Podcasts about free speech union

  • 102PODCASTS
  • 399EPISODES
  • 47mAVG DURATION
  • 5WEEKLY NEW EPISODES
  • Aug 12, 2026LATEST

POPULARITY

20192020202120222023202420252026


Best podcasts about free speech union

Latest podcast episodes about free speech union

That’s Debatable!
An Anthropology of Free Speech with Prof Matei Candea

That’s Debatable!

Play Episode Listen Later Aug 12, 2026 48:58


The Charlie Hebdo attack divided Prof Matei Candea's friends. It also prompted him to embark on an anthropological study of free speech. The result is "Reason, Carnival and Honour: An Anthropology of Free Speech", a book which explores the hidden assumptions behind free speech debates. Professor Candea discusses his book with Dr Jan MacVarish, the Free Speech Union's director of national engagement. #freespeech #censorshipdebate Support the Free Speech Union: https://freespeechunion.org/join Follow the Free Speech Union X/Twitter: https://x.com/SpeechUnion Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/freespeechunion/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SpeechUnion Buy Professor Matei Candea's book, Reason, Carnival and Honour, published by Pelican: https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/0241711258?tag=prhmarketing2552-21 Professor Matei Candea's website: https://www.candea.org/  

Academy of Ideas
Are patriotism and the nation state back?

Academy of Ideas

Play Episode Listen Later Aug 10, 2026 97:54


‘The populists, nationalists, stupid nationalists, they are in love with their own countries', declared Jean-Claude Juncker, the former president of the European Commission, in May 2019. This familiar retort of a leading figure in the globalised elite exemplifies the recent fashion for regarding any manifestation of national pride with contempt. But what was intended as a snide insult about love of country then, now seems to have been embraced with pride by millions throughout the West. Whether it's the seeming unstoppable rise of national populist parties throughout Europe or the popular MAGA support for Donald Trump's pursuit of national interest, it seems that unapologetic nationalism is in the ascendant. In Britain, one very visual grassroots campaign, Operation Raise the Colours, illustrates this shift. Local people have been inspired to hang thousands of Saint George's Cross and Union flags on lampposts all over the country. And as quickly as local councils rip them down, flags are defiantly raised again, a symbolic gesture of an unashamed nationalist pride. This is a momentous shift in the West because, until recently, many felt inhibited about voicing their patriotic sentiments in the wake of an implicit but dogged, top-down cultural crusade against nationalism. Its negative associations with national rivalries, war and fascism continue to resonate.  Many commentators are perhaps understandably queasy. Is this an emboldened demonstration of xenophobia and bigotry? However, others point out that the growth of supranational institutions, as a counter to these alleged negatives, has undermined the legitimacy of the nation-state per se. This has led to official scepticism of borders, an embrace of mass migration and an associated disregard for the specific privileges of national citizenship. Meanwhile, the gradual detachment of the governing elites from the institutions of the nation has contributed to their alienation from their own nation's culture and popular sentiment. In many places, this has included increasing institutional hostility to the country's historic legacy, presented as a national story of shame, slavery, colonialism, oppression. But perhaps the governing classes' loss of ability to inspire loyalty and pride in the nation has fomented a backlash. Now a people's rebellion seems determined to take back control of the national narrative. Meanwhile, the ideology of globalisation is rapidly unravelling. Postwar international legal agreements and institutions, such as the European Convention on Human Rights, are now exposed as barriers to pursuing national interest in global affairs. Is the national sovereignty now emerging a key to the conduct of global affairs once more? At a time when many feel an increasing sense of isolation, of being disconnected from any larger shared project, is a return to national identity an inevitable, even welcome trend? Or does it reflect an absence of alternatives, a feeling that ordinary people have little else to hold on to? Does nationalism still retain its worrying, discredited associations with everything from racism to warmongering? Or is nationalism a return to our democratic roots, a force capable of forging national solidarity that can overcome the divisive fragmentation of demographic, cultural, ethnic, identitarian and political changes that have left citizens feeling like strangers in their own land? Can political elites learn to love their country again, and allow national interest to guide policies in the best interest of their nation state? SPEAKERS Ada Akpala writer and commentator Dr Rakib Ehsan author, Beyond Grievance: what the Left gets wrong about ethnic minorities Eric Kaufmann professor of politics, University of Buckingham; advisory council member, Free Speech Union; author, Taboo: How Making Race Sacred Led to a Cultural Revolution Professor Robert Tombs emeritus professor of French history, Cambridge University; co-editor, History Reclaimed Bruno Waterfield Brussels correspondent, The Times CHAIR Claire Fox director, Academy of Ideas; independent peer, House of Lords; author, I STILL Find That Offensive!

Free Speech Coalition's Podcast
Frances Widdowson: Kamloops, unmarked graves and academic freedom

Free Speech Coalition's Podcast

Play Episode Listen Later Aug 10, 2026 49:10 Transcription Available


Frances Widdowson is a Canadian political scientist. She was an associate professor at Mount Royal University in Calgary until her dismissal in 2021. For several years she has examined the evidence behind the May 2021 announcement concerning the former Kamloops Indian Residential School. She joins Dane Giraud to set out what she has found.In May 2021 it was announced that the remains of 215 children had been confirmed at the site. Widdowson gives her account of what followed. She describes a ground-penetrating radar survey of an apple orchard, and a July 2021 presentation in which the figure was put at 200 targets of interest rather than confirmed remains. She explains what ground radar can detect and what it cannot, and why she argues that only excavation can settle the question. She also covers the 2015 Truth and Reconciliation Commission volume on missing children and burials, and the difference between an unmarked grave and a clandestine one.The wider argument is about open inquiry. Widdowson says the subject has become very difficult to research in Canada, and that questioning the claim invites the label of residential school denier. Mount Royal University dismissed her in 2021. She links that dismissal to her positions on this and other contested issues, and the matter remains before the Alberta Labour Relations Board.Her claims in this episode are her own. We publish them because the question of who is permitted to ask them is a free speech question. An argument that cannot be tested in public is not an argument at all.Free to Speak is the official podcast of the New Zealand Free Speech Union. Uncensored conversations on free speech, civil liberties, and the people defending them. Hosted by Dane Giraud.Join the Free Speech Union: https://www.fsu.nz/joinSupport our work: https://www.fsu.nz/donateNewsletter: https://www.fsu.nz/subscribeWebsite: https://www.fsu.nzGot feedback or a guest suggestion? podcast@fsu.nzPromoted by Free Speech Union, PO Box 10423, The Terrace, Wellington 6143Support the showhttps://www.fsu.nz/https://x.com/NZFreeSpeechhttps://www.instagram.com/freespeechnz/https://www.tiktok.com/@freespeechunionnz

That’s Debatable!
LUCY CONNOLLY: free speech campaigner

That’s Debatable!

Play Episode Listen Later Aug 5, 2026 59:52


Sentenced to 31 months in prison for a tweet posted in anger after the Southport murders in 2024, Lucy Connolly pleaded guilty to inciting racial hatred. But should she have opted for a jury trial instead? One year after her release from prison, she talks to the FSU's Connie Shaw about her new life as a free speech campaigner and the author of A Tweet Too Far? #freespeech #twotierpolicing Support the Free Speech Union: https://freespeechunion.org/join Follow the Free Speech Union X/Twitter: https://x.com/SpeechUnion Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/freespeechunion/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SpeechUnion Follow Lucy Connolly X/Twitter: https://x.com/LucyTCWife Substack: https://lucyconnolly1.substack.com/  

That’s Debatable!
ANDREW DOYLE: New "Misinformation" Plan By Government Advisors Is Deeply Orwellian

That’s Debatable!

