I went to the Free Speech Union’s ‘speakeasy’ in Oxford last week. A great event, packed out, with lots of interesting conversation and a short talk from an Oxford philosophy professor on the dynamics of groupthink.
The FSU is a much-needed lobby group and union, fighting for its members’ basic and essential free speech rights, which are so seriously under threat now.
It has to be said that the meeting was dominated by ‘chattering-class’ types like me – writers and academics – which is inevitable in a newish organisation set up by a well-known journalist after his own appalling hounding and attempted cancellation.
A few of us mentioned this overrepresentation: how important it was to promote the truth that free speech isn’t just an issue for those whose livelihoods depend on writing and teaching. For every academic who needs protecting there will be thousands in ‘ordinary jobs’ who are bullied – self-censoring or literally shut down – into cowed silence. The free speech of a transport worker, fired for saying we don’t live in an Islamic state, is at least as important as that of an Oxford don. After all, as the don said: “People like me are very difficult to sack.” Not so the transport worker. And – to its great credit – the FSU represented the latter in a case he won.
I spoke as a teacher (interestingly, the only one there) who warned how chronic the situation of free speech in schools had become. I had the impression that people were mostly aware of this, but not of how critical the issue is – of the tsunami which will hit us all when the current generation at school are in positions of power. I heard many who were naïvely confident in the ‘pendulum effect’ – that the overreaches of wokedom will inspire a refreshing backlash. I’m less sure that this will do much for the everyday person (like me) who’s been badly affected by the authoritarianism which we face. Wokedom exhibits classic ‘anti-fragility’ and is often strengthened for being attacked, its favourite position.
Perhaps most striking was the assumption that we do still enjoy freedom of speech. We don’t. Most people self-censor, to an extraordinary extent. Indeed, a number of people I spoke to at the event were using just those verbal ticks to indicate to a listener that they’re not racist/sexist/transphobic/whatever. This has become so ingrained and instinctive many don’t even notice it.
My main concern was urging the FSU into thinking hard about how to promote itself in schools. A very difficult ask, but vital. From my experience in teaching, little if any effort is made by teachers in promoting an understanding of free speech in pupils – in direct contrast with the huge amount done on ‘not causing offence’ or the need for ‘safe spaces’. Pupils draw their own conclusions. I’ve yet to teach one who really understood what free speech means, as an idea and in practice. At best, they saw it as always contingent on ‘not causing offence’. More often, they thought free speech was simply being allowed to open your mouth.
I’m a free-speech absolutist from my fundamental beliefs in individual rights but also because its absence means not one of the myriad problems we face gets acknowledged, still less addressed. I think the FSU is stronger on the first point (the philosophical argument) but could do more to stress the practical benefits. That would broaden its appeal. It needs to empower and embolden people so that they stop self-censoring and fatalistically thinking they need to keep quiet.
So many times – and I understand the argument – I’ve heard: “It’s not worth speaking out, I can’t risk it.” In the long run, many will regret such timidity and bear scars from the battles they didn’t fight in a loss of self-respect. It’s unhealthy, not just for society but for the individual, to feel and think strongly then repress it.
Every issue on which free speech is restricted – be it Covid, race, gender, immigration, whatever – is made far worse. Its absence in literature means this artform is vanishing. The scandals around grooming gangs, childcare, transitioning of prepubescent children, vaccine safety (incoming!) were – and are – all enabled by its numerous enemies, perhaps deliberately.
Paul Sutton can be found on Substack. He is the author of two collections of poetry.
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One intolerant bunch of fifth columnists at war with an even worse one.
Popcorn time.
Meanwhile, the rest of us coalesce around the punchy rallying cry –
“We don’t want any of this crap”.
The vast amount of Muslims are law-abiding and respectful, same as the vast amount of trans people. It’s the extremists who cause all of the problems. The Lefties and broken society, much enabled by the msm presstitutes, give the impression the small minority from both camps make up the majority, all because it serves their agenda for promoting hate and division, but it is nothing more than illusion and distraction. And regarding the Islamic faith, my main concern there is the amount of migrants being allowed into countries unchecked and the ramifications ( which is widely documented in countries such as Germany, UK, Sweden and France ) for our citizens as a result of this.
There won’t be any ‘law-abiding and respectful’ muslims, once a majority is achieved.
Well we deliberately avoided the more Muslim-dense neighbourhoods when we came to buy a house here. Nothing against what religion somebody wants to subscribe to, I don’t adhere to any of them personally, but on a scale you definitely have Islam at the ‘least tolerant’ end and, say, Buddhism at the most ‘peaceful’ opposite end. I don’t hear of many violent crimes and atrocities being committed in the name of Buddha.
Indeed.
I think ‘political ideology’ is a better description of Islam, than ‘religion’.
