Across the entire planet, free speech has surreptitiously been under attack for many years. Slowly but surely, one small chip at a time, the thin end of the wedge has chiseled the tiniest of cracks into a chasm of Grand Canyon proportions where we perch on the edge, pushing back though perhaps too little too late, in danger of catapulting into the bowels of the earth where the image of Dante’s Inferno awaits us.
While many of us noticed the ever-changing palette of our world and did bitch and moan about the politically correct attitudinal changes, we were unable to persuade enough of our peers to join us in bringing the nonsense to a stop. The small things became bigger. Society changed. Attitudes changed.
It could be argued that with the best of intentions and naïve enthusiasm, many of us even encouraged some restrictions as we tried to see the “other side’s” point of view. After all, what sane person wouldn’t support egalitarianism, equality, and abolition of racism, sexism and misogyny – and indeed of every possible unpleasantness that might cause “hurty feelings”.
The thing is, all of us are guilty of judging all of this from a position of complete ignorance, highly manipulated by a “ruling elite” comprising career politicians, bureaucrats, anarchists and a compliant, often not very bright mainstream media.
Remember Auckland Mayor Phil Goff unilaterally banning speakers Lauren Southern and Stefan Molyneux from Auckland Council-owned venues?
Views that divide rather than unite are repugnant, and I have made my views on this very clear. Lauren Southern and Stefan Molyneux will not be speaking at any council venues.
Let me be very clear, the right to free speech does not mean the right to be provided with an Auckland Council platform for that speech.
Did Goff offer to debate the subjects and provide an alternate point of view? Of course not. Cancel culture is much easier to appropriate.
Did we care enough to hold him fully accountable? Did we stand up for our rights against the “thug’s veto” of the anarchists? Did our politicians stand up for the right of freedom of expression?
As usual, we (level headed conservative thinkers?) behaved appropriately. We signed up with the Free Speech Coalition. We made some donations so they could legally contest what Goff did. Meanwhile, the other side made scurrilous claims about the speakers and the anarchists paraded through the streets ready to assault and batter those who disagreed with them. The event was cancelled. They win again. (And Goff defends the legal action with our ratepayer money – unlimited funds).
When will we learn? The squeaky wheel gets the oil. Meanwhile the left wing mayor who name-called the speakers and called them Alt Right (whatever that is supposed to mean) behaved like a Nazi or Fascist dictator of the highest order trampling the rights of the very citizens he purports to represent.
Goff thought it was OK to behave that way and you don’t need to look far to see what this current government thinks is OK in the interests of Covid. We should be very afraid. They are making decisions in cabinet without consultation or discussion in Parliament. The free speech of the opposition has become irrelevant. Is that how our democracy should work?
Be very afraid!
The freedom of speech we exercise on this site on a daily basis could well be at risk. What are you willing to do to protect it?
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