Play Episode Listen Later Aug 5, 2026 45:24


Comedian, author and commentator Andrew Doyle joins FSU General Secretary Lord Young to discuss a little-noticed government-commissioned report on misinformation and its implications for public debate. The report's Orwellian proposals include "psychological inoculation", "pre-bunking" and game-based "interventions" to steer the public towards state-approved political messages. Andrew Doyle and Lord Young also discuss: Why Andrew and Graham Linehan are working from Arizona Government proposals to give prominence online to approved news sources such as the BBC and Channel 4 News #freespeech #censorshipdebate #onlinesafety Support the Free Speech Union: https://freespeechunion.org/join Follow the Free Speech Union X/Twitter: https://x.com/SpeechUnion Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/freespeechunion/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SpeechUnion Follow Andrew Doyle X/Twitter: https://x.com/andrewdoyle_com?lang=en Andrew's website: https://www.andrewdoyle.org/ Andrew's Substack: https://substack.com/@andrewdoyle Read Andrew Doyle's Substack article about proposals to "inoculate" us against "wrongthink": https://www.andrewdoyle.org/p/the-government-report-that-wants Read Lord Young's Spectator article on the dangers of policing misinformation: https://spectator.com/article/the-dangers-of-policing-misinformation/ Read the report commissioned by the UK government's Office for Science, "False and Misleading Information: An Evidence Summary and Map for Policy and Practice" here: https://usher.ed.ac.uk/sites/default/files/2026-05/False%20and%20Misleading%20Information%3A%20An%20Evidence%20Summary%20and%20Map%20for%20Policy%20and%20Practice%20.pdf  

Free Speech Coalition's Podcast
Shubz: Called a Kūpapa for Talking to the Wrong People

Free Speech Coalition's Podcast

Play Episode Listen Later Aug 3, 2026 47:39 Transcription Available


Shubz has been called a kūpapa. The word describes Māori who sided with the Crown in the New Zealand Wars, and it still gets thrown at Māori accused of betraying their own. Shubz gets it for having David Seymour on his show.Shubz hosts "Shubz Says So" on Radio Aotearoa. His method is simple: talk to people you disagree with, in public, without the gotcha. That has meant long conversations with David Seymour, Brian Tamaki, Don Brash and others, and it has cost him standing in parts of his own community.He sits down here with Dane Giraud, host of Free to Speak and a Council member of the Free Speech Union, who knows the same pressure from inside the Jewish community, where the equivalent word is Kapo. Both men arrive at the same question from different directions: what happens to free speech when the heaviest penalty for dissent comes not from the state but from your own people?They cover the gap between kaupapa and kūpapa, why Shubz argues Te Pāti Māori does not speak for all Māori, blood quantum and who gets to decide who counts, how little either side of the Treaty debate often knows about the history, and his argument that funding and self-preservation explain more about who polices the line than culture does.It also goes somewhere harder. Shubz is an advocate against sexual abuse, and he asks why a movement that filled the streets over the Treaty could not turn out for Sam Troth's hīkoi for survivors. He talks about what people brought to him on his own journey around Te Ika-a-Māui, and about being offered money to stop talking.Dane pushes back, particularly on whether a small community is ever right to keep its disagreements in-house. Neither man lands quite where you would expect.Content note: this episode includes discussion of child sexual abuse, including a survivor's account, and strong language throughout. Support is available. Safe to Talk: 0800 044 334 or text 4334. Male Survivors Aotearoa: malesurvivors.nz. Victim Support: 0800 842 846.Mentioned in this episode:Shubz Says So on Radio Aotearoa: https://shubzlive.comThe Road to Healing Aotearoa (Sam Troth): https://www.theroadtohealing.co.nzFree to Speak is the official podcast of the New Zealand Free Speech Union: uncensored conversations on free speech, civil liberties, and the people defending them. Hosted by Dane Giraud.Join the Free Speech Union: https://www.fsu.nz/joinSupport our work: https://www.fsu.nz/donateNewsletter: https://www.fsu.nz/subscribeWebsite: https://www.fsu.nzGot feedback or a guest suggestion? podcast@fsu.nzSupport the showhttps://www.fsu.nz/https://x.com/NZFreeSpeechhttps://www.instagram.com/freespeechnz/https://www.tiktok.com/@freespeechunionnz

Quiet Riot
B-Side: Free Speech for Me, But Not for Thee

Quiet Riot

Play Episode Listen Later Jul 31, 2026 55:00


Zack Polanski has got himself in some French Revolution-adjacent bother thanks to an ill-advised Insta interaction. How big a faux-pas was this, should the police be involved and where on earth are we at with free speech these days? Join Alex, Naomi and Kenny as they tread sort of warily through the free-speech minefield towards a guillotine. Plus, Wokey Dokery with a Stateside feel this week! ***SPONSOR US AT ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠KO-FI.COM/QUIETRIOTPOD⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠*** • Contact the Free Speech Union about Farage... dare you • Find out more about the Index On Censorship • We have put together a ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠BLUESKY STARTER PACK⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ - make like Nandy and join us there! • Email us at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠quietriotpod@gmail.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ • Or visit our website ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠www.quietriotpod.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Brought to you by Naomi Smith, Alex Andreou and Kenny Campbell. Quiet Riot is a Cooler Heads production. ***SPONSOR US AT ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠KO-FI.COM/QUIETRIOTPOD⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠*** Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The Brave Marketer
The Global Fight for Free Speech Starts With a Hamster

The Brave Marketer

Play Episode Listen Later Jul 29, 2026 41:02


Preston Byrne, Tech & Free Speech Lawyer at Byrne & Storm, P.C., shares how a small American imageboard became the first test case for whether foreign governments can legally force American companies to comply with their censorship laws on American soil. He breaks down why the UK's Online Safety Act can't actually be enforced against US companies with no British presence; how a picture of an AI-generated hamster became a more effective legal strategy than a hundred-page brief; and what the proposed GRANITE Act would do to permanently close the loophole foreign regulators have been exploiting. Key Takeaways:  Why the UK's Online Safety Act can't legally be enforced against American companies What the GRANITE Act would do what current First Amendment protections can't How 98% of companies comply with foreign censorship demands they have no legal obligation to follow Why responding to Ofcom with a hamster worked better than a formal legal letter Guest Bio: Preston Bryne is a technology lawyer with Byrne & Storm, P.C., and a Senior Fellow of the Adam Smith Institute in London. Preston is the architect of the GRANITE Act and the Adam Smith Institute's Freedom of Speech Bill, an effort to launch a coordinated, transatlantic legislative response to foreign censorship enforcement. He was appointed to the Legal Advisory Council of the UK's Free Speech Union in 2025. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- About this Show: The Brave Technologist is here to shed light on the opportunities and challenges of emerging tech. To make it digestible, less scary, and more approachable for all! Join us as we embark on a mission to demystify artificial intelligence, challenge the status quo, and empower everyday people to embrace the digital revolution. Whether you're a tech enthusiast, a curious mind, or an industry professional, this podcast invites you to join the conversation and explore the future of AI together. The Brave Technologist Podcast is hosted by Luke Mulks, VP Business Operations at Brave Software—makers of the privacy-respecting Brave browser and Search engine, and now powering AI everywhere with the Brave Search API. Music by: Ari Dvorin Produced by: Sam Laliberte  

