We spoke about Iain's plot to instigate a global mind-revolution, among other topics that have surely earned him a prominent spot on various government lists.

Iain is a terrific journalist and I am grateful he took the time to chat with me.

RW: In December you gave a speech at the Mass Non-Compliance Protest Against (UK) Digital ID. A rousing address, too, if I may say so. Correct me if I'm mistaken, but you typically don't bother with protests. As a journalist and writer, you have undoubtedly grappled with the "action vs. inaction" debate. Why do you think writing is a more valuable use of your time than protesting? Sometimes I receive angry emails from readers who tell me to shut up and "do something" instead of blogging. Maybe they're right?

Iain Davis: I think protest has its place and it is certainly supposed to be a democratic right, though it is being shut down everywhere. It is one of the ways we can demonstrate to those who claim the authority to rule us that we are not willing to go along with their harebrained schemes.

That said, in my opinion, protesting against a wholly corrupt and venal power structure in the hope it will respond favourably is a complete waste of time.

Asking a slave master to be more generous is pointless. Protests of this kind serve as rallying calls to the disaffected but to believe they will make a material difference to the government policy is wishful thinking.

I attended the mass non-compliance against digital ID protest because the objective was to highlight the real nature of digital ID and to expose the government's digital ID sale pitch as a lie. The purpose was to encourage people to prepare for mass non-compliance, to maximise their independence from the system and to live lives beyond the digital reach of government, wherever possible.

With regard to the "action vs. inaction" debate, in my view, investigative journalism is one of the most powerful actions of all. This is why those who rule are obsessed with censorship. As Edward Bulwer-Lytton rightly said, "the pen is mightier than the sword."

Ideas create movements and even reactionary protests are at their most powerful when those protesting know what solutions they want rather than just opposing the idea or policy they reject. I don't pretend for one to have any significant reach, or the answers for that matter, but I think it is vital that all voices, including yours and mine, stay on the battlefield of ideas. I firmly believe that if we are going to build a better world the essential revolution is a revolution of the mind.