In this timely and important collection of recent writings by a leading commentator, Sir Samuel Brittan expounds an individualist vision of liberalism which welcomes some of the New Labour policy initiatives, but rejects its communitarian rhetoric as well as its authoritarian echoes on the Right. This vision forms the context in which a number of current issues are discussed: the globalisation of the economy, the future of state-provided welfare, and the control of inflation among them. Sir Samuel does not limit himself to critical analysis of the past and the future: he sets out an agenda for the future in which are combined idealism and realism, frequently invoking the spirit and thought of David Hume himself.