Glasnost in Britain?

The freedom of the word is under greater attack now than for more than a century. Parliament increasingly subject to autocratic control; local democracy restricted by central government; threat of VAT on books; the press under narrowing ownership; academics fearing restrictions in developing new ideas; proposed privatisation of broadcasting without guarantee of quality or diversity; shift in arts funding towards sponsorship; the changing laws on secrecy; Spycatcher . . . Whereas glasnost in the Soviet Union is the attempt to end a single autocratic state control, in Britain it is this network of interlinked factors that has put the word under threat. Each of the writers analyse the current position and suggest solutions in their own field. They cover a wide spectrum of political and social ideas. But they hold one view in common: that censorship has increased, is increasing and ought to be diminished. That is the theme of this book.