War on free speech

Iain Dale (left), one of Britain's most successful bloggers (and a friend of The Free Society), drew attention last week to EU legislation that will curb our right to free speech. "Its aim," he wrote, "is to make holocaust denial a criminal offence, but it has far reaching implications beyond that. I have never believed that you can legislate on people's thought processes. If someone believes the holocaust didn't exist they are clearly bonkers, but does that mean they should be banned from articulating that view? Surely the best way to defeat such idiots is to expose their specious arguments? That's what you do in a free society." I couldn't have put it better myself.

Comments

[Rob Simpson]

Surely it only adds fuel to the fire?

I can see the arguments now;
"If the holocaust REALLY happened then they wouldn't need to make it illegal to say it didn't!"

But of course that's a side issue. Picking a topic, any topic and declaring disbelief illegal is a clear violation of freedom of speech and should be opposed by anyone who even vaguely values freedom.

And how far will the legislation go? Is it simply about denying altogether or does it go as far as covering deviations from the "State approved" version of history?

For anyone who's read 1984 they'll remember that the State not only manipulated history, but failure to believe in that history was a thought crime.

Obvious we're not into thought crime territory yet, but this EU legislation will put is firmly in place where state approval of history is paramount and questioning their version publically is a crime.

Limiting it to the holocaust MAY seem fairly inoccuous now, but can anyone tell me why they won't do it with some other subject at some future point?

[Oxygen breather]

Here is MY free speech...

What a load of selfish garbage this organisation is. Please feel free to smoke, to kill yourself slowly, to poison your kids' lungs and to ruin the air of anyone around you. NO ONE has stopped you killing yourself - it's just you cant ruin MY night out anymore. Not one point has been made on any of this propaganda site about those people whose lives you have ruined for years - people like me who can't enjoy a nice drink without stinking of fags or trying to eat whilst one of you addicts blows crap all over me.

Perhaps if you "fantastic and great citizens" as you all seem to profess to be on this site showed some consideration in the past then maybe the law wouldn't have been passed.

You go on that you don't go out anymore - oh please - so the only reasons you went out was to smoke your drug - well what a shallow life you had. Do any of you give a toss about the folk who didn't smoke who stopped going out because of YOU!? Well poor you - finally we ask you to be considerate and you all sulk and stop going out.

Nothing makes me smile more to see you addicts huddled around your gas heater (far too kind and a waste of gas) shivering away. I've got an idea - why not stop then you can enjoy your lives (whatever years the carbon monoxide leaves you with) - no you can't - you are weak and pathetic individuals.

You go on about rights - what about the rights of artistes, staff and other unfortunate people who have the strength not to be addicted??

I wish you were denied treatment along with other drug addicts, then you would naturally die off and the world could be a happier place without you lot stinking of fags and whining.