Artists and academics unite to support The Free Society

Monday February 4, 2008

“Our goal is a society that adopts a sensible, laissez-faire approach to social and economic affairs”

Seven months after the introduction of the public smoking ban, one of the country’s leading screenwriters has criticised Britain’s politicians for their “savage impulse to control”.

In a forthcoming article for The Free Society blog, launched today, Ronald Harwood – who won an Oscar for best adapted screenplay in 2003 and was recently nominated for a second Academy Award – argues:

“We live in an age of extremism. It manifests itself in every walk of life – religion, most obviously, but also in politics because politicians, our elected representatives, have a savage impulse to control and they have taken this impulse to extremes. Control is the modern politician’s watchword. It is a form of extremism not much different from any other because extremism produces fanatics and fanatics are a curse on all the peoples of this planet.”

The blog is part of a new campaign founded by the smokers’ lobby group Forest. Director Simon Clark said:

“The Free Society has been launched to give a voice to those who want less not more government interference in their daily lives. Our goal is a society that adopts a sensible, laissez-faire approach to social and economic affairs, trusting people to make their own decisions about how best to live their lives, mindful of the effect their behaviour may have on others.”

The Free Society blog will feature a variety of writers including artists, academics and political commentators. Forthcoming contributors include musician Joe Jackson, whose new album Rain was released last week. Explaining what prompted him to write ‘Citizen Sane’, a song on the new album, Jackson says:

“I don’t want to be ruled by nannies, prigs and bullies. Even with the best of intentions, the health and safety brigade are often wrong, and only look at life from one angle, an angle which is increasingly mean-spirited, promoting paranoia, intolerance, and illusory concepts like zero risk.”

Commenting on academics, politicians and writers who undermine academic freedom and freedom of speech by arguing that it comes with “responsibilities”, Professor Dennis Hayes, founder of Academics For Academic Freedom (AFAF), will argue: “There is no responsibility for those who value these fundamental freedoms other than to speak their mind and challenge conventional wisdom.”

Other contributors to The Free Society blog will include:

Claire Fox, director of the Institute of Ideas, on freedom of speech; Simon Hills, associate editor of The Times Magazine, on Red Ken’s green politics; Matthew Elliott, director of the Taxpayers’ Alliance, on the case for low taxation; and Dr Madsen Pirie, president of the Adam Smith Institute, on misconceptions about freedom.

Welcoming the new campaign (“Thank goodness for The Free Society”) Brian Monteith, former member of the Scottish Parliament and vice-chairman of the English Speaking Union Scotland, writes:

“Over the last 30 years politicians and campaigners have increasingly sought to restrict our freedom in areas such as smoking, eating, drinking and other lifestyle choices. Today, the idea of a benign nanny state in which nanny tries to shape our lives in our ‘best’ interests is history. The nanny state has become the bully state.”

For further information contact:

Simon Clark
Director, Forest/The Free Society
T 01223 370091