Demos published a new pamphlet yesterday: The Politics of Public Behaviour. It looks at the public consequences of private decisions. The aim was to ask where and when government should involve itself in people’s personal decision-making, from parenting to carbon emissions, diet, exercise, pensions savings, gambling and organ donorship. It seems on all this issues and more the public/private boundary is becoming blurred.

Have a read here anyway – there is an extended Demos essay as an introduction and conclusion, as well as essays from:

• Andy Burnham MP: ‘The Common Good’
• Andrew Lansley MP: ‘Realising Choice’
• Chris Huhne MP: ‘A Liberal Approach’

You might find the comparisons between the three interesting.

I’ve also written a couple of articles elsewhere:

• See here for a raging discussion about what freedom means
• And here for some thoughts on why, where and when governments might attach terms and conditions to state benefits

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