Free Speech

I do not take any notice of anything JAB says.

She repeatedly stated that if Mr.Johnson was elected as PM she would leave the U.K. and not re-enter until he was gone. Of course she hasn’t gone anywhere.

Free Speech is a moveable feast something which an individual think they have the right to say could be extremely hurtful or racist even to another.

Free speech comes with responsibility.

I can’t stand the woman. Let’s wait to see the detail rather than the broad brush headline.

I don’t like her either. She irritates me intensely and I certainly don’t take any account whatsoever of anything she says. She rather too fond of the sound of her own voice in my opinion.

Three responses, each making IAB's case.

How so?

Whilst I have read some very good articles by YAB which I have profoundly agreed with, having watched her on Matthew Wright's show a number of years ago, she unfortunately came across at times as a sanctimonious, judgemental, pearl clutcher who is prone to see slights all over the place. She wrote an article in The Independent around the time "nude shoes" were very vogue, yes a whole page article! decrying the fact that the pink/beige nude was not the nude that would be a match for darker skin tones given the majority of shoes I'd say are black it made me wonder what her point was.

She may well have a point in this instance, but I think free speech is being eroded in many areas not least of all in the "no platforming" that is in evidence in our universities. I think I read that 200 Cambridge undergraduates signed some sort of petition against the Tories holding a dinner in one of their colleges, "they didn't feel safe allegedly" possibly they imagined themselves being hunted down and pelted with Chateaubriand one can only guess. What is it with people who don't feel safe with those they don't agree with, particularly when we have all those poor people in war zones who really know what it is not to be safe

Free speech comes with responsibility.

Sometimes people forget this.

But TerriBull Does that mean that you agree that the "Free Palestine" marchers have free speech?

I agree with their right to demonstrate, to express their pont of view, but amongst those who want to do just that, there are factions who have displayed hateful paraphernalia and would incite violence.

sanctimonious, judgemental, pearl clutcher who is inclined to see slights all over the place

Yes. This is exactly how I see her, and exactly why I don’t take any notice of anything she says. She is also extremely self important, she really she doesn’t come across as a nice person at all.

TerriBull

Whilst I have read some very good articles by YAB which I have profoundly agreed with, having watched her on Matthew Wright's show a number of years ago, she unfortunately came across at times as a sanctimonious, judgemental, pearl clutcher who is prone to see slights all over the place. She wrote an article in The Independent around the time "nude shoes" were very vogue, yes a whole page article! decrying the fact that the pink/beige nude was not the nude that would be a match for darker skin tones given the majority of shoes I'd say are black it made me wonder what her point was.

She may well have a point in this instance, but I think free speech is being eroded in many areas not least of all in the "no platforming" that is in evidence in our universities. I think I read that 200 Cambridge undergraduates signed some sort of petition against the Tories holding a dinner in one of their colleges, "they didn't feel safe allegedly" possibly they imagined themselves being hunted down and pelted with Chateaubriand one can only guess. What is it with people who don't feel safe with those they don't agree with, particularly when we have all those poor people in war zones who really know what it is not to be safe

That really made me spit coffee out😂shall I send you a dry cleaning bill?The thought of all those unsafe students, so funny.

The OP does have a point for us to think about, as any new law should be specific not a vague open to interpretation sort of thing.I don’t think we need any new laws tbh as there are laws in place for most things.I haven't read anything by YAB but can’t stand watching her on tv.

I'm just bemused by the rush to shoot the messenger.

You don't have to like Yasmin Alibhai-Brown to agree with a lot of what she says,

As the right wing in the UK gets closer to the USA far right Republicans, we hear dog whistle messages, becoming more and more strident and outrageous.

Why should "free speech" ever be the right of the right but utterly forbidden to anyone who has the backbone to challenge the right?

But that seems to be the problem with free speech in so many areas of life now and not just in the OP’s subject matter.
Now you have free speech to spout an absolute untruth, but those who want to use free speech point out how untrue it is, are aggressively labelled or attacked or deplatformed.
We have freer speech than many countries, but it’s not equallly accepted.

Carol Vorderman has been sacked from her role as a presenter on BBC Wales because she had the temerity to criticise the government on social media.

Is this OK in a country which purports to value fre speech?

Depends on what she said and what her contract of employment said.

She hasnt been sacked has she, I thought she resigned as she didnt want to follow their guidelines.
The left I am afraid have been utterly hopeless in their defence of free speech, it was always going to cone back to bite us.

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Carol’s resignation

Any clues as to the interesting new chapter for CV?

Even more advertising of funeral plans and equity release?

I don’t have any problem with free speech. I don’t like hate speech though.
However that doesn’t mean I like Yasmin Alhibhai-Brown. She can say whatever she likes (and does) but no one has to like her.

Carol Vorderman has left the BBC. Okay. Fine. No problem with that. Her choice.

I think CV is a self-seeking publicist, she can do what she wants as casn we all within reason. It probably gets her more attention which she craves.

I think that a number of the posts here reflect what the posters think of the individual rather than the importance of being free to be critical