The Three Dimensions of Freedom

by Billy Bragg

At a time when opinion trumps facts and truth is treated as nothing more than another perspective, free speech has become a battleground. While authoritarians and algorithms threaten democracy, we argue over who has the right to speak.

To protect ourselves from encroaching tyranny, we must look beyond this one-dimensional notion of what it means to be free and, by reconnecting liberty to equality and accountability, restore the individual agency engendered by the three dimensions of freedom.

Genres: Nonfiction, Politics, Philosophy, Society, History, Social Justice, Social Science

106 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2019

About the author

Stephen William Bragg (born 20 December 1957) — known as Billy Bragg — is an English alternative rock musician and left-wing activist. His music blends elements of folk music, punk rock and protest songs, and his lyrics mostly deal with political or romantic themes. His music career has lasted more than 30 years.

Reviews

[Michael · Rating 5 out of 5]

A quick read, as clear as it is concise. Bragg proposes that true, inclusive and democratic freedom is founded on the three principles of liberty, equality and accountability. He builds his argument for the importance of each pillar, showing how neoliberalism has eroded them, but most particularly that of accountability. Deregulation has given free rein to corporate exploitation of people and the environment, and Bragg sketches his ideas for redressing the balance. It could have been three times as long and still too short. Wonderful!

[chantel nouseforaname · Rating 4 out of 5]

Short and to the point. A great reminder to the masses about what is actually happening in the world and who is doing the fuckshit and what side of the coin they should be on if they actually give a fuck about freedom. The three dimensions are Liberty, Equality and Accountability.

I don't know a lot about Billy Bragg but I will say that he's spot on re: so many circumstances about how the radical right try to weaponize elements of freedoms to try to abuse and terrorize the public, even to their own detriment. This could be longer. Recommended reading if you give a fuck about life.

[Neil Fulwood · Rating 5 out of 5]

This lucid, concise tract puts forth an overview of the history of neoliberalism and explains why it is unsustainable, while calling for greater accountability of those who govern us (and those who seek to influence them). Bragg has been at the forefront of protest and activism for four and a half decades and ‘The Three Dimensions of Freedom’ is shot through with wisdom, experience, passion and intelligence.

[Therese · Rating 4 out of 5]

A short book by the iconic singer and political activist Billy Bragg ... while I wouldn't say I'm in lockstep with every aspect of his thinking, I was impressed by how cogently he lays out his arguments and his theoretical framework. His clarity and strong writing skills are a wonderful breath of fresh air, and I feel like I came away with a better understanding of the arguments against neoliberalism and globalization than I had before. His excursions into British and American political history are great, too. Cool to see a musical treasure revealing how much he is also a fine thinker along cheeringly optimistic lines about how modern society can do better.

[Steve Gillway · Rating 4 out of 5]

I remember hearing Billy Bragg in an early gig saying that when people asked him for the solutions for all the world's problems, he replied anything by the The Four Tops and then played "Levi Stubbs tears". Luckily he has not changed his tune and does not seek to solve the current problems. Instead, he explains simply and clearly, predominantly in the UK and US, the recent political history which have lead to Trump and populism. I'm glad that he didn't set out to solve the problems.

[Michael Bohli · Rating 4 out of 5]

Dass sich Unmut und Angst breitgemacht haben ist nichts neues. Man spürt dies in der Gesellschaft, im Alltag, auch ohne reisserische Mitteilungen in den Medien und dem Internet zu konsumieren. Doch wie konnte es soweit kommen und sind die eingeschlagenen Wege wirklich die richtigen, um die Welt wieder gerechter zu gestalten? Aktivist und Musiker Billy Bragg weiss ganz klar: Nein, dem ist nicht so. Mit seinem Aufsatz „Die drei Dimensionen der Freiheit“ behandelt er die aktuelle, politische Debatte auf seine Weise.

Anhand der drei Pfeiler Liberalität, Gleichheit und Verantwortlichkeit zeichnet er die wirtschaftliche und sozialpolitische Entwicklung der Neuzeit nach und nimmt kein Blatt vor den Mund. Der Ton im Buch wird niemals ungerecht oder zu einem simplen „Bashing“, mächtige Personen wie Donald Trump oder Margaret Thatcher müssen aber einstecken. Das ist nicht verwunderlich, war Billy Bragg schliesslich nie ein leiser Bürger, sondern hat in seinen Liedern seit Jahrzehnten die Ungerechtigkeiten und falschen Machenschaften der Bestimmenden angeprangert. Die Transformation ins Buch funktioniert sehr gut.

