It’s here if you wish to read it, and do whatever you do to get around paywalls. The pandering to Trump must end — it only encourages his tyranny https://www.thetimes.com/article/5d180c90-eb0a-47d1-a779-8395d03a69bb?shareToken=f5811f62211402d9da80c6a2860267d9
Treaties are harder to deny than business without obligations. Also, business does not prevent Russia from manufacturing regime change. There needs to be more assurances than that.
I don't agree with much you say. lol, even though most on here probably see me as on your side so don't take this as a direct reply to your post here. More of an an addition containing my opinion on "free Speech." I think anybody "should" be able to say whatever they want. Same as has always been. Society ostracises people and laws are not needed. That includes the "right to offend." I am a comedy fan. Comedy is sh1t since right to offend was restricted to "Orange Man Bad", "Brexiteers are racist" and "Fromage." TBH I watch GB News quite a lot because I am an adult and I do hear stuff I think is too far but if I am being honest it is also the only channel that lets the left speak as well!! without a whitewash of Saint Alistair Campbell bashing liars???? people with no morals??? etc. GB News is 50/50 good debate and 50/50 one sided or presenters I don't like but it puts the BBC and SKY <----did because they've fallen now to shame because they DO have left and right views. OK I mainly like it because there are lots of comedians on it. but hey ho. We have laws against racism, discrimination..etc....enforce them!!!. If someone is breaking the law then enforce it! But stop trying to pin these laws on things that are merely offensive...or rude...or not on message! OK I will stop. I've drunk too much. I want peace not war, but at the same time I want Ukraine restored not split so I am conflicted there!. See you all tomorrow
You want racism laws enforced. Hate laws enforced. But absolute free speech. Those things are not compatible. I would argue that 99% of those who get to court are outright racists. Nothing is perfect and some people will get a chat incorrectly. Like when you get pulled over but have done nothing wrong.
IF someone is racist yeah. prosecute. If the law covers it. But people should be able to talk about immigration without those that disagree continually trying to switch the subject matter to "immigrants" and not the policy of "immigration." What is "absolute" free speech? Chubby Brown? Bernard Manning? These guys made their beds and society (eventually) got rid of them! There is a big difference between free speech and what we have now which is an over correction of self censure because no-one dares say anything.
I think there is a lot of scare-mongering. Every time someone has said look at tweet that got the police called it has said something horrendous about muslims. It feels like one group of people with one narrative, all desperate to be racist. Also, Putin abuses our free speech to sow discord.
It's not how the law works in the UK. You have the absolute right to freedom of speech - this is something that is entrenched in ECHR as well as something that dates back centuries in UK statute. There are then potentially consequences to your free speech. Most of these consequences are connected to incitement. For example incitement to violence. It is encouraging another to commit a crime. As such nothing stops you from speaking the words, but there are consequences. Then we have the JD Vance misunderstanding of UK law (probably deliberate given his Yale background, but that's opinion!). The Online Safety Act of 2023 is mainly geared towards keeping children safe, but does have provisions for preventing illegal activity. Many of the clauses here are written to stop state sponsored disinformation, but does place a responsibility on social networks to prevent disinformation that could lead to crime. It also places responsibility on social media networks to remove illegal content.
A defence treaty doesn't necessarily stop Russia "manufacturing regime change" either. Weren't we told both the Brexit vote and Trump's first election were because of Russian interference? It's also highly unlikely America would ever sign a treaty that actually obliged it to do anything like that. Even article 5 of the NATO treaty isn't watertight.
This is, and always has been, an absurd position. By this logic there was total freedom of speech under Stalin. It's just that if you said the wrong thing there would be consequences. Most likely a one-way trip to the gulag.
People are allowed to talk about immigration with no issue. Unfortunately many take this to the point of blaming issues on immigrants or in many cases anyone who isn't white. We only need to look at the riots of last Summer for that one. There were prosecutions around this - all were incitement to racial or religious hatred, or incitement to violence and the law here is about intent. It's an issue that is hugely misunderstood and used by some politicians to twist our natural xenophobia to their own ends. I have friends that constantly post about 'illegal immigrants', despite me continually letting them know that there is no such thing in the UK, blaming all of our ills on them, despite there being hardly any of them. That said, you can always talk about immigration. It's probably not the big problem, but is likely something we want to get a grip on better than our previous government.
Given that all media were state controlled under Stalin, it's not the best analogy, but yes you are right. The difference is that state and judiciary are not connected in the UK where they were in the USSR. It's a huge leap to compare UK law to the USSR. I think the way our law works does actually make sense. You are not prevented from speech in any way, but if you encourage another to commit a crime, you have committed one yourself.
Just as we and the US are! Its a pot kettle back thing but we are doing it for "good reasons" and the aren't so thats all OK!
I think we are nowhere in the sphere of Russia. They have been on this with full time bot farms before we realised what was possible.
