CHRIS ATKINS' "Taking Liberties"

I lived in London between 1992 through to 2003 and witnessed the key political events of the nineties. In retrospect, a couple memories stand out. The first is the death of Labour leader John Smith and his replacement by Tony Blair. I remember seeing Blair for the first time and immediately disliking him, but as he gained a foothold against the Conservatives, I thought I'd give him a chance.

The next memory is that of the Labour landslide in 1997. It was incredible watching the worst of the Conservatives fall, but in time it became all too clear that things were not nearly as rosy(no pun intended) as it seemed.

Given Blair's relationship with Bill Clinton, there was a prevailing assumption that he would be a thorn or at least a balance to the incoming Presidency of George Bush. In the early days of Bush's presidency there were two pessimistic premonitions: he will start a war in the Middle East and he'll renew the Cold War. Now where are we today? And even harder to imagine at the time was the possibility that Blair himself would capitulate and stand "shoulder to shoulder" with Bush.

Even more worrying was the escalating deterioration of civil liberties in the wake of 9/11. Thankfully, director Chris Atkins has created Taking Liberties as a response to the increasingly farcical policies of Blair's government which rather worryingly have been supported by the incumbent Gordon Brown.

Here is the trailer:

Links:
Taking Liberties
Guardian Unlimited review