Quaequam Blog!

Tag: freedom-of-speech

  • Suzanne Moore and freedom of speech. So. Much. Nonsense.

    Try as I might, I can’t stop getting annoyed by the whole debate surrounding Suzanne Moore and her continuing feud with the so-called “trans cabal” (this isn’t really an article by the way, just a series of random points – but at least it is mercifully shorter than my last effort). Yesterday, Moore wrote a…

  • Why does the Advertising Standards Authority regulate e-petition campaigns but not referendums?

    It is great to see that the Advertising Standards Authority has cracked down on Paul Staines for misleading advertising as part of his campaign in support of his death penalty e-petition. It is not immediately clear however why the ASA feels it has a regulatory role here while it doesn’t have a role in regulating…

  • Jewel of Medina pledge update: should trash be burnt?

    My pledge to buy the Jewel of Medina is just one signatory away from being fulfilled, so if you haven’t already signed up, please do. Since I launched the pledge, the publishers Gibson Square have postponed the publication of the book indefinitely, which means that the firebombers may have won. Shelina Zahra Janmohamed has also…

  • Rowan Williams on religious hatred: quite silly actually

    Before Thursday’s brouhaha about sharia law erupted, I had already intended to read Rowan Williams’ earlier speech about religious hatred laws, following on from the praise that Chris Keating garlanded it with on Monday. I’m afraid I don’t share Chris’ enthusiasm. Let’s get one thing straight from the outset. Academic background or not, Rowan Williams…

  • Why does the Oxford Union think that freedom of speech only applies to fascists?

    One thing I didn’t realise regarding the latest Oxford Union debacle is that this comes just a month after those heroic defenders of free speech denied Norman Finklestein a platform to criticise Israel: Israel’s policies towards the Palestinians surely cannot be described as balanced by any stretch of the imagination. The Biblical injunction of “an…