A range of controversial speakers have included New Zealand in their international speaking tours. None of them should have to wade through a murky process to determine whether Immigration NZ believes allowing them to speak in NZ serves the subjective and arbitrary ‘public interest’.
The takeover has been swift and total. The key has been the ruthless squashing of dissent.
It’s not about keeping us safe – it’s about keeping us silent.
German joke police try to hunt down a Gab user.
Eventually, as Orwell predicted, telling the truth will become a revolutionary act. If the government can control speech, it can control thought and, in turn, it can control the minds of the citizenry.
Europe is cracking down hard on free expression.
There are ongoing attacks on our fundamental rights – be these free speech, freedom of belief, and even freedom of association. Be it in the UK or Australia, the US or NZ, the dynamics are the same.
Free speech begins at home. It begins with countless individuals making countless individual choices to speak their minds and allow others to speak theirs – even, if necessary, to defend to the death their right to do it.
The only anchor will be precisely what our rationalist Enlightenment society pushed to the background: loyalty to ethical principles even if it means losing whatever you possess in the world of appearances.
The core principle of fair competition must take precedence in this context.
Events across the UK, and also more locally, highlight how fundamental rights are being consistently challenged. This is Part One of a two-part Substack looking at the concerning dynamics in play.
Big Tech is already censoring discussion of Australian election issues.
All repressive and authoritarian regimes, from Caracas to Pyongyang, suppress speech. Rulers like Russia’s Vladimir Putin or China’s Xi Jinping cannot tolerate truth, as it can threaten their hold on power.