Die komplette Besprechung jetzt bei ARTNOIR.
Ein Rezensionsexemplar wurde vom Verlag zur Verfügung gestellt.

[Philip Shade · Rating 4 out of 5]

A solid, accessible, set of arguments in favour of reconnecting FREEDOM to liberty, equality, and accountability. Most importantly in this day of talking heads and shouting tweets, Bragg's arguments come across as being made in good faith, citing both academic and popular history to support his propositions.

As the only 13 year old in my class with a "Even Socialists Surf" t-shirt it's probably no surprise I, fairly uniformly, agree with Billy Bragg's stands regarding neoliberal economics, equality, respect, and responsibility in "The Three Dimensions of Freedom."

I hope that the brevity and clarity of the pamphlet invited people who might be undecided, uninformed, or in opposition to explore this point of view.

[Andy Lewis · Rating 4 out of 5]

I agree with most of the reviews I have read here: Bragg offers of a view of freedom founded on his notions of liberty, equality and accountability, and finds that arguments purporting to promote freedom of speech are now often used to silent dissent. Accountability has been relegated to the sidelines, leading to the bitter polarisation we see and read on our screens today as holding power to account for its actions becomes harder and harder to achieve.
It is important, however, to recognise the dynamic interplay between Bragg’s three dimensions, and to see how each is reliant on the other in this model of the model world: liberty is not the same as freedom, the right to freedom of speech is not a right to a platform to expound your views, maintaining the tone of a debate does not equate to a restriction on free speech for dissent and abuse are linked but not synonymous. Bragg argues cogently that for freedom to have any meaning it must be reciprocal and it must involve the right to challenge and be challenged. It is not, in short, the freedom from constraint.
Where this book’s ambition is vulnerable is in its prescriptions for change. Bragg is clearly sincere in his calls to use online connectivity for social betterment, to address the absolutist powers of the market, to reassert the rights of workers, and to bring about voting. However some of the arguments here are thin on detail, and fail to recognise that raising awareness of issues, while an important first step, is not in itself enough to affect change.
That said, this is a very readable little book that explains complex ideas simply in a writing style that is clear and concise. It plots the historical and political development of capitalist ideas from Adam Smith to the modern day via Keynes, Friedrich Hayek, Reaganomics and Thatcherism, the end of the Cold War, the Blairite Third Way, and China’s emergence as a global player. In parallel, Bragg raises issues of great contemporary significance such as the covert collection and misuse of online data for political purposes, the unaccountability of the social media companies, and the impact of the surveillance of our online lives on our accessibility to democracy.
As such this is an excellent introductory text to the subject. An easy two-hour read that serves as a thought-provoking introduction to further discussions. Don’t leave home with it.

[Andy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Surprising erudite and incisive, well structured and authoritative diagnosis of our current political and economic situation. Read in one sitting.

[Anne-Marie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Billy Bragg talks a lot of common sense. He is clever, pragmatic and wise. When I listen to him talk at gigs, I often think ‘why can’t people like him run countries, we’d be much better off’. His novel looks at Freedom through 3 aspects, Liberty, Equality and Accountability. He outlines the varieties of (or maybe just notions of) Liberty and Equality that have existed since the French & American revolutions. Thereafter he presents accountability as a potential antidote to the political powers and economic forces (markets, corporates, ‘the wealthy’) that curtail and restrict the boundaries of true universal freedom, to protect select interests.

Bragg demonstrates a distinct ability to see patterns and connections across both historical and current events. To illustrate his points, he cleverly intertwines many complex topics including postwar neoliberalism, globalization, the growth of populism, the rise of the algorithm, Brexit, #metoo and the ascent of China, to name a few. He examines the influence of Economists Keynes (social democracy) and Hayeks’ ‘neoliberalism’ (deregulation of markets – Thatcher/Reagan) and demonstrates how economics drive politics, rather than the inverse. I enjoyed the section where he explores how ‘political correctness’ may appear to be the antithesis of free speech, as it implies boundaries. He contests that freedom of speech gives one the right to say whatever they want, but not the right to be abusive. Offending a person or creed is very different to having an open debate on a topic.

