This morning on the radio they were discussing the fact that it is the 40th anniversary of Soviet tanks rolling into Czechoslovakia. The famous "Prague Spring" used the tagline of "Socialism with freedom". One of those who was there at the time asserted that what they learned is that you cannot have socialism and freedom in the same society. To exist socialism must be authoritarion in nature and deny many freedoms.

Were the Czech activists right? Are socialism and true freedom incompatible?

The new right has won, atleast in economic thought. Both the Tories and the New Labour parliamentary leadership (although definitely not the party membership yet) have accepted their fundamental ideas of economic thought. Of applying marketisation, and thus monetary value to nearly all sectors of government intervention and then assuming that this will produce the best results. I do not believe that the mainstream of Liberal democrats have yet accepted this idea although I have met the occasional member who has. However there are those who associate the very meaning of liberalism with new right economics. This is my response, I only hope that there are labour party members with the guts to challenge the new right consensus too.