In the Times today is an article by Philip Pullman on the state of liberty in modern Britain. “We do not know what is happening to us. In the world outside, great events take place, great figures move and act, great matters unfold, and this nation of Albion murmurs and stirs while malevolent voices whisper in the darkness – the voices of the new laws that are silently strangling the old freedoms the nation still dreams it enjoys.” The article has already aroused considerable response online. Thanks to Ronni for the tip. Read more.

The writer will be speaking tomorrow afternoon in London, 28th Feburary, to deliver the second keynote at Convention on Modern Liberty, hosted by the Institute of Education. One of the main questions for Saturday will ask: “Are our freedoms and rights threatened by an over-powerful state and if so how do we defend ourselves from this?” Unfortunately, tickets for the London addresses are already sold out, but convention events will be taking place at satellite conventions across the UK: in Belfast, Birmingham, Bristol, Cambridge, Cardiff, Glasgow, and Manchester. Click here to find out more.