Bragg has the kind of vision we should expect our leaders to possess. Rather than being purposeful, modern leaders are largely reactionary and easily distracted from pursuing a vision, rendering accountability a moving target and thus incalculable. Efforts to build accountability into society have been present throughout history; from the Magna Carta through to the Convention on Human Rights in the 1950’s. Bragg seems to conclude that the key to tackling global issues such as climate change is a concept of accountability, such as the collective accountability which the European Union (very slowly) seeks to build. However, rogue nations like the US and the UK view accountability as the cost of self-control. If you are accountable, you cannot keep changing the rules to protect the interests of the select few. Lots of food for thought in this concise but impressionable novel.

[Malcolm · Rating 4 out of 5]

I like a good pamphlet, just as I like a good essay. There is such potential in them to be topical, exploratory, open and engaged, unpacking the contemporary and teasing out ideas. Good ones, as this one is, grapple with the current condition, unpick the claims made by ‘authority’, unravel the complexities, obscurantisms and obfuscations of Power. And there is little more contested in the current world than the notion of ‘freedom’. When they are done well, as is the case here, they can be a short, sharp read that provokes as many, if not more, ideas and questions than it provides detailed answers

Billy Bragg, one of those public intellectuals whose years of socially and politically informed cultural work has granted him credibility, sees three key components to freedom. The first, understandably, is the notion of liberty – he doesn’t say it but the two terms are often equated, incorrectly I think, as does he: liberty, for Bragg, is a component of freedom that must be militated by attention to power and as being more than an individual attribute. So, his second key dimension is equality –allowing him to explore notions of both individual and collective equality. This, then, opens up his third attribute – responsibility, to others, to the past, to those yet to come.

So Bragg’s notion of freedom – of liberty tempered by equality between actors and accountability to others points to a much more nuanced sense of freedom than the ‘do-what-I-like’ approach that frames much of contemporary political and social discourse and practice. He’s also smart enough not to lay out a programme, but just to call for an approach to freedom that has better chance of warding off the danger of tyranny marked by those who profess their attachment to freedom.

Like all good pamphlets, then, this is good to think with.

[Anne · Rating 5 out of 5]

Vor Jahren habe ich ein Album von Billy Bragg gekauft (weil ich das Lied "From Red To Blue" mag) und erblickte vergangendes Wochenende überrascht im Buchladen "Die drei Dimensionen der Freiheit".
Ich bin sehr froh,,das Buch gekauft und gelesen zu haben und bin nicht verwundert, dass ein so begabter Musiker in kurz und knappter Form - noch dazu leichtverständlich - die längst nötige Thematik der Verantwortung in der "freien Gesellschaft" anspricht.

"Verantwortlichkeit ist der Schlüssel für eine von den Bürgern getragende Revolution."

In simplen Worten weist Billy Bragg auf, wie der Begriff der Freiheit von populistischen und anderen egoistischen Politikern sowie Kapitalisiten missbraucht wird und sich auf die Begriffe und Mechanismen der Wirtschaft bezogen wird, ohne den wichtigen Punkt der Verantwortlichkeit mit einzubeziehen.

"Wir müssen Liberalität, Gleichheit und Verantwortlichkeit wieder miteinander verbinden und die individuelle Handlungsfähigkeit wiederherstellen, die durch die drei Dimensionen der Freiheit erzeugt wird."

Eine Pflichtlektüre für jeden!

[Leanne Clydesdale · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book made what seems inaccessible, accessible. Not only was it easy to understand the political discussions being had by using contemporary and relevant examples from US and UK politics. But it also gives a sense of hope that there are simple ways in which we could all get closer to freedom.

This book is written from a particular viewpoint (one which I believe I share) but it's easy to see the key misunderstanding between left and right politics that basically demonstrate that we absolutely use the same tactics on one another to take away our freedoms. I'm sure if this was written without the biases of political position - we'd have a book that helps someone of any side see how we could reach freedom.

This book has reinvigorated me a little, made me feel confident to talk politics again in a time when it's becoming tiring and frankly, scary!

