Guild “work to widen debate” amidst second transphobia controversy The Debating Society’s inviting of controversial speakers Dr Joanna Williams and Baroness Claire Fox to a motion on the “Snowflake Generation” has attracted condemnation from students, whilst the Guild says they “work to widen debate and challenge, never to narrow it.” It comes just four months […]
freedom of speech
Is the ‘Free Speech’ Issue getting out of hand?
F ree speech is apparently under fire from the left. As a member of the left I have to ask how? I repeatedly see the narrative that free speech is being limited by No Platforming, denying the right to speak is a limit on freedom of speech. However, this is a severe misunderstanding of what […]
Government retreats over anti-lobbying clause
The Department for Business, Innovation and Skills recently helped celebrate British Science Week with its hashtag #scienceisGREAT paired with patriotic tweets about Britain’s “world beating scientists”. Yet just days after the Science Minister Jo Johnson gave the speech “Making Britain the best place in the world for science”, a new research grant clause was announced, […]
Why I owe it all to: Latin American journalism
For many, Latin America is the far-flung realm of exoticism, the epitome of passion, dance and the humanoids that are Victoria’s Secret models. It’s a reputation, however, which has been tainted over recent years as brewing political corruption, drug wars and gang violence have highlighted the ever rickety struggle for ideological power. It’s a conflict […]
Why I owe it all to… Satire
Following the recent anniversary of the Charlie Hebdo attacks, the debate surrounding ‘free speech’ has re-surged with as much vehemence as ever. Whether due to the mounting threat of terrorism, the powerhouse of social media or heightened multiculturalism, free speech has garnered the title of being one of, if not the most important, human value […]
The Controversy Column: Universities are not ‘safe spaces’, nor should they be
2015 has been a significant year for the ‘Freedom of Speech’ debate. Opposite views clashed over the Charlie Hebdo assassinations in Paris, the debate over Germaine Greer’s views on transgender issues, and Oxford students picketing a speech from far-right French leader Marine Le Pen. Never before have the lines between what is considered to be offensive and […]
Why I owe it all to: Social media
In the wake of the Paris shootings, it seems the entire world underwent a conflict of several consciences: security, ideology and religion were all factors which were incriminated in the successive discussions. News channels were flaming with updates and survivors’ stories, western politicians launched emergency meetings about defences, Brussels, only nine days later, went into […]
Protesting: a human right?
A few weeks ago me and a couple of friends were discussing human rights in the Ram over a drink or two. I raised the right to protest, to which one of our group piped up to say they didn’t believe it was a “proper” human right and more a luxury afforded to those within […]
Gag Reflexes – Mordaza and Civil Liberties
Ask a Spaniard about politics, and, through gritted teeth, they’ll tell you “no nos podemos quejar” – “we can’t complain.” Sounds cheery, for a country with the fifth-highest rate of unemployment in the world. Far from cheerful optimism, though, this cynical answer sums the situation up beautifully. Spain is on the brink of uncertain times […]