Only a generation after the end of the Cold War and the apparent triumph of democratic capitalism, we have come to realize that just such democratic capitalism is floundering world-wide, several new kinds of enemies of it have arisen and there looms ahead of us a fresh struggle for our laws and liberties.

Freedom of expression, with its roots in classical Greece, holds pride of place in this regard. Taking aim at a wide range of authoritarian governments and religious bodies, Paul Monk both champions and exercises this vital freedom without fear or favour. All those who have enjoyed his wide and deep erudition, fearless approach to argument and incisive analysis will love this new book.

All the pieces in this book, with the exception of speeches printed here for the first time, were written over the past three years, since the publication of a previous Paul Monk title Opinions and Reflections. They are arranged in chronological rather than thematic order. They again and again surprise, with the variety of subjects, the breadth of learning and the consistent appeal to reason and humanity.

Echo Books is proud, once again, to publish the work of this remarkable Australian original, who has been described by the emeritus Oxford polymath Professor Mark Elvin as 'one of the handful of indispensable reviewers in the English speaking world.'