Yes I think so. It isn’t until I recently started reading more about it, after the stabbings in France by the Muslim migrant from Syria posing as a Christian, that I realised just how much I actually *should* be opposed to this particular ideology, especially as a freedom-loving female used to having all of my human rights respected. Their teachings in their holy book definitely don’t respect me or my values and so I would certainly not want to be bringing up my daughter in such a place where she’d be exposed to such racism and misogyny. The way they view females, so-called ”infidels” and ”idolaters” is horrific.
“The way they view females, so-called ”infidels” and ”idolaters” is horrific.”
It needed to be said Mogs.
Not sure the Tamils in Sri Lanka would necessarily endorse that view, the Buddhist majority have not quite been as tolerant as you might expect.
Ask the Rohinhya in western Myanmar, they’ll tell you about Buddhist extremists.
But I’m with you, most people are fine as long as they aren’t riled up by the nasty, mischievous minority.
And no doubt the Buddhists of western Myanmar will tell you about the Muslim extremists.
Or you could just combine the worst of both worlds ( that’d be Islam and gender ideology ) in the shape of most hated man in Britain, Sadiq Khan;
”OFFICIALS working for Sadiq Khan are banned from referring to “men and women” in the latest bid to go ultra-woke.
The Labour Mayor’s staff are also ordered not to describe any migrant as “illegal” – but call them people “with insecure immigration status” or simply “undocumented”.
City Hall’s inclusivity guide – leaked to the Sun – was last night dismissed as political correct “nonsense” by critics.
The gender section of the memo tells employees: “Avoid using ‘men and women’ – say ‘people’ or ‘Londoners’.
“Similarly, instead of ‘ladies and gentlemen’ say something that doesn’t exclude non-binary people.”
It says the terms male and female are “dated and medicalised” and that “female humans are called ‘girls and/or women’, male humans are called ‘boys and/or men’”.
https://www.thesun.co.uk/news/politics/22672251/sadiq-khans-staff-banned-men-women/
Have to laugh really.
One would have to have a heart of stone not to do so!
It’s really quite simple. Just organise to vote the current council out at your next opportunity.
Is she Polish or ‘American’? This prefixing of ‘American’ only emphasises differences. How many prefixes and qualifications are encouraged; at what point does it sound silly?
I think Morgan Freeman nailed it: I understand he sees the term African-American as an insult. He’s American and proud of it.
“We supported you when you were threatened”
Hope she carries the guilt of her naive gullibility to the grave.
So the Guardian thinks “residents watched in dismay”..while in reality Mr Hassan said
“I’m working for the people, what the majority of people like….….and I think there you have it in a nutshell…
Please explain how this is a ‘betrayal’…as former mayor Karen Majewski states. Are they banning Polish flags…..,?
they say a picture paints a thousand words..
https://twitter.com/dick_nalton/status/1668703870774640641
I don’t think they’ve banned the Pride (one of the seven deadly sins) flag. They’ve just said no to flying it on city buildings. I don’t suppose they fly Polish flags there either. I really hope they’re being consistent and only flying ‘Old Glory’
‘Pride goes before destruction…’.
The second that critical mass is reached, the goat-molesters will happily burn the stars and stripes.
…now fully Muslim..city council…
I think we’d have seen other headlines if members of the city council had burned the Stars and Stripes.
I know the Brits mock USAians for their flag fetish but there would have been outrage if city council workers had dropped the flag into the streets of Washington DC (drawing comparison with the film of workers dropping the Union flag onto the street in London).
When I was a lad in the Scouts we were taught how to package the Union flag before running it up the pole and breaking it so that it didn’t drape on the ground or tangle on the pole. On lowering the flag we were taught never to let it touch the ground. I had occasion to mention this to my grandchildren recently – they think I’m joking.
I hesitated about putting up the same picture of pre war Germany yesterday, glad you’ve linked to it because its what the vast majority are thinking, the resemblance is very worrying!
Nearly 20% of people in the UK are disabled or suffer mental illness, Where are their Flags??
You also know that the goat-molesters would be happy to burn the stars and stripes.
“There’s a sense of betrayal,” said the former Hamtramck mayor Karen Majewski, who is Polish American. “We supported you when you were threatened, and now our rights are threatened, and you’re the one doing the threatening.”
————
I guess this silly woman, and the other naive “liberals” who think like this have never looked at the beliefs and behaviour of many (not all) Muslims and the state of the countries they come from and thought “I wonder if they’d think and behave like that here and if they’d turn our country into a carbon copy of theirs if get the chance?”
Banning the Pride flag is one thing. Chucking gays off of high buildings is something else altogether. But both supported by many (not all) Muslims.
Islamophobic rhetoric that was a central theme of then Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump’s campaign. Can you please elaborate on this with some examples.
I am surprised that conservative Muslims in this country are not kicking up a stink at some of the insidious garbage our children are being subjected to in schools. ——Or maybe they are and I just have not heard about it.
i don’t know why any flags other than official ones are displayed at public buildings and events. Allowing the “pride” flag could lead to demands from other groups for equal time – and maybe should. Just imagine the options… how about a pro life flag?
Multiculturalism.