Free speech

[Psamathe]

I see she was released last month, and agree with this:

"Speaking after her release, Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch compared Connolly's treatment to that of those who took part in riots following the Southport attack.

"Her punishment was harsher than the sentences handed down for bricks thrown at police or actual rioting," Badenoch said on X.

Commenting on sentencing is very difficult. Different laws have differing ranges of sentences - something most won't have knowledge of. Detail of what was said in court, the nature of defence, etc. - something most (incl. Ms Badenoch) won't have any appreciation of as we were not present. Attitudes of defendant, signs of remorse, recognition by defendant of impact of their offence, etc. all very relevant and without being there we just cannot know.

 

[Pblakeney]

Fine I'm happy to withdraw that suggestion. On free speech and the accusations of a rise in fascism under the Trump administration from what we'll have to call "the left" I'm struck by how so many of the people who are angry at Trump's rhetoric on what he calls a hostile media and liberal establishment were often the same people who remained curiously silent when Nigel Farage was getting debanked, the Canadian Truckers had their bank accounts frozen and Graham Linehan had his career stolen and his life destroyed (for telling the truth as it happens). I haven't been here long enough to know who that might be in this particular forum but it's certainly true of some of the BR refugees.

Free speech means being able to speak when you want. If nobody wants to speak about Farage then that is the same freedom.
Not sure what your point is.

 

[Shortfall]

Free speech means being able to speak when you want. If nobody wants to speak about Farage then that is the same freedom.
Not sure what your point is.

Yes but it relies on people being prepared to uphold the principle even for people they disagree with.

 

[Xipe Totec]

I CANNOT accept that the great Yoda bats for the other side.

He is way too woke.

Seduced by the temptations of the Dark Side, he has been.

 

[Pblakeney]

Yes but it relies on people being prepared to uphold the principle even for people they disagree with.

Yes, but you seemed to be complaining that people didn't comment on Farage. Completely different point.

 

[Ianonabike]

MSM is at a disadvantage in that it doesn't give you answers without having to think beyond a gif or a twitter post.

MSM can be long form lying (often by omission).

 

[Shortfall]

Yes, but you seemed to be complaining that people didn't comment on Farage. Completely different point.

My point is that on BR some people were actively enjoying the fact that Farage was being debanked by Coutts. It's not a free speech issue as such but it's definitely a freedom issue which I see as being under the same umbrella. Ditto the Canadian Truckers who I don't remember getting a lot of love over there. The Graham Linehan cancellation is definitely a freedom of speech issue and if you weren't prepared to stand up for any of these cases at the time then your outrage at whatever clamp downs Trump is doing now starts to look highly selective.

 

[Rusty Nails]

MSM can be long form lying (often by omission).

Irrelevant to what I was saying.

Of course it can but it is a lot more accountable than the free-for-all that is social media. There is, of course, a big difference between lies and opinions you don't like.

 

[Rusty Nails]

My point is that on BR some people were actively enjoying the fact that Farage was being debanked by Coutts. It's not a free speech issue as such but it's definitely a freedom issue which I see as being under the same umbrella. Ditto the Canadian Truckers who I don't remember getting a lot of love over there. The Graham Linehan cancellation is definitely a freedom of speech issue and if you weren't prepared to stand up for any of these cases at the time then your outrage at whatever clamp downs Trump is doing now starts to look highly selective.

Unless you are Mother Theresa everyone's outrage on political matters is selective...even yours I suspect.

P.s. I was actively enjoying Farage's discomfort, which was not driven by the dictat of a politician.

The Canadian Truckers issue was of no interest to most people in the UK, other than some with an axe to grind over covid vaccination so nobody on this forum cba to post about it

Graham Linehan was cancelled, not by dictat of a politician, but by a concerted effort from interested parties with a particular POV. His airport arrest was OTT.

Trump's cancellations are a deliberate act by a politician who thinks himself above even his own country's rule of law, driven by a desire to silence opposition.

 

[Pblakeney]

My point is that on BR some people were actively enjoying the fact that Farage was being debanked by Coutts. It's not a free speech issue as such but it's definitely a freedom issue which I see as being under the same umbrella. Ditto the Canadian Truckers who I don't remember getting a lot of love over there. The Graham Linehan cancellation is definitely a freedom of speech issue and if you weren't prepared to stand up for any of these cases at the time then your outrage at whatever clamp downs Trump is doing now starts to look highly selective.

Farage and Coutts. I thought is was funny as he wants to be seen as one of the common people but most definitely doesn't want to be one of the common people.
Canadian truckers. I wasn't aware. Probably because I had my own issues to deal with at the time.
Graham Lineham. May have crossed the line from free speech to legal harassment. I actively avoid trans issues.

The point about Trump is that he doesn't just pick on individuals, he is cancelling everyone (individuals and institutions) he doesn't like or who raise the flaws in his plans. He is blatantly breaching the constitution, which he is sworn to uphold.

 

[C R]

MSM can be long form lying (often by omission).

As evidence that this is true I present the Daily Mail, The Sun, and more recently The Telegraph.

 

[Ianonabike]

Irrelevant to what I was saying.

Of course it can but it is a lot more accountable than the free-for-all that is social media. There is, of course, a big difference between lies and opinions you don't like.

I present News, Current Affairs & Politics.

 

[Rusty Nails]

I present News, Current Affairs & Politics.

Or any forum that discusses those subjects.

Did you join to promote lies or just your opinions?

 

[Ian H]

I present News, Current Affairs & Politics.

Are you a radio or TV presenter?

 

[Ianonabike]

Did you join to promote lies or just your opinions?

Sounds a bit like a "When did you stop beating your wife?" -type question.