Clegg for freedom

Restoring individual liberty has long been a Liberal Democrat aspiration. Nick Clegg has pursued the cause in government; with mixed results it must be said, particularly on control orders. But Clegg is unperturbed and today he is introducing the Freedom Bill. He previews its contents with a typically clear piece in today’s Telegraph.

The measures are extensive. Pervasive CCTV is to be curbed; ContactPoint, the database containing the personal details of every child in England, is to be switched off. These liberal measures accompany those that have already been taken, such as scrapping the ID cards. Essentially, his argument is distilled into this neat paragraph:

‘We are looking at liberty across the board, at both the controversial and the seemingly mundane. Freedom is back in fashion. While our predecessors took it away, we will give it back.’

Fashion is the key here. Are these policies vote-winners? Much hunch is no.