Free speech plan to tackle 'silencing' views on campus

[MrsBrunch]

Is the tide turning. Is the light shining. Will more people start to sue now?

BBC news today

Selina Todd

This was briefly discussed on 5 Live earlier and they played a clip of Tatchell speaking but until I read this thread I had no idea that Selina Todd had been part of the discussion too What happened to balance?

Selina Todd was impressive. Calm, concise and very credible.

Fuck, I've just seen this from last year. The Cherwell used to be a well-respected student newspaper. Is this what student journalism looks like now?

cherwell.org/2020/01/31/bodyguards-for-terf-professor/

I'm not optimistic about this. It just gives a central power the authority to determine what constitutes free speech. Then when they outlaw some opinion as "hate" (like women's rights), we'll have even less recourse to complaint, because everyone KNOWS free speech is being upheld - there's even a special person making sure of it!

@JackNicholson

I'm not optimistic about this. It just gives a central power the authority to determine what constitutes free speech. Then when they outlaw some opinion as "hate" (like women's rights), we'll have even less recourse to complaint, because everyone KNOWS free speech is being upheld - there's even a special person making sure of it!

this!!

I do not in anyway see this as a positive development

@JackNicholson

I'm not optimistic about this. It just gives a central power the authority to determine what constitutes free speech. Then when they outlaw some opinion as "hate" (like women's rights), we'll have even less recourse to complaint, because everyone KNOWS free speech is being upheld - there's even a special person making sure of it!

Exactly.

It's great that this is getting attention.

I'm very skeptical of the idea of designating a centralised figure to be responsible for free speech. It has potential for misuse depending on who is appointed and provides temptation to certain pressure groups to get someone favourable into the spot - if not right now, then later.

@NonnyMouse1337

I'm very skeptical of the idea of designating a centralised figure to be responsible for free speech. It has potential for misuse depending on who is appointed and provides temptation to certain pressure groups to get someone favourable into the spot - if not right now, then later.

Yep, it's very Ministry of Love/Truth/Peace/Plenty, isn't it? A very fair bet that the post of "upholder of free speech" will be largely concerned with policing its limits (i.e., shutting down free speech).

I agree that there are dangers with this approach. And I hold the Left, universities, UCU, etc. entirely responsible for bringing us to this point and handing this kind of opportunity to the government.

I'd rather see Stonewall and their Champions programme kicked out of universities than a free speech champion. But how can universities, trade unions and student unions be held to account. Leaving it to individuals to sue isn't acceptable from a financial risk or a professional damage perspective. Freedom of speech is so crucial to democracy maybe this should be seen as a whistleblowing issue.
I feel quite depressed that it's come to this, both approaches do nothing , do something have huge risks. At the moment the do nothing is the worst option. Perhaps if the FS champion was for a fixed period. Fears that it's a right wing plot says it all. The left is no longer committed to freedom of speech, they have created this mess.

I have a lot of doubts about this law but it opens up discussion.

I would like to know how it effects universities who sign up to Stonewall's champion scheme

There's this in the Times today

www.thetimes.co.uk/article/free-speech-academics-can-seek-legal-redress-and-hds5538bm?shareToken=494dfb79674dd96cd7442903728e5436

This was briefly discussed on 5 Live earlier and they played a clip of Tatchell speaking but until I read this thread I had no idea that Selina Todd had been part of the discussion too What happened to balance?

R4 did the same with its news bulletin at 9am, only quoted Tatchel.

Todd said clearly that she hasn't been supported by her union or the university. They are too keen to be stonewall champions and.don'tport her right to state her opinion fact that biological sex is real.

Corrected for accuracy.

Todd was on Newsnight and was excellent . Starts about half an hour in. Nicely curated background too. Going to get a suffragette poster for my office to serve as background in meetings , no one can complain about that .

Can't say I can ever see it being seen as acceptable to question any aspect of 'trans rights' at my university, I have to say...

It seems to me to be a plan without much detail (usual for Mr Johnson and the government) and will probably end up being a sinecure for someone who ends up achieving nothing.

Not what I want to see happen though.