Illustration: Dom McKenzie/The Observer Illustration: Dom McKenzie/The Observer
Sun 16 May 2021 04.30 EDT
Last modified on Sun 16 May 2021 05.48 EDT
âBlacks are genetically less intelligent.â âMuslims do not belong in this country.â âIt is right to discriminate against gays.â
Three bigoted statements. According to a new draft law, the online safety bill, social media companies could be required to censor them. According to another proposed law, the higher education (freedom of speech) bill, any university or student union that did censor them could face sanctions.
The bills deal with different arenas â social media and higher education. But the fact that what is protected by one law is made illegal by another, and that what the online safety bill calls âa significant adverse psychological impact on an adultâ is reason for censorship on social media but not on campus, reveals a degree of incoherence impressive even by this governmen
University campuses have become a free speech battleground (Image: Getty Images)
Want Stoke-on-Trent news emailed to you direct from our journalists? Sign up to our newsletterInvalid EmailSomething went wrong, please try again later.
Subscribe
When you subscribe we will use the information you provide to send you these newsletters. Your information will be used in accordance with ourPrivacy Notice.
Thank you for subscribingWe have more newslettersShow meSee ourprivacy notice
“War on woke,” screamed the Daily Mail headline. “PM reveals ‘cancel culture’ victims denied platforms by universities can now seek compensation.”
I could sense some readers reaching for a brown paper bag to stop themselves hyperventilating. Student snowflakes trying to deny us