So, you think we live in a free country? That we can speak, write, tweet, repost, at will? That the state cannot control what we think, read, listen to or publicly say? Keep up, guys.
This January, the UK was ranked way below Israel, Chile and Jamaica in a global survey of freedom of expression, because of the “chilling effect” of state policies, policing and political intimidation of academics, the media, lawyers and judges. Ruth Anderson, CEO of Index on Censorship, which compiled the report, said she was surprised Britain came so low. It really shouldn’t be a surprise to anyone who has lived here for the past two decades.
Ever since the so-called “war on terror”, successive governments have been suppressing free expression and other human rights. Most Britons didn’t care or mind because they were led to believe the measures were necessary to inhibit and defeat Muslim enemies within. With the complicity of media allies, Tory state controllers then came for unions, “lefties”, the “woke”, insubordinate lawyers, anti-colonial and anti-racist activists, the “unpatriotic” and non-violent protesters.
Now we learn of government plans to brand as extremist anyone “undermining” Britain’s institutions and values. All dissenters could be criminalised. I, who frequently rail against the monarchy, this government, and the House of Lords, could be classified a “terrorist”. So would many of my colleagues.
Liberals are repelled by the vulgar Suella Braverman, but it’s Michael Gove, who is working on these new proposals, we should be wary of. Like Kaa from The Jungle Book, stealthily he moves and coils, and aims for our fundamental rights.
His officials have been ordered to work on the sinister new policy. As Martin Bright of Index on Censorship points out: “This would potentially criminalise every student radical and revolutionary dissident. It has never been the British way to arrest people for thought crime.”
Not only young hotheads, but politicians like Jeremy Corbyn and Dianne Abbot, authors and academics who tell buried truths about the empire or corruption in our institutions, the thousands of citizens, including British Jews, standing up for Palestinians.
Meanwhile, as i reported last week, Michelle Donelan, the Science Secretary, has tried to penalise two academics who shared posts on X (previously Twitter) criticising Israel’s bombing campaign. She claimed they were showing support for Hamas. The two, Professor Kate Sang and Associate Professor Dr Karma Patel, were on a recently formed equality and diversity advisory board of the funding body UK Research and Innovation. They were suspended.
Thousands of academics have written an open letter condemning the suspensions and government censorship. Sunak and co speak with hot fervour about the importance of free speech. They vociferously attack those who de-platform speakers – especially trans activists and anti-racists. Yet Tory ministers have also, for years, tried to force universities to disallow meetings on Palestinian civil rights.
Jo Johnson, now in the Lords, thanks to his bro Boris, exemplified this duplicity. When the education minister, he opined that fines should be imposed on universities where speakers had been cancelled.
This same minister pushed the anti-terrorism Prevent programme which expected universities to ban Muslim speakers deemed too radical. One of my ex-uni students – who now runs a computer firm – said in class: “Some are free, we are not. That is the British way. Double standards.” Bitter words, truer today than ever. In 2020, the equalities minister, Kemi Badenoch, a black woman, warned teachers not to teach their white pupils about “white privilege and inherited racism guilt” and warned that teaching “unbalanced views” was unlawful.
Great. Let’s teach them about slavery from the point of view of the owners and explain why some white people can’t help being racist.
Today pupils are not being taught the history of Israel and the Palestinian people because teachers fear accusations of bias. Many of us who condemn Israel’s punitive bombs that are killing innocents are being denounced by unwavering establishment supporters of that nation. A Labour MP, an old friend, warned me last week to be “very careful”.
If Gove’s sinister proposals become law, pressure on “troublemakers” will intensify. Institutions will feel compelled to name, gag or exclude them. Dissenters will learn to self-censor more. Free speech will still be proclaimed by our ruling class, but you and I will know that they, not us, own that right.
Free speech has become a privilege of the ruling class
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07.11.2023
So, you think we live in a free country? That we can speak, write, tweet, repost, at will? That the state cannot control what we think, read, listen to or publicly say? Keep up, guys.
This January, the UK was ranked way below Israel, Chile and Jamaica in a global survey of freedom of expression, because of the “chilling effect” of state policies, policing and political intimidation of academics, the media, lawyers and judges. Ruth Anderson, CEO of Index on Censorship, which compiled the report, said she was surprised Britain came so low. It really shouldn’t be a surprise to anyone who has lived here for the past two decades.
Ever since the so-called “war on terror”, successive governments have been suppressing free expression and other human rights. Most Britons didn’t care or mind because they were led to believe the measures were necessary to inhibit and defeat Muslim enemies within. With the complicity of media allies, Tory state controllers then came for unions, “lefties”, the “woke”, insubordinate lawyers, anti-colonial and anti-racist activists, the “unpatriotic” and non-violent protesters.
Now we learn of........
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