1/ The latest interview in our #BeyondTheIvoryTower series at @JusticeEverywh1 is finally up! This time with @RMLLowe. http://justice-everywhere.org/democracy/an-interview-with-rebecca-lowe-beyond-the-ivory-tower-series/

2/ I've been following Rebecca's work as an editor for @ConHome and director of @Freer_UK over the last few years, and thought she would be a great interviewee: a) because it is relatively unusual for someone to link political and policy debates so explicitly to philosophy

3/ and b) because it is particularly interesting coming from someone linked to the political right, which has weaker ties certainly to academic philosophy, and arguably to the enterprise of philosophy more generally

4/ It was clear in the interview that Rebecca thinks there is a deficit of philosophical thinking in our politics, with harmful consequences for our democracy

5/ In her view, this is partly due to a 'soundbite' media culture, and partly due to political cynicism

6/ Yet for Rebecca, this underestimates the appetite that exists for deeper normative debate at the level of principle, on the right as well as left and centre

7/ Though she sees @Freer_UK as having made significant inroads among the 2017 intake of MPs, she (I suspect like the rest of us) is still trying to figure out the ideological principles of the Johnson Government

8/ Finally, I thought this was interesting. Though she clearly sees a struggle politically to protect/increase freedom within the UK, @RMLLowe rejects catastrophism and thinks we should recognise the status quo as relatively free. The greatest threats are abroad, she suggests