[Rama · Rating 3 out of 5]

“The challenge that faced the English in the seventeenth century was how to curb the absolute power of the monarch. In the twenty-first century, it is the markets that have taken on the mantle of absolutism, placing themselves above the jurisdiction of national governments. Holding the king to account was unprecedented and went against custom and tradition - holding the global markets to account is just as audacious and just as necessary.”

Became repetitive after a while but solid reflection on what it means to be free, using the underpinnings of various government systems to explains the core principles. Would still recommend now more than ever.

[Anna-dee Morag · Rating 5 out of 5]

Short and to the point! A great exploration of what freedom should mean. Broken down in a way that makes it easy to digest! Great and important wee read. Highly recommend.

[Paul Taylor · Rating 4 out of 5]

Billy Bragg breaks this book into three parts, liberty, equality and accountability, and explains how they all interrelate to deliver a true, not a perceived, freedom. Thankfully more historical references and examples rather than opinion, the book is short and delves into neoliberalism, capitalism and socialism without bias (which given Bragg’s background was a surprise). This book is short and hits you like an explosion of thoughts from the authors head, it could and should have been longer as Bragg knows his subject and can argue a point with maturity. More of this please, in a chunky book next time. This book acts as a good jumping off point and the references at the rear (from all opposing sides of the arguments) would be worth checking out – though some would be massively dry, Billy did the footwork for us here. Would be good for a pub based book club, these subjects are not discussed enough, the public is happier sleepwalking.

[Evelyn · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is really an extended essay arguing that the way to stop populism and the associated drift away from democracy towards authoritarianism is to reconnect liberty and equality by restoring freedom of speech and respect for divergent opinion. Most importantly one needs to ensure accountability on the part of not only government, but on the part of businesses so that people who now feel marginalized and unheard are once again heard and recipients of the wages and benefits to which they are rightfully entitled.

Much of this has been stated in greater depth and much more clearly in books and commentaries written by people such as Bernie Sanders, and Elizabeth Warren. This book is for the most part a synopsis of those proposals with an emphasis on the British interpretation and view of them. It contains a few errors when referencing American politics and political figures. Therefore, it rates 3.5 stars.

[Colin · Rating 3 out of 5]

Actually hovering over two stars but gave it the benefit of the doubt because I love Billy Bragg. His early albums got me through sixth form and university, and I've seen him live more than any other act, starting at an anti-apartheid rally in about 1988 and ending at middle-class family-friendly festivals where I carried my daughter out crying "It's so sad!" (me: "It's OK, it's just a nice song about a kind milkman"). But truth be told, it's a bit of a nothing book. It has a broad idea that freedom has three pillars, and it sort of lumps various events together under these three headings in a haphazard, disorganised way without really trying to make any connections between them. If literally anyone else had written this I probably wouldn't have bought it let alone read it right to the end.

*goes back to listening to "The Warmest Room"*

[Steve Angelkov · Rating 4 out of 5]

Discovered this book release from the Bard of Barking, after catching this interview of Billy.

This is a concise, short and pertinent observation presented in the form of a short essay.

The podcast is worth a listen also, to get a plotted history on Billy's life and steps into music with a political persuasion.

Good job on the Biriani with John Peel!

[Kevin · Rating 2 out of 5]

As a lyricist, Billy Bragg is up there with Lennon & McCartney, Dylan and Leonard Cohen. As a writer, he needs a bit of help from an editor.

I probably agree with 90% of Billy's politics but this was hard to read. I enjoyed the whirlwind tour of the history of capitalism but I didn't really find anything actionable to take away from it.

I saw Billy in concert on Thursday. He just gets better and better.

[Jonathan Perks · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great book on freedom and it’s foundation in liberty, equality and accountability and the necessity of taking back our power from neoliberalism and corporations. Now that really would be ‘taking back control’ instead of the hollow promise of the Brexit leave campaign.