Duncan Garner - Editor-In-Chief
Youth Court for 25-Year-Olds? Free Speech Cancelled in Auckland? Ani O'Brien Speaks Out

Duncan Garner - Editor-In-Chief

Play Episode Listen Later Jul 29, 2026 35:33


The Opportunities Party wants youth court extended to 25-year-olds, but we think it is total madness. Plus, Free Speech Union's Ani O'Brien joins us after facing threats to cancel her Auckland event tonight. We look at crime, justice, and free speech in New Zealand. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

RNZ: The Panel
The Panel with Peter Dunne and Deborah Hart, Part 1

RNZ: The Panel

Play Episode Listen Later Jul 28, 2026 24:46


Tonight, on The Panel, Emile Donovan is joined by panellists Peter Dunne and Deborah Hart. First up, an Auckland councillor wants the council to refuse to provide a venue for a Free Speech Union event, with concerns about 'controversy and division' promoted by it. Rob Cambpell is due to speak at it, and he joins the panel. Then, demand is surging at food banks across the motu, including at Wellington City Mission's social supermarket.

#BHN Big Hairy News
#BHN Martin Buhr on OpenBrief | Chippy talks Opportunity | Winston reacts to "Or@l s3x" question

#BHN Big Hairy News

Play Episode Listen Later Jul 28, 2026 106:10


OpenBrief is a NZ website set up to track New Zealand's significant political news, opinion, podcasts and social media — a curated, transparent set of sources, not the whole internet. With OpenBrief you get to see the data behind the narrative. Tonight we have Martin Buhr, the developer of OpenBrief, joining us to talk about why he thinks NZ needs this resource.For transparency, BHN and OpenBrief are going to be doing some work together over the next 4 months.Chris Hipkins spent time on the NZ Herald and TVNZ this morning talking about if Labour would work with Opportunity and responding to the National party's apparent, off the cuff, exclusion of Opportunity from the podium yesterday.Winston Peters was shocked yesterday that Tova Obrien uttered the words "opal sex" when referencing Shane Hones' "kneepads" comments from their conference last weekend and the two sparred over what is, and isn't, appropriate in an interview question.The Free Speech Union has made their final death knell of irrelevance where they have some out against a journalist using their free speech to ask questions, and defended a government appointee with, what some think, is a chequered past, but we have seen this from astroturf lobby groups in the past++++++++++++++++++++Like us on Facebook.com/BigHairyNetwork Follow us on Twitter.com/@bighairynetworkFollowing us on TikTok.com/@bighairynetworkSupport us on Patreon www.patreon.com/c/BigHairyNewsCheck out our merch https://bhn.nz/shop/Donate to our work https://bhn.nz/shop/donation/

Academy of Ideas
Battle Book Club: TERF Island – how the UK resisted trans Ideology

Academy of Ideas

Play Episode Listen Later Jul 27, 2026 46:11


Recorded at the Battle of Ideas festival 2025 on Sunday 19 October at Church House, Westminster. ORIGINAL INTRODUCTION TERF Island is the story of the brave and determined women who led the charge against demands that undermined their rights and jeopardised the physical and mental health of children. They dragged shadowy campaigns into the daylight, exposing the harm that would result – and the harm that had already been done. They forced policy change, set legal precedents and transformed public opinion. Fiona McAnena has been right there campaigning alongside them. Her unique insight and personal involvement bring to life the intimate human stories behind the movement to Keep Britain Terfy. This extraordinary, inspiring, furious and sometimes funny account shows how a few women, acting on their convictions, turned back a tide which threatened to sweep away the rights their foremothers fought for. McAnena's book offers rare insight into the strategy, setbacks, and successes of years of grassroots activism and reveals the key figures behind the resistance to gender ideology. It also critically examines the claims of transgender ideology and explores the impact of gender identity policies on law, language, sport, prisons and children's health, arguing why sex matters in public life. Should trans rights be prioritised over childhood and the protection of women? How have trans lobbyists unpicked past medical and scientific standards – undermining solid trials and ethical approval? Is there a way to move forward, to safeguard women's sports and maintain vigorous scientific standards? What enabled the UK to be ‘TERF Island' when so many other jurisdictions have fallen to trans ideology? SPEAKERS Sonya Douglas artist, poet and campaigner Fiona McAnena director of campaigns, Sex Matters; author, Terf Island: How the UK resisted trans ideology Connie Shaw external affairs officer, The Free Speech Union; contributor, GB News CHAIR Ceri Dingle director, WORLDwrite and WORLDbytes  

Stuff That Interests Me
Does Britain Need A Financial Crisis To Change Course?

Stuff That Interests Me

Play Episode Listen Later Jul 26, 2026 28:51


Good Sunday to you,Today I talk to Toby Young, now Lord Young, journalist, author, and founder of the Free Speech Union discuss Britain: how it works, its economic outlook, inflation, the expanding state, free speech and whether the UK is heading towards a financial crisis.As a member of the House of Lords, Toby offers a unique perspective on the direction Britain is taking politically and economically. We finish by discussing where he'd invest one hundred grand today.As always you can watch the video above or listen via Apple Podcasts, Spotify et alThis interview was filmed at ARC 2026 in

The Flying Frisby
Does Britain Need A Financial Crisis To Change Course?

The Flying Frisby

Play Episode Listen Later Jul 26, 2026 28:51


Good Sunday to you,Today I talk to Toby Young, now Lord Young, journalist, author, and founder of the Free Speech Union discuss Britain: how it works, its economic outlook, inflation, the expanding state, free speech and whether the UK is heading towards a financial crisis.As a member of the House of Lords, Toby offers a unique perspective on the direction Britain is taking politically and economically. We finish by discussing where he'd invest one hundred grand today.As always you can watch the video above or listen via Apple Podcasts, Spotify et alThis interview was filmed at ARC 2026 in

RNZ: Afternoons with Jesse Mulligan
Political Group Chat

RNZ: Afternoons with Jesse Mulligan

Play Episode Listen Later Jul 23, 2026 17:38


Welcome to the politics group chat - Afternoons' chance to discuss the issues that have cropped up this week ...with Jesse in the Auckland studio is comedian and commentator Tim Batt .. political scientist Dr Lara Greaves and from Feilding, screenwriter and Free Speech Union member Dane Giraud. Today we're looking at whether it's okay for non Māori to give their children a Māori name, the under 16 social media ban, why making workers turn on their camera in a Zoom call can be disability discrimination and of course Stuart Nash.

