Message from the Editor-in-Chief 10(7)

As the COVID pandemic continues to disrupt our daily lives in the form of lockdowns, curfews and other constraints on liberty now being extended in time and place, there can be little doubt that we are all struggling with the deep challenge of combatting nature at its aggressive, biologically-engineered best. Differences in opinion are firmly drawn around access to and participation in vaccination programmes, and the cultural shift to a model of societal engagement that preserves health and safety for everyone. Thus, we are all reminded about how complex the democratic processes are in real life practice, and what responsibility we carry for preserving freedom of speech.