DEMOS

"In Blair’s Britain, you had better not be an atheist with a sharp tongue, let alone an eloquent evangelist. The ID-cards bill will legislate for the largest intrusion into citizens’ everyday lives in peacetime… It is a recipe for a deterioration in the ethnic minorities’ trust in public authority." (Chris Huhne, October 2005)

The war on terror has turned the protection of citizens’ freedoms into one of the biggest political issues of our time.

The challenges to civil liberties range from identity cards to media privacy, and ASBOs and access to justice. Each one has been controversial, yet the political pressure to limit individual freedoms can sometimes appear overwhelming.

In a speech to Demos, Liberal Democract leadership candidate Chris Huhne MP set out how modern politics can strengthen a culture of liberty, while at the same time upholding the rule of law in a more diverse, unequal and globalised society.