Liberty and Vigilance It is the business of an organisation
like the National Council for Civil Liberties to be so much on the alert for abuses as to seem sometimes to be looking for trouble. But it is entitled to claim that its activities are justified by the various encroachments on liberty which are made increas- ingly possible nowadays by lethargy, indifference and the contagious spread of authoritarianism. At its annual general meeting on Tuesday the Council could point to a remarkable record of justifiable activity. It has defended the liberty of the subject against divers attacks actual or threatened, it has upheld the right of public meeting and the freedom of the Press, and stood for an enlightened film censorship and against the abuse of the Official Secrets Act. Lately it has been extending its activities to colonial matters. It is in some ways a thankless task to which the Council has set its hand, and it will deserve every credit if it can continue to exercise justifiable vigilance in the cause of liberty whilst avoiding the dangers of excessive zeal.
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