The Road to Serfdom, Fisher wanted to enter politics. Hayek, however, advised him against it and, instead, encouraged him to earn money, because one cannot achieve anything without the money to finance it. This led Fisher to enter the chicken business. Noticing that the chickens available in the United Kingdom were half the size of those in the United States, but unable to import them due to strict marketing board controls, Fisher took a trip to America and, on his return, smuggled in American chicken eggs disguised as easter eggs. These chickens turned Fisher into the largest chicken producer in the United Kingdom. With the capital from the sale of his company, Fisher established the Institute of Economic Affairs, the Manhattan Institute, and the Pacific Institute. Manners concludes that Fisher’s secret to success was 75 per cent strategy and 25 per cent ideas.

Parts two and three of The Impatient Libertarian are a collection of vignettes from Manners’ life, ranging from personal stories about childhood and family to chance encounters and speeches. Each snippet into Manners’ life reveals a common element, namely that of the power of “accidents”. While Manners owes much of his success to chance, he has always sought to use these accidents to good effect. Manners has embraced each new encounter as an opportunity rather than an obstacle.

Manners extended this adaptability to his business practices. In a family business supporting mining, he used to sell disposable steel rock drill bits. A new innovation using tungsten made these steel bits redundant, leaving Manners stuck with thousands of them. Coincidentally, Manners was investigating the use of lead in the fishery industry, and he noted the demand for weights. He was able to turn his supply of defunct drill bits into fishing net weights, and thereby cleared all of his old stock. This ability to see a problem as an opportunity sums up Manners’ life.

Manners acknowledges he has had an incredible run of luck. However, as fellow Western Australian Harold Clough AO OBE once remarked at a UWA graduation ceremony: “Be enterprising, work hard, take a risk. The disappointments and disasters are shattering, but the harder you work, the luckier you get. So, I think the two things are associated.” It is evident from this book that Manners has never stood by and let opportunities slip through his hands, and he recognises that it is a combination of luck and hard work that has determined the course of his life: “My ‘track record’ for attracting accidents has followed me… [m]ost of the time I have managed to turn these accidents into opportunities. Isn’t that what life is all about?”

The enemies of freedom have not yet won.

The final section of the book is a call to arms. Manners argues that Australia is at a crossroads. We can continue down Hayek’s road to serfdom, a path of burdensome regulations and taxation, stifling freedoms in the name of safety, equity and so-called social justice. Or we can return to the path of freedom and prosperity which has delivered so much for so many. Manners argues that there is still hope. More than 60 per cent of Australians rejected a divisive amendment to the Constitution in the 2023 referendum. Following the collapse of the Soviet Union, the economic war was thought to have been won, that free markets had proven their superiority over command economies. However, complacency in the West encouraged those in favour of control and coercion. Socialism was simply rebranded, reemerging as social-democracy; socialists became social-democrats and battle was rejoined. Now, instead of just a fight over economic resources, culture and philosophy have become the battleground. Think tanks such as Mannkal and the Institute of Public Affairs, once dedicated to economic debates, have found themselves broadening their scope to cover issues once thought to enjoy universal support, such as freedom of speech and the rule of law.

The battles are ongoing. The enemies of freedom have not yet won. In Manners’ words, “Be an activist! Much more fun than being a spectator!” He proposes four paths from which a budding activist may choose: education, economic self-preservation, non-violent civil disobedience, and political action. Each of these offers a powerful and unique path to attaining freedom and undoing the mess we have found ourselves in. But matters are further complicated by a lack of leadership, and we have drifted aimlessly into a socio-political malaise.

Luckily, we are not too far gone to retrieve the situation. The Impatient Libertarian offers a variety of leadership strategies, as practiced by and collected from some fine leaders. When underpinned by a commitment to personal freedoms and responsibilities, these strategies can change your life and those of others. If looking for inspiration on how to make a difference, The Impatient Libertarian is well worth a read.

Nathan Cuthbertson is a Masters of Business candidate at the University of Notre Dame and an Administrative Officer at the Mannkal Economic Education Foundation. He is also a Generation Liberty campus coordinator and worked at the IPA’s Melbourne office as a Mannkal Scholar in 2023.

This article from the Winter 2025 edition of the IPA Review is written by Masters of Business candidate Nathan Cuthbertson.