[Michael · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a short concise argument against neo-liberalism as well as a history of how it came to be the dominate economic model in the western democracies. Through the use of high brow sounding catch phrases, and big money put into foundations with innocuous sounding names, yet whose research and goals are the opposite, the public have been duped into allowing the world to be run to the benefit of the ultra rich, making them richer and everyone else poorer. He begins by stating how technology has given us so much power with a promise to tailor the world to our demands and giving us unfettered freedom. However that freedom has been repackaged as the right to choose, but genuine choice - in housing, in the workplace, at the ballot box is hard to come by. He argues that true freedom comes with responsibility and accountability, something that modern Capitalism has been slowly removing. Corporations have been recognized as 'persons' and have captured the democratic process, making it difficult for citizens (real people) to vote for reforms that make the economy work for everyone. Superficially, they have created a notion of a 'culture war' distracting many working people from with this magic wand in their right hand, while they hind the wealth behind their backs with their left hand. In 1947, as most western democracies were making reforms to benefit all people, a group of economists gathered in Switzerland organized by Friedrich Hayek from the London School of Economics. At this conference they laid out a long term plan that they knew would take at least a generation to liberate capital and do away with any form of social safety net or restrictions on capital to do what they needed to make huge profits for the owners of this capital. And over the decades since this plan is being implemented, which is causing much of the anger and frustration with many voters. This frustration is then put into action by voting for people who speak of giving back freedom or taking back our sovereignty, or make America great again, while basically only addresses this culture war, but continuing to follow the goals of the 1947 conference. He concludes by say8ing there needs to be a program of democratic reform that decentralises power and makes every vote count. Voting rights must be guaranteed for all and electoral districts redrawn by independent commissions. Campaign financing needs reforming restricting how much money can be funneled by unknown sources and big organizations. And corporate law needs to be repurposed to take into account the need for businesses to recognize their social responsibilities. This is a great concise book laying out why the economy doesn't work for most of us.

[Matthijs · Rating 2 out of 5]

Didn't know anything about Billy Bragg before picking this up, and reading it certainly didn't drive me to explore more about the author and his ideas. A short treatise on freedom in which the author argues freedom as a concept only flourishes when it's grounded in its three dimensions: that there's liberty to do or say things as one wishes, that this liberty is equal in society, and finally that liberty is set in an accountable environment in which people express or do things responsibly.

Obviously, the freedom in many 'free' societies nowadays doesn't adhere to all these three dimensions. Yet Bragg doesn't show where such freedom has truly existed before, historically speaking.

After outlining his view on what freedom should entail, Bragg jumps to advocate that the current Trumpist movements around the world are the result of neoliberalist practices that have rendered a globalized world increasingly unaccountable.

In order to get this accountability part back, he claims "Governments must learn to work together on a global level, challenging the extractive model of capitalism and ensuring that taxes are paid in proportion to the profits made within each national jurisdiction."

Bragg doesn't offer any vision of how such a world would come into being, however. Moreover, his reasoning and topics discussed throughout this short book show a disheveled mind, with Bragg connecting topics and principles in a haphazard way with inaccurate (historic) facts and false readings of events.

[Best_books · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this. There were loads of bits that I wanted to interrogate further - not surprising in a book on ‘freedom’ with just over 100 pages - but I loved the discussion points introduced.

The book does what it says on the tin and examines freedom in relation to liberty, equality and accountability. It looks at the historical context of current global relations and the impact specific changes of direction have had on people’s own perceptions of their role in society and individual freedoms. It also seeks to identify new challenges posed by social media and the post-truth era and actions to be considered in order to protect freedom in this new world.

While considering people’s reactions to a loss of agency - which Bragg argues is a direct consequence of neoliberalism - he is neither patronising or demonising . But he concludes that the exploitation of people’s fears, born out of their freedoms being ceded to a global free-market - are being fuelled further by populist movements today. The likes of Johnson and Trump, he argues, acknowledge these fears, and use rhetoric that plays on them, but in practice do nothing to address the real issues that kicked off their fear (lack of accountability , constraints of a neoliberal democracy , an inability to effect change through the democratic process) .

I really recommend this little book. It is definitely a ‘stop and think’ read whatever your political persuasion.

[Breno Ferreira · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book feels more like a "How to be a good leftist 101" intro guidebook mixed in with some political rants here and there.