Free Speech Coalition's Podcast
Elliot Ikilei: Can a Conservative Truly Support Free Speech? | Free to Speak

Free Speech Coalition's Podcast

Play Episode Listen Later Jul 20, 2026 64:32 Transcription Available


Elliot Ikilei, former New Conservative leader, key figure in Hobson's Pledge, and now New Zealand First's 2026 candidate for Takanini, joins Dane Giraud for a conversation that moves from common ground to open clash. The two grew up streets apart in Auckland's lower socio-economic suburbs, and they begin by comparing notes: absent fathers, imported gang culture, rage, and the long road back. Elliot recounts going off the rails as a young man, finding faith at 25, and how frontline youth work convinced him that family breakdown, not colonisation, was driving the alienation of our young people. A card-carrying lefty became one of the country's most prominent social conservatives. From there, it is conservatism versus progressivism head-on. Dane and Elliot debate whether Drag Queen Story Time is a free speech issue or a child protection issue, whether the trans community is helped or ultimately hurt by censorship, why Elliot's Free Speech Union membership lasted only days, and whether a traditionalist can defend speech he finds abhorrent. They finish on Elliot's campaign to take one of New Zealand's most diverse and unpredictable swing seats off National.Support the showhttps://www.fsu.nz/https://x.com/NZFreeSpeechhttps://www.instagram.com/freespeechnz/https://www.tiktok.com/@freespeechunionnz

Saturday Magazine
Sat,18th, July 2026: Reuben Kirkham Co-founder, Free Speech Union of Australia

Saturday Magazine

Play Episode Listen Later Jul 19, 2026 19:10


The debate around free speech is once again making headlines after videos targeting Aboriginal, Indian Australian and transgender people prompted complaints and widespread criticism. To unpack where the lines are drawn between comedy, discrimination and vilification, we're joined by Reuben Kirkham from the Free Speech Union of Australia. Australia has no absolute constitutional right to free speech. Instead, freedom of political communication is recognised as an implied constitutional freedom, while speech is also regulated through Commonwealth, state and territory laws covering areas such as defamation, incitement, harassment and anti-vilification. Victoria strengthened its anti-vilification laws with the Anti-Vilification and Social Cohesion Act 2024, which broadens protections against serious vilification on the basis of protected attributes, including gender identity and sexual orientation. The Act creates both civil and criminal pathways for particularly serious conduct, although criminal offences require a high threshold and generally involve intentional or reckless conduct likely to incite hatred, serious contempt, revulsion or severe ridicule. The Free Speech Union of Australia advocates for broad protections for lawful expression and has often argued that offensive speech should generally be answered through public debate rather than legal sanction. The post Sat,18th, July 2026: Reuben Kirkham Co-founder, Free Speech Union of Australia appeared first on Saturday Magazine.

That’s Debatable!
PAUL HOLDEN: Investigative Journalist on his fears for free speech under BURNHAM

That’s Debatable!

Play Episode Listen Later Jul 17, 2026 58:35


Leaked documents obtained by investigative journalist Paul Holden revealed an anti-free speech project at the heart of the Starmer government. In this edition of the Free Speech Union's podcast, Holden tells the FSU's David Rose why he fears free speech and online privacy could be further eroded under incoming Prime Minister Andy Burnham. #freespeech #onlineprivacy #labourparty Support the Free Speech Union: https://freespeechunion.org/join Follow the Free Speech Union X/Twitter: https://x.com/SpeechUnion Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/freespeechunion/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SpeechUnion Follow Paul Holden Paul is Director of Investigations at Shadow World Investigations: https://shadowworldinvestigations.org/ He is the author of "The Fraud: Keir Starmer, Morgan McSweeney, and the Crisis of British Democracy"  

That’s Debatable!
JAMES ESSES: campaigner, therapist and parent

That’s Debatable!

Play Episode Listen Later Jul 15, 2026 30:15


The latest threat to free speech on trans issues has been published by the government. The draft Conversion Practices Bill purports to protect gay and trans people from abuse. It creates a new criminal offence, punishable with up to five years in prison. Minister for Equalities, Emily Bailey MP, claims it won't stop parents and therapists talking openly to children with identity issues. She says it only crimnalises conversion practices which are abusive and which cause serious harm. However, James Esses, a therapist and campaigner who challenges children who believe they are "trapped in the wrong body" argues that the proposed new law puts him at risk of jail. #freespeech #transgender Support the Free Speech Union: https://freespeechunion.org/join Follow the Free Speech Union X/Twitter: https://x.com/SpeechUnion Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/freespeechunion/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SpeechUnion Follow James Esses X/Twitter: https://x.com/JamesEsses Substack: https://substack.com/@jamesesses James's home page: https://jamesesses.com/  

Academy of Ideas
The problem with defining Islamophobia

Academy of Ideas

Play Episode Listen Later Jul 13, 2026 93:06


Recorded at the Battle of Ideas festival 2025 on Saturday 18 October at Church House and the Abbey Centre, Westminster. ORIGINAL INTRODUCTION In February 2025, the then deputy prime minister and communities secretary, Angela Rayner, established an independent government working group, chaired by former Conservative MP and Attorney General Dominic Grieve KC, to advise on a definition of ‘anti-Muslim hatred and Islamophobia'. The demand for such a definition comes after an official definition of anti-Semitism was adopted in 2016. Critics have argued since that, for the sake of fairness, something similar must be done for Muslims. The formation of this group, as well as its objectives, has incurred criticism from many quarters and sparked intense public debate. Questions have been raised over the transparency of the group's proceedings, the independence of its members, the marginalisation of certain Muslim communities' voices and the chilling effect that such a definition could have on free speech. The fear of being accused of Islamophobia is, some have argued, part of the reason for the lack of action on grooming gangs. Critics argue that a non-statutory definition of Islamophobia will inevitably be highly subjective and perception-based in its application by public bodies. This will limit freedom of speech by confusing criticism of the religion of Islam with prejudice against Muslim individuals, something which is already addressed through existing legislation. The freedom to interrogate and ridicule the tenets of all faiths is fundamental in a modern society and restricting this freedom for one faith risks quelling not only criticism of that religion from non-believers, but also criticism of it from within, amongst fellow believers who disagree over interpretations of texts and controversial practices, such as face coverings. This is why the working group's approach has led to criticism from Muslim groups, some of whom also make the point that through attempting to define what Islamophobia is, the government is neglecting the importance of addressing actual cases of anti-Muslim hate crimes. They also fear that at a time when many see the UK as a state that is on the road towards the application of ‘two-tier' justice, singling out Islam for special protection and threatening its critics with speech-restricting measures, such as non-crime hate incidents, will only increase tensions. This Free Speech Union discussion will give voice to leading opponents of defining Islamophobia who all have their unique and legitimate concerns over the wider and deeper consequences of this policy. The panel features voices from within Parliament, the Muslim community, the legal profession and campaigners. SPEAKERS Professor Khalid Mahmood former member of Parliament; visiting professor, Birmingham City University; director, KN Strategic Solutions Ltd Baroness Amanda Spielman conservative peer, former chief inspector; Ofsted Nick Timothy MP member of parliament, West Suffolk; former special advisor, Home Office; author and comment writer Toby Young general secretary, Free Speech Union; associate editor, Spectator; editor-in-chief, Daily Sceptic CHAIR Dr Jan Macvarish education and events director, Free Speech Union

RNZ: The Panel
The Panel with Heather Roy and Mike Williams, Part 1

RNZ: The Panel

Play Episode Listen Later Jul 9, 2026 25:56


Tonight, on The Panel, Wallace Chapman is joined by panellists Heather Roy and Mike Williams. First up, new modelling has made it clear just how big the bill will be for fixing bridges, roads and buildings damaged increasingly frequent and severe storms. Then, "it is not the state's responsibility to feed our children" is the view of NZ Herald columnist and former Free Speech Union chief executive Jonathan Ayling, who takes a look at the government's struggling school lunch programme.

That’s Debatable!
TEENS SOCIAL MEDIA BAN - Your Questions Answered

That’s Debatable!

