Reddit reviews Obscure Scribblers: A History of Parliamentary Journalism

> For centuries—through two world wars, the Cold War and innumerable other conflicts, major and minor—, through times of intense political instability and stability alike, Britain has fostered a legal system with a definite, inclusive sense of our civil rights and liberties. We have an historic and treasured cultural sense of fair play and good manners, a tendency towards equality and personal freedom, an honoured history of protest and a healthy disregard for authority. From the bold action of Robert the Bruce, Robin Hood, Guy Fawkes, Wat Tyler, Emmeline Pankhurst to the bold thinking and writing of John Stuart Mill, George Orwell and countless others, the British people have worked hard to uphold these values which define our nation.

I feel this only indicative of one half of the story, and perhaps not even the half that was in the majority for much of our history. As catalogued in Obscure Scribblers, resistance to freedom of the press has been just as common a feature of British politics as expansion of free speech. Even the recent reaction to the Snowden leaks was resigned, much to the chagrin of the Guardian. This isn't to say that the legal system hasn't been excellent in many ways, but it's also been highly authoritarian at times.

I'm on your side by the way, but I'm not persuaded by this appeal to tradition tactic, both as a form of logic or as a historical thesis.