Although I agree with the initial premise that freedom is derived from liberty, equality and accountability (this last one seriously lacking in our current society), I felt a bit disappointed that the author criticises so much the right-wing movement, which is fair, but fails to acknowledge some of the left's own problems. One example: when he says that modern media outlets fail to represent both sides of the political spectrum when covering political news, he seems to forget that in more progressive, elite schools the USA and Canada, students are quick to ask faculty to ban speakers (usually conservative) they disagree with. Shouldn't universities be a safe space for a healthy debate where people disagree with each other's opinions? Or should these safe spaces that people sometimes create today just an excuse to create an environment where their ideas can be presented and unchallenged?

I found myself agreeing with some of the content of this book, but if you find yourself agreeing blindly to everything here, I suggest you go read some different material. Heck, I might even do the unthinkable and recommend you go read Jordan Perterson's book.

[Evan DiLeo · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book does a great job of explaining in clear terms how culture and politics ought to work, in three dimensions. While commenters in politics often latch on to FREEDOM and speak loudly about their constitutional rights being affected by this or that, they typically leave out EQUALITY, where the rights they are so vocal about, might need to apply to people who aren't them (or worse, with whom they disagree)... or a big factor, reaching across the class divides in America as well as corporations: ACCOUNTABILITY. You want the FREEDOM to make choices about your business, but not be held accountable for the ramifications of those choices. This can be seen almost everywhere in the last 5 years.

Bragg does a good job articulating this idea, so that readers can carry it into discourse when engaging with people shouting at them. Unfortunately, it's a hell of a lot trickier to figure out how to actually implement these other dimensions of a free society in todays world, where power collects power and uses that power to protect itself from consequences or even scrutiny.

[Er · Rating 5 out of 5]

Nos creemos libres.

Nos jactamos de ello.

Sobre todo cuando miramos por encima del hombre a los países en desarrollo. Donde abundan las dictaduras, el Comunismo mal entendido y de de mala praxis y las monarquías absolutas (anacrónicas todas ellas se mire como se mire o se analice como se quiera).

Pero… Realmente… ¿Qué es la libertad?… ¿Somos realmente libres?…

He aquí un libro en el que el autor enfoca el dilema desde tres perspectivas: la franqueza, la igualdad y la responsabilidad.

No podría desprenderme de ninguno de los tres conceptos. Pero si alguien anulara mi libertad individual y me obligara a elegir, me quedaría con el tercero ‘Responsabilidad’.

Porque mi libertad no es posible ni real si no tengo en cuenta la tuya. Porque mi libertad individual es innegociable, inopinable, inregulable…

[Daniel Méndez · Rating 5 out of 5]

Billy Bragg analiza en este libro los límites de la libertad en el mundo capitalista y neoliberal en el que vivimos hoy día. Pensamos los «occidentales» que nuestras democracias son los adalides de la libertad y no nos hemos dado cuenta de hasta dónde el neoliberalismo ha coartado a esta.

Con este análisis se entiende el auge de los nacionalismos populistas y la culpa que de ello tienen personas como Margaret Thatcher o Theresa May (el autor es británico, pero igual podríamos aquí exportarlo a Aznar o Montoro).

El libro no tiene desperdicio, de principio a fin, y se organiza en tres capítulos (más una introducción) en los que el autor desarrolla las tres dimensiones que para él tiene la libertad: franqueza, igualdad y responsabilidad.

[Rick Quinn · Rating 5 out of 5]

This short treatise by writer, activist, musician Billy Bragg is must reading in our time of increasing authoritarianism fueled by a notion of freedom which avoids all accountability. Bragg lays out a potent argument for a notion of freedom that includes liberty, equality, and accountability and along the way shows how neoliberalism has failed us. Along the way he offers important context on the American political situation under an increasingly authoritarian Trump administration and the Brexit situation. This short book provides more nuance and context than one would receive from a week of watching any of the cable news channels.

[Daniel Yoho · Rating 4 out of 5]

Concise, interesting enough read. Reading through I got that sense of already agreeing with what was being said though - much of what is being said isn't exactly a new, original take. That being said, it still gets its point(s) across well. I was afraid for a moment midway through that Bragg was going to start blowing smoke up Ayn Rand's ass when describing her ideology though. I think where this short read shines the most is in its examples relating to the subject matter. As someone with only moderate knowledge on the political landscape of the U.K. this helped get a better scope of the issues presented in the book.