Play Episode Listen Later Jul 8, 2026 35:00


The UK government plans to ban social media for under 16s. Is it digital ID by stealth? The Free Speech Union's general secretary, Lord Young, answers this and other questions sent in by FSU members. *Will VPNs might be banned? *Is it true that the ban won't apply to Bluesky? *How will it be enforced? *How has a similar ban worked in Australia? *Will it lead to more censorship and regulation of the media?   Hosted by Jan McVarish, the FSU's education and events director. #freespeech #socialmediaban #digitalidentity   Support the Free Speech Union: https://freespeechunion.org/join   Follow the Free Speech Union X/Twitter: https://x.com/SpeechUnion Instagram: https://x.com/freespeechunion   Facebook: https://x.com/speechunion      

Heather du Plessis-Allan Drive
Jillaine Heather: Free Speech Union CEO on the decision to permanently suppress sex offender's name

Heather du Plessis-Allan Drive

Play Episode Listen Later Jul 1, 2026 3:24 Transcription Available


The Free Speech Union says the court should show its workings over permanently suppressing a sex offender's name. The man sexually assaulted a woman over five years, and had other convictions for similar offences. The judge says naming the civil servant would bring him extreme hardship and could harm his family. Union chief executive, Jillaine Heather, says having a vacuum of information can be dangerous. "We can't even see the evidence, which only just leads you to start making conjectures of why this is happening." LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

That’s Debatable!
NICK WALLIS: From the Post Office Scandal to the Trans Debate

That’s Debatable!

Play Episode Listen Later Jul 1, 2026 31:51


Investigative reporter Nick Wallis played a leading role in exposing the Post Office scandal. His BBC documentaries helped uncover the biggest miscarriage of justice in British legal history and led to a public inquiry. Now Nick's turning his journalistic skills to exposing the medical and safeguarding harms caused by trans ideology. But this time, he doesn't have the backing of the BBC. "I got involved when it became a free speech issue," he tells the Free Speech Union's Connie Shaw. #freespeech #transgender #bbcnews   Support the Free Speech Union: https://freespeechunion.org/join Follow the Free Speech Union X/Twitter: https://x.com/SpeechUnion Instagram: https://freespeechunion   Facebook: https://speechunion   Follow Nick Wallis X/Twitter: https://x.com/nickwallis Nick's website: https://nickwallis.com/ Donate to and follow Nick's work on trans: https://genderblog.net/ Donate to and follow Nick's work on the Post Office Scandal: https://www.postofficescandal.uk/

That’s Debatable!
NET ZERO has become a religion | Claire Coutinho

That’s Debatable!

Play Episode Listen Later Jun 24, 2026 36:01


Former UK government Energy Secretary Claire Coutinho MP reveals how civil service "group think" stopped questioning of Net Zero. From misleading costings to attempts to silence dissent, Coutinho reveals why she believes the Climate Change Act needs a total reset. #freespeech #netzero #climatechange Support the Free Speech Union: https://freespeechunion.org/join Follow the Free Speech Union X/Twitter: https://x.com/SpeechUnion Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/freespeechunion/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SpeechUnion  

That’s Debatable!
LIONEL SHRIVER'S chilling warning to free-speech defenders

That’s Debatable!

Play Episode Listen Later Jun 17, 2026 44:53


Is the 'vibe shift' real? Or are we kidding ourselves that we are past “peak woke”? Bestselling novelist Lionel Shriver joins the Free Speech Union's general secretary Lord Young to explain why the 'long war' on free speech is just beginning. They discuss *Immigration: the subject of Lionel's latest novel “A Better Life” and why immigration has become the litmus test for progressives. *The Trans Debate: Why Lionel is resisting the urge to write the "predictable" trans novel. *Ideological Conformism: The chilling reason why most intellectuals choose "ideological collusion" over truth. * Political Violence: Reaction to the murder of Charlie Kirk and the rising temperature of the far-left. Support the Free Speech Union: https://freespeechunion.org/join Read Lionel Shriver's latest novel A Better Life: https://https://www.amazon.co.uk/Better-Life-Lionel-Shriver/dp/0063482142 Follow the Free Speech Union X/Twitter: https://x.com/SpeechUnion Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/freespeechunion/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SpeechUnion  

Early Edition with Kate Hawkesby
Ani O'Brien: Free Speech Union Council Member on ACT promising to keep workplace regulators from policing free speech

Early Edition with Kate Hawkesby

Play Episode Listen Later Jun 16, 2026 3:48 Transcription Available


The ACT Party's promising to ensure freedom of speech for professional regulators if re-elected. The proposal would ban regulators from disciplining workers for lawful expression outside of professional practice. It would require them to remain neutral on political issues and restrict mandatory training to matters directly related to professional competence and safety. Free Speech Union council member Ani O'Brien told Andrew Dickens these people are currently being judged on more than just their competence. She says workers are being policed on what they post on social media and their political beliefs. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Free Speech Coalition's Podcast
Arrested for a Facebook Post: Ben Jones on Britain's Free Speech Collapse

Free Speech Coalition's Podcast

Play Episode Listen Later Jun 15, 2026 59:44 Transcription Available


Dr Ben Jones, Director of Case Management at the UK Free Speech Union, joins host Dane Giraud to discuss his new book, Island of Strangers, and a question that should trouble anyone who values open debate: how did Britain - the country that gave the world so much of its free-speech tradition - become a place where the police knock on your door over a Facebook post?Jones has spent five years on the front line of Britain's free-speech wars, and his union now fields around fifty requests for help every week. Since the election of Keir Starmer's Labour government in 2024, he argues, the problem has shifted from cancellation to criminalisation - ordinary people arrested, interviewed and in some cases jailed for things they have said online. Taking Starmer's own "island of strangers" line as its starting point, the book argues that mass migration and the decline of Christianity have left Britain without the shared identity and common rituals that once held it together - and that a state trying to manage this "hyper-diversity" increasingly does so by suppressing speech, through two-tier policing and the quiet return of blasphemy law. Jones and Dane test the thesis hard: is the fault really with migration, or with the politicians who built the system? Does America's First Amendment prove a diverse society can stay free? And why does free speech look like a fragile, culturally specific inheritance rather than a universal default? The conversation ranges across the Roman Empire and the limits of assimilation, Aristotle and Durkheim on what actually makes a society, cancel culture and the "no debate" tactic, positive versus negative identity politics, the class dimension of censorship from the Lady Chatterley trial to today, and what all of this means for New Zealand and Australia - including NSW Premier Chris Minns' striking admission that free speech and multiculturalism may not mix. Island of Strangers is available now on Amazon in hardback, Kindle and audiobook. Free to Speak is the official podcast of the New Zealand Free Speech Union - uncensored conversations on free speech, civil liberties, and the people defending them. Hosted by Dane Giraud. Join the Free Speech Union: https://www.fsu.nz/join Support our work: https://www.fsu.nz/donate Newsletter: https://www.fsu.nz/subscribe Website: https://www.fsu.nz Got feedback or a guest suggestion? podcast@fsu.nzSupport the showhttps://www.fsu.nz/https://x.com/NZFreeSpeechhttps://www.instagram.com/freespeechnz/https://www.tiktok.com/@freespeechunionnz

That’s Debatable!
POLICE WHISTLEBLOWER: CRITICAL RACE THEORY at the Met

That’s Debatable!

