On liberty


Shami Chakrabarti, Penguin, 224 pages, £9.99

On liberty, which has just been released in paperback, is the story of today’s threats to our freedoms, and a highly personal plea in defence of fundamental rights. 


Author Shami Chakrabarti joined Liberty on 10 September 2001. The next day, the attack on the twin towers took place. She has since campaigned against the “excessive” anti-terrorist measures that followed the 11 September attacks such as the Anti-terrorism, Crime and Security Act 2001, and against more recent counter-terrorism legislation. 


The book explores why our fundamental rights and freedoms are indispensable. She shows the unprecedented pressures those rights are under today. 


Drawing on her own work in high-profile campaigns, from privacy laws to anti-terror legislation, Chakrabarti shows the threats to our democratic institutions and why our rights are paramount in upholding democracy.


And she shows how we are watched and listened to by official agencies for no good reason, and how our human rights laws and judges are attacked by ministers and the right wing media. 


Reviews contributed by the Bookmarks socialist bookshop. 


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