wibblywobblywobblebo
ttom Free speech and freedom of expression are one and the same.
No, they are not.
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The UK does not have "free speech" it has "freedom of expression" limited by the laws that control "free speech".
The UK legal system balances freedom of expression with public interest, safety, and the rights of others. This ensures that certain forms of expression that could cause harm—like incitement to violence or criminal behavior—can be restricted.
We can compare the UK's framework to that of countries like the United States, where the First Amendment provides much broader protections for free speech with fewer legal limitations.
It is then easy to see that, while the UK operates under a different legal philosophy regarding speech some seem to expect the US laws on "free speech" to override our law.
This cannot be allowed to happen. It us an insult to our democracy. We cannot allow our country to be treated as an offshoot to the USA. The UK is a fully independent sovereign state and I would expect those elected as MPs to defend Parliamentary sovereignty, which is not dictated by the individual MP, but by Parliament and government.
wibblywobblywobblebo
ttom Free speech and freedom of expression are one and the same.
No, they are not.
I did explain the differences in the OP but I'll summarise for you.
While both the UK and the USA value the principles of freedom of expression and free speech, the approach and legal frameworks differ considerably. The U.S. tends to offer broader protections for individual speech rights with fewer restrictions, whereas the UK allows for more regulation with a focus on balance between individual expression and societal interests.
I would suggest that behaving like an American in the UK, and assuming a right to free speech could well get the person into trouble.
If Musk wants to air his opinions about the UK, he should move here and become a UK citizen. Otherwise, he should mind his own business. His father seems to think that the Musk family has some entitlement to make comments because they have British ancestors! I dare say he has never even visited this country, yet he seems to think that we share a common culture. Not so!
PoliticsNerd
wibblywobblywobblebo
ttom Free speech and freedom of expression are one and the same.
No, they are not.
According to Amnesty International:
Is freedom of speech a human right?
In the UK, Article 10 of the 1998 Human Rights Act protects our right to freedom of expression:
Everyone has the right to freedom of expression. This right shall include freedom to hold opinions and to receive and impart information and ideas without interference by public authority and regardless of frontiers.
Are freedom of speech and freedom of expression the same thing? In the UK, freedom of speech is legally one part of the wider concept of freedom of expression.
Does freedom of speech have limits?
You might not expect us to say this, but in certain circumstances free speech and freedom of expression can be restricted.
Governments have an obligation to prohibit hate speech and incitement. These are dangerous. Restrictions can also be justified if they protect specific public interest or the rights and reputations of others.
So Freedom of Speech is part of the wider concept of Freedom of Expression, but there are certain limitations.
We cannot allow our country to be treated as an offshoot to the USA
Horrifying thought!
First they came for Greenland .. then ?
Perhaps Musk and Trump see things as coming full circle and want to make the UK the 51 st state of the USA? Canada the 52 nd ? Maybe Putin is their role model. I wouldn’t be totally surprised.
nanna8 I can almost understand Canada being part of America- shared borders etc but Trump is too business minded to want the Uk surely? Far too much of an economic mess- why would Trump bother?
Likely that Republicans would never win an election again with Canada as 51st ? No chance of it happening??
You are jumping ahead of yourselves.
Trump is starting by threatening to annex the Panama canal and Greenland.
Some news outlets are reporting on a story that Canada will be part of the USA Wwm2. Whether fiction or fact?
The Canadian story is from Trump who suggested that Canada could be the 51st state.
But you need to look to Panama and Greenland first as a forced takeover with use of the military is being threatened by Trump.
Interesting times
Yes, indeed...interesting times!
With ice caps melting, will Greenland soon have more land exposed? Perhaps Trump is thinking ahead and wants control of the country before the Russians take it over.
I think it is more because of the wealth of their natural resources.
And where does that leave NATO in the unlikely event that Trump invades Greenland? Trump hasn’t even been sworn in…. So much for not fighting foreign wars.
As I said.
Interesting times
Just seen Musk's father interviewed on tv that man is as mad as a box of frogs and as dangerous as Hitler
Hideous absolutely hideous
Some scary people around just now. Horrible echoes of the 1930 s.
nanna8 nothing like the 1930s - it’s all a big wind up by the msm. Complete nonsense and fiction most of the time. Just a few months ago we all were told that Putin was going to attack London. Well he still might but … so much reporting seems divorced from reality.
Just being cynical but why would he bother ? The similarities with the 1930s are there though. Talented speakers who are opposed to the government receiving increasing amounts of support, ineffective people in positions of power, anti Semitism, a struggling populace blaming previous administrations for financial difficulties.
nanna8 Hitler had legitimate elected power and Germany had been economically crushed by the settlement imposed on it after WW1. Not the same conditions now.
Journalists frame information - for example, Greenland and the Panama Canal were grouped together in the same question. Of course Trump is going to ensure that the USA has access to the Panama Canal however he chose not to explain his position on Greenland and hence another fabricated story.
Allira
^We cannot allow our country to be treated as an offshoot to the USA^
Horrifying thought!
First they came for Greenland .. then ?
The Panama Canal ... then?
It’s like falling down the rabbit hole on GN N&P threads at the moment.
POTUS Trump is probably laughing into his coco (he is tea total) at the way his throwaway lines are being treated as fact!
Come on he is like a mischievous little child, seeing how far he can push the grownups, there must be some intelligent and well balanced folks in the US Senate and House of Representatives?
there must be some intelligent and well balanced folks in the US Senate and House of Representatives?
If so, they are remarkably quiet.
ronib
nanna8 nothing like the 1930s - it’s all a big wind up by the msm. Complete nonsense and fiction most of the time. Just a few months ago we all were told that Putin was going to attack London. Well he still might but … so much reporting seems divorced from reality.
Well, perhaps that wasn't Trump I saw on the TV yesterday, in fact, thinking about it, his visual appearance did look rather toned down.
GrannyGravy13
It’s like falling down the rabbit hole on GN N&P threads at the moment.
POTUS Trump is probably laughing into his coco (he is tea total) at the way his throwaway lines are being treated as fact!
Come on he is like a mischievous little child, seeing how far he can push the grownups, there must be some intelligent and well balanced folks in the US Senate and House of Representatives?
It would be a mistake to treat Trump’s rhetoric as meaningless, and a game that he is playing.
Trump, as a transactional president, knows exactly how to push buttons, and uses his power to get what he wants.
No, it must have been actual Trump.
He didn't seem to remember that on the Eastern side of mainland USA, only 82 km separates it from mainland Russia.
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