Play Episode Listen Later Jun 11, 2026 50:37


Ex-cop Rick Prior worked in the Met police's Culture, Diversity and Inclusion department. He reveals how he witnessed the adoption of the sort of woke ideologies that lead to two-tier policing and situations like the arrest of dying victim Henry Nowak. #freespeech #twotierpolicing #henrynowak Read the Free Speech Union's briefing "With Fear and Favour: Britiain's Policing Emergency": https://freespeechunion.org/publications/fear-and-favour-policing-emergency Join the Free Speech Union: https://freespeechunion.org/ Follow the Free Speech Union X/Twitter: https://x.com/SpeechUnion Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/freespeechunion/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SpeechUnion Follow Rick Prior: https://x.com/mpfchairman  

The New Zealand Initiative
The under-16 check every adult has to pass

The New Zealand Initiative

Play Episode Listen Later Jun 11, 2026 28:03


In this episode, Eric talks with Jillaine Heather, Chief Executive of the Free Speech Union, about the Government's plans for an under-16 social media ban and the universal age verification that may come with it. They examine why the Department of Internal Affairs appears to be building delivery machinery ahead of any legislation, what Australia and the UK reveal about compliance and scope creep, and why policy aimed at online harms could create serious risks for privacy and free speech.

Academy of Ideas
Racial grievance politics: how did we become so divided?

Academy of Ideas

Play Episode Listen Later Jun 5, 2026 94:03


Vickrum Digwa, the killer of Henry Nowak, was convicted of murder last month. This week, the police released bodycam footage showing how Nowak was handcuffed and assumed to be the offender in a racist attack, even though he was dying from stab wounds. The fallout has been public and political outrage, and has spotlighted the way the police (and many other institutions) have formal policy to treat people differently based on their ethnicity. In that context, this debate, recorded at the Battle of Ideas festival 2025, seems very topical on how we got to this state of affairs. ORIGINAL FESTIVAL INTRODUCTION Over recent months, there has been a loud and vociferous debate raging in the UK about the merits or otherwise of multicultural policies. In the past,  Martin Luther King's dictum of ‘colour-blindness' was embraced by all sides politically and aspired to a multi-ethnic society that saw skin colour and ethnicity as secondary factors to unity and cohesion. More recently, institutionalised and ubiquitous state multiculturalism has instead encouraged British citizens to view each other through the prism of ethnic, religious and cultural difference. Combined with a more contemporary embrace of identity politics and critical race theory, which regards white people as inherently privileged, multiculturalism has been accused of dangerously stoking up fragmentation and division. But there are shifts that imply identity politics is now being embraced across the political spectrum. The political right, in particular, reacted against the race- and identity-based grievances associated with the Black Lives Matter movement's rise after the death of George Floyd. It rejected ‘two-tierism', justified by DEI, whether in the criminal-justice system or in hiring practices. However, more recently, increasing sections of the right have begun to embrace similar thinking, only in reverse. A newly emerging white-identitarian sentiment now frequently suggests white victimhood must be addressed by policies, arguing white people are becoming an oppressed class, while minorities are presented as a protected elite. Although the term itself is contested, critics of this emergent ‘woke right' argue it has much in common with its counterpart on the left: race essentialism and identity-based grievance. They point out that while past waves of immigration were always a source of some racial tensions; crucially, movements were created that transcended difference and encouraged mass political struggles for equality and against discrimination. Yet the slogan ‘black and white, unite and fight' – which focused on commonality of values, hopes and aspirations – seems out of sync with today's identitarian discourse espoused by both left and right. Is white identitarianism an understandable reaction to left-wing wokeism? Is it possible to go beyond mutually suspicious ethno-religious blocs, each armed with competing grievances and claims to victimhood? Is a framework of common values and beliefs – that enables us to treat all people equally, regardless of ethnicity – possible today? SPEAKERS Albie Amankona broadcaster; financial analyst; executive member, 2022 Group; champion, Next Gen Tories; general council, LGBT+ Conservatives; co-founder, Conservatives Against Racism. Chris Bayliss writer and consultant Sonya Douglas artist, poet and campaigner Tim Samuels documentary-maker; broadcaster; author Dr Alka Sehgal Cuthbert director, Don't Divide Us; author, What Should Schools Teach? Disciplines, subjects and the pursuit of truth CHAIR Dr Jan Macvarish education and events director, Free Speech Union

RNZ: The Panel
The Panel with Denise L'Estrange-Corbet and Andie McCombs, Part 1

RNZ: The Panel

Play Episode Listen Later Jun 4, 2026 24:33


Tonight, on The Panel, Wallace Chapman is joined by panellists Denise L'Estrange-Corbet and Andie McCombs. First up, Coality's latest data on house prices is out and prices are down 17 percent from their 2022 peak. What are prices going to do in the near future? The panel talks to Kelvin Davidson, chief property economist at Cotality. Then, the government is marching towards banning under 16s from social media, but the Free Speech union says they don't even know if a ban would be lawful under freedom of expression laws. Is the government going too fast on this? Jilliane Heather, Chief executive of the Free Speech Union discuses the issues with the panel.

That’s Debatable!
Former BBC Editor ROB BURLEY on TRANS IDEOLOGY, Impartiality and Institutional Capture

That’s Debatable!

Play Episode Listen Later May 22, 2026 34:21


Former BBC editor Rob Burley talks about his recent Unherd investigation: "Inside the capture of the BBC How transgenderism killed impartiality."   This is an insider account of how bosses at one of Britain's most important institutions became scared of young, woke employees and speaking freely. #freespeech #bbc #bbcnews Read Rob's article for Unherd: https://unherd.com/2026/05/inside-the-capture-of-the-bbc/ Follow Rob Burley: SubStack: https://substack.com/@UCws6I35J8b51YrUdkcph8CA X/Twitter: https://x.com/RobBurl?lang=en Join the Free Speech Union: https://freespeechunion.org/ Follow the Free Speech Union X/Twitter: https://x.com/SpeechUnion Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/freespeechunion/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SpeechUnion  

That’s Debatable!
Dropped by charity for her gender critical views: JANET MURRAY

That’s Debatable!

Play Episode Listen Later May 17, 2026 31:10


Journalist Janet Murray tells Connie Shaw how her views about trans impacted her community choir. The "Singing Striders" were dropped by disability charity Scope from performing at the London Marathon. Scope objected to Janet's views, even though they were unrelated to her work with the choir. Scope backed down at the last minute, but too late for the show to go on. The choir row is just the latest attack Janet has suffered in a long campaign against her. #freespeech #transgender #ukpolitics Join the Free Speech Union: https://freespeechunion.org/ Follow the Free Speech Union X/Twitter: https://x.com/SpeechUnion Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/freespeechunion/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SpeechUnion Follow Janet Murray https://janetmurray.co.uk https://x.com/jan_murray https://janetmurray.substack.com/ https://www.linkedin.com/in/janet-murray74/  

Rebel News +
EZRA LEVANT | Alexa Lavoie reports from London while Free Speech Union challenges UK ban

Rebel News +

Play Episode Listen Later May 16, 2026 51:05


The Rebel News podcasts features free audio-only versions of select RebelNews+ content and other Rebel News long-form videos, livestreams, and interviews. Monday to Friday enjoy the audio version of Ezra Levant's daily TV-style show, The Ezra Levant Show, where Ezra gives you his contrarian and conservative take on free speech, politics, and foreign policy through in-depth commentary and interviews. Wednesday evenings you can listen to the audio version of The Gunn Show with Sheila Gunn Reid the Chief Reporter of Rebel News. Sheila brings a western sensibility to Canadian news. With one foot in the oil patch and one foot in agriculture, Sheila challenges mainstream media narratives and stands up for Albertans. If you want to watch the video versions of these podcasts, make sure to begin your free RebelNewsPlus trial by subscribing at http://www.RebelNewsPlus.com

Duncan Garner - Editor-In-Chief
BSA vs Sean Plunket: Is This Overreach from an Outdated Body?

