We must defeat this woke attack on our freedom of speech
CANCEL culture is a threat to free speech and to rigorous debate in our universities that has an impact on us all. New, challenging ideas have always generated the wealth and liberties of this country and the Education Secretary is right to champion his Higher Education (Freedom of Speech) Bill, which had its second reading this week.
“We need to teach students how to disagree civilly,” says Gavin Williamson.
“We need academics to challenge each other’s ideas through reasoned argument, not petitions for dismissal.”
Yet over recent months a supposed establishment “consensus” is increasingly being used to drown out alternative voices that are essential for testing any form of action that affects us all. Needless to say, this one-view authoritarianism is being driven mainly by Left-wingers.
Social media attack dogs are their enforcers, calling for the dismissal of anyone who dares take a different view.
Such ideological bullying is already intimidating many professionals who value their careers to avoid perceived offence.
It was right for some experts to challenge the scientific modelling behind lockdown as its impact has caused profound disruption to our economy and way of life.
It’s no bad thing that scientists do not always agree with each other. That is the scientific way, conducting experiments and debating their meaning.
HAVING a single dogmatic view does not lead to progress. Our glorious Scientific Revolution in the 17th century was born out of the freedom to express differences of opinion.
Many scientists fear the impact of climate change but others do not. Both sides should be presented for people to make up their own minds, but the BBC recently caved in to climate crisis campaigners, including Extinction Rebellion, by removing a list of global warming benefits from an educational website. What kind of message does that give to young people?
Science is never settled and always changing. In this case, it is fair to say that global warming will mean longer growing seasons and fewer people dying from cold weather-related diseases. We need to hear both sides, then judge the risks.
Increasingly, those in favour of radical action are nervous of their dogmatic beliefs being challenged and seek to intimidate those who disagree.
If academics are bullied into singing from the same hymn sheet, the rest of us have little chance in objecting to “science-backed” policies affecting our lives.
The Government’s proposals include a statutory right of complaint about “woke” censorship, and a new director of free speech to ensure that colleges are allowing a diversity of views.
It’s not only the UK facing a problem. Britain’s best 26 universities in the Russell Group are sharing their experiences with Germany’s 15 top research institutions, where Left-wingers have protested against different-minded speakers.
“Woke wars” have ravaged US campuses too, prompting veteran US pollster Frank Luntz to warn the UK that even worse is coming.
“It’s already done significant damage to our system in the United States,” he says. “It prioritises equality over meritocracy. We’re becoming intolerant of tolerance.”
It is little wonder that Labour is against the new Bill, preferring to demonise anyone who dissents from their views as
“extremists” and “people harmful to the public interest”, according to their shadow education secretary Kate Green.
Left-wingers want us all identified as “victims” so they can ride to our rescue with yet more costly government intervention.
IN MANY ways, the battle has already been lost as universities have long disgorged “Lefties” who struggle to understand the country outside their elitist bubble.
Ironically, it is Sir Keir Starmer’s Labour Party that is suffering electorally for failing to fully appreciate this growing division in our country.
It is vital therefore that Mr Williamson’s Bill succeeds in countering some of the Leftwing bias in our top educational institutions. Otherwise UK democracy is under threat from a wave of aggressive intellectual intolerance.
Freedom of speech is the foundation stone of national liberty. Without it we become serfs bossed about by those who think they know better.
Britain has always been a torch-bearer for tolerance and balance and we must all play our part in supporting that proud tradition.
‘We need to teach students how to disagree civilly’