Duncan Garner - Editor-In-Chief

Play Episode Listen Later Apr 22, 2026 37:21


What happens when an old regulator tries to police a media world that's already moved on? We get stuck with a fight over The Platform's Sean Plunket, the BSA, free speech, and whether broadcasting rules still make sense when podcasts and radio start crossing over. In this episode, Duncan digs into the complaint over Plunket's “mumbo jumbo” comment, and why the real issue might be the Platform's link to terrestrial radio. He's joined by Free Speech Union chief executive Jillaine Heather to talk mission creep, censorship concerns, and whether the government should be stepping in to draw a line. They also get into the proposed under-16 social media ban, why blanket bans rarely work, and why ministers keep going missing when the hard questions start. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Cross Question with Iain Dale
Dame Theresa Villiers, Danny Beales MP, Peter Tatchell and Connie Shaw

Cross Question with Iain Dale

Play Episode Listen Later Mar 12, 2026 51:19


Joining Iain Dale on Cross Question are former Conservative Cabinet minister Dame Theresa Villiers, Labour MP Danny Beales, human rights campaigner Peter Tatchell and Connie Shaw from the Free Speech Union.

Iain Dale - The Whole Show
Could the war in Iran be worth it?

Iain Dale - The Whole Show

Play Episode Listen Later Mar 12, 2026 146:32


Could the war in Iran be worth it?Joining Iain Dale on Cross Question are former Conservative Cabinet minister Dame Theresa Villiers, Labour MP Danny Beales, human rights campaigner Peter Tatchell and Connie Shaw from the Free Speech Union.

Academy of Ideas
The rise of the workplace speech police

Academy of Ideas

Play Episode Listen Later Feb 20, 2026 81:45


Debate recorded at the Battle of Ideas festival 2025 on Saturday 18 October at Church House, Westminster. This week, Reform's Suella Braverman declared that if the party were elected to government it would 'repeal the Equality Act, because we are going to work to build a country defined by meritocracy not tokenism, personal responsibility not victimhood, excellence not mediocrity, and unity not division'. In response, Prime Minister Keir Starmer told the BBC that the Act represented 'basic values, one of which is should women be treated equally with men... I think it actually rips up something that goes to who we are as a country because I believe passionately that to be tolerant, compassionate and diverse is what it is to be British'. What has been the impact of the Equality Act on British workplaces? ORIGINAL FESTIVAL INTRODUCTION The British workplace is now too often a toxic environment, a hotbed of grievance culture, lawfare and an ever-expanding number of disciplinary codes unrelated to the nature of specific jobs. Over the past year, there's been a 23 per cent rise in cases at employment tribunals and a two-year waiting list, due to a growing backlog, with workplace conflicts estimated to now cost businesses £28.5 billion annually. How did this come about? The UK is a world leader in human relations (HR). With over half a million HR workers – almost double the number of 15 years ago – Britain stands second in the global league table for size of HR sector as a share of all occupations. Over seven in 10 FTSE 100 companies now boast a ‘chief HR officer' on their executive committee, reflecting the elevated status of this newfound ‘profession'. We might expect this might lead to happier more productive workers, fewer grievances and higher job retention. Yet the growth of the HR industrial complex doesn't appear to have led to better workplace outcomes or harmony. Arguably, HR is as much the problem as the solution. HR departments – until recently humdrum administrative hubs managing payrolls, processing sick notes and checking firms complied with employment law – have now morphed into real centres of power. They are the enforcers of workplace orthodoxies, controlling what workers can say or do, who keeps their job, and even shaping corporate missions. For example, the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD) is charged with versing workers in new values, from DEI literacy to managing emotional security. What's more, the traditional defenders of workers' rights – trade unions – are increasingly acting in lockstep with HR managers' priorities. A recent paper by the Free Speech Union, Shopped Stewards, revealed the divisive nature of union bureaucrats' adherence to identity politics, which means they often side with the DEI initiatives of their employers, as opposed to defending their members' rights. For example, teacher Simon Pearson was fired by Preston College after a complaint from a Muslim representative of the National Education Union (NEU). Pearson was accused of being ‘Islamophobic' and ‘racially discriminatory' for social-media posts, such as saying Lucy Connolly ‘should not have been jailed'. Another report suggests that specific legislation has led to a deterioration in workplace relations. The Don't Divide Us report, The Equality Act Isn't Working, reveals the ‘expansionary logic' of the Equality Act 2010 has provided the legal scaffolding that supports a surge in (largely unsuccessful) workplace race–discrimination claims. This, DDU argues, contributes to a grievance culture where people resort to ‘lawfare' to resolve ‘petty disputes and imagined slights', while empowering thin-skinned employees to wilfully misinterpret perfectly innocent comments or interactions. Can the workplace be detoxified? How can we tame the HR monster? Can trade unions return to a ‘one for all, all for one' role of protecting workers' rights? Can laws that are divisive in workplaces be reined in? SPEAKERS Pamela Dow chief operating officer, Civic Future Paul Embery firefighter; trade unionist; author, Despised: why the modern Left loathes the working class; broadcaster Maya Forstater chief executive, Sex Matters Dr Anna Loutfi employment and human rights barrister; advisory council member, Don't Divide Us CHAIR Para Mullan former operations director, EY-Seren; fellow, Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development

Duncan Garner - Editor-In-Chief
'Death Of Free Speech': We Unpack Confronting Massey Uni Curriculum

Duncan Garner - Editor-In-Chief

Play Episode Listen Later Feb 19, 2026 27:14


A high-achieving Massey University student has walked away from their social work degree and New Zealand entirely. Duncan shares a chilling letter from a student who claims the Treaty and climate change are being shoved down their throats at the expense of practical skills. We are joined by Ghislaine Heather from the Free Speech Union to ask if our universities have become echo chambers that have forgotten how to teach kids how to think. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Week in Westminster

Caroline Wheeler of The Sunday Times assesses the latest developments at Westminster.After a week in which the Prime Minister had to fight for his political survival, Caroline speaks to Labour grandee, Alan Johnson, a Cabinet minister in both the Blair and Brown governments, and Peter Hyman, a former strategist for Tony Blair when he was in Number Ten.In the wake of the scandal around Peter Mandelson, and amid concerns about the slow progress of the Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill, a new cross-party group is calling for 'wholesale' reform of the House of Lords. One of those involved is Carmen Smith of Plaid Cymru, the youngest member of the House of Lords. Lord Young of Acton, a Conservative peer and founder of the Free Speech Union, is concerned that rule changes on stripping peerages could be used to suppress speech.Ahead of the Government's Schools White Paper, which is likely to include controversial reforms to special educational needs provision, Caroline speaks to Jo Hutchinson of the Education Policy Institute about how the system might be changed.And, to discuss what it's like inside Number Ten at moments of political crisis, Caroline brings together Guto Harri, former Director of Communications to Boris Johnson, and Luke Sullivan, former political director for Sir Keir Starmer.

Free Speech Coalition's Podcast
01 - Douglas Brown - Who controls the internet in NZ?

Free Speech Coalition's Podcast

Play Episode Listen Later Feb 2, 2026 52:29


Lawyer and Free Speech Union council member Douglas Brown joins the Free to Speak podcast to unpack the growing fight over who governs the internet - and why it matters for free expression in New Zealand. Using InternetNZ and its recent board election as a case study, Douglas and host Dane Giraud trace how internet governance decisions (often quietly) shape what can and can't be said online, and why Western democracies are increasingly flirting with restrictions - from platform regulation to debates over bans on services like X.Support the showhttps://www.fsu.nz/https://x.com/NZFreeSpeechhttps://www.instagram.com/freespeechnz/https://www.tiktok.com/@freespeechunionnz

The spiked podcast
The Greenland debacle has exposed Europe's weakness

The spiked podcast

Play Episode Listen Later Jan 23, 2026 33:41


EXCLUSIVE JANUARY OFFER: Get unlimited access to spiked for just £1 a month for the next three months: https://www.spiked-online.com/support/ Jacob Reynolds, Tom Slater and Fraser Myers on Trump's sabre-rattling, Starmer's surrender of the Chagos Islands and China's spy HQ in London. Watch the second half of the discussion on spiked podcast: unlocked – our weekly bonus podcast, exclusively for spiked supporters – here: https://www.spiked-online.com/podcast-episode/the-mad-sad-world-of-the-groypers/ EVENT: spiked is partnering with the Free Speech Union for ‘In Defence of Trial by Jury', a live discussion on Thursday 29 January in London. spiked supporters and Free Speech Union members can get discounted tickets: https://www.tickettailor.com/events/freespeechunion/2002087  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The spiked podcast
‘Starmer has surrendered to the EU' | Bruno Waterfield

The spiked podcast

Play Episode Listen Later Jan 21, 2026 19:31


EXCLUSIVE JANUARY OFFER: Get unlimited access to spiked for just £1 a month for the next three months: https://www.spiked-online.com/support/ Keir Starmer's ‘Brexit reset' may be his worst negotiation yet. The UK is set to pay exorbitant amounts to the EU, hand over control of vital industries, and receive some nasty surprises in return. Here, Bruno Waterfield – Brussels correspondent at The Times – explains why Starmer's sellout to Brussels could lead to higher food and energy prices, and to the stifling of innovation and industry. He warns that Britain will pay a heavy price for so casually surrendering its sovereignty.  EVENT: spiked is partnering with the Free Speech Union for ‘In Defence of Trial by Jury', a live discussion on Thursday 29 January in London. spiked supporters and Free Speech Union members can get discounted tickets: https://www.tickettailor.com/events/freespeechunion/2002087  Read spiked: https://www.spiked-online.com/     Support spiked: https://www.spiked-online.com/support/  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The spiked podcast
The real reason Jenrick joined Reform

The spiked podcast

Play Episode Listen Later Jan 16, 2026 31:56


EXCLUSIVE JANUARY OFFER: Get unlimited access to spiked for just £1 a month for the next three months: https://www.spiked-online.com/support/ Brendan O'Neill, Tom Slater and Fraser Myers on the death of the Tories, the brutality of Iran's ayatollahs and Starmer's totalitarian war on X Watch the second half of the discussion on spiked podcast: unlocked – our weekly bonus podcast, exclusively for spiked supporters – here: https://www.spiked-online.com/podcast-episode/is-eva-vlaardingerbroek-a-threat-to-the-uk/ EVENT: spiked is partnering with the Free Speech Union for ‘In Defence of Trial by Jury', a live discussion on Thursday 29 January in London. spiked supporters and Free Speech Union members can get discounted tickets: https://www.tickettailor.com/events/freespeechunion/2002087  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Julia Hartley-Brewer
Free Speech Under Attack in Britain

Julia Hartley-Brewer

Play Episode Listen Later Dec 8, 2025 27:05


Julia Hartley-Brewer chats to Lord Young about Britain's Free Speech crisis as yet another Brit becomes the latest victim of Keir Starmer's two-tier nation. Today, it's Jamie Michael, who was initially charged with hate speech towards illegal migrants after posting a video on Facebook. Even though a jury took 17 minutes to find Jamie ‘not guilty', local safeguarding authorities in Wales deemed him not to be allowed to work with kids. Jamie, a father of two, is no longer allowed to coach his daughter's local football team. Outraged by this decision, Julia is joined by Conservative Peer and Free Speech Union founder, Lord Young, as well as regular guest Sam Armstrong. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Cross Question with Iain Dale
Claire Coutinho, Peter Swallow, Theresa Bischoff & Connie Shaw

Cross Question with Iain Dale

Play Episode Listen Later Oct 28, 2025 50:46


Joining Iain Dale on Cross Question are the Conservative Shadow Energy Security Secretary Claire Coutinho, Labour MP Peter Swallow, the Good Growth Foundation's Theresa Bischoff and the Free Speech Union's Connie Shaw.

The Situation with Michael Brown
9-19-25 - 7am - UK Free Speech Union and Dress Code

The Situation with Michael Brown

Play Episode Listen Later Sep 19, 2025 33:27 Transcription Available


TRIGGERnometry
Why Britain Arrests 30 People EVERY DAY For Speech

TRIGGERnometry

Play Episode Listen Later Aug 6, 2025 69:50


Toby Young is a British journalist, social commentator, and political activist known for his outspoken views and involvement in education and free speech advocacy. Founder of the Free Speech Union - https://freespeechunion.org/ Follow Toby: X - https://x.com/toadmeister Triggernometry is proudly independent. Thanks to the sponsors below for making that possible: - Protect your wealth with The Pure Gold Company. Get your free investor guide at https://pure-gold.co/trigger - Go to https://shipstation.com and use code TRIGGER to sign up for your FREE trial. - Shopify! Sign up for a £1 per month trial at https://www.shopify.co.uk/trigger/ Join our exclusive TRIGGERnometry community on Substack! https://triggernometry.substack.com/ OR Support TRIGGERnometry Here: Bitcoin: bc1qm6vvhduc6s3rvy8u76sllmrfpynfv94qw8p8d5 Shop Merch here - https://www.triggerpod.co.uk/shop/ Advertise on TRIGGERnometry: marketing@triggerpod.co.uk Find TRIGGERnometry on Social Media: https://twitter.com/triggerpod https://www.facebook.com/triggerpod/ https://www.instagram.com/triggerpod/ About TRIGGERnometry: Stand-up comedians Konstantin Kisin (@konstantinkisin) and Francis Foster (@francisjfoster) make sense of politics, economics, free speech, AI, drug policy and WW3 with the help of presidential advisors, renowned economists, award-winning journalists, controversial writers, leading scientists and notorious comedians. 00:00 Introduction 07:34 The Free Speech Guardrails Of The Bill 11:39 Removing Anonymity On The Internet 19:27 Are You Concerned This Is Just A Way Of Censoring People? 29:29 The Left's Instinct Is To Keep People Safe 37:06 Peter Kyle Saying Nigel Farage Is On The Side Of Jimmy Saville 42:06 You Won't Be Able To Suppress People's Concerns About Illegal Migration 43:44 The Government Is Demanding Access To Messaging Apps Like WhatsApp And Signal 49:30 The Difference Between Tolerance And Respect 54:47 Blasphemy Laws 59:42 The Free Speech Union's Case Load 01:03:43 What's The One Thing We're Not Talking About That We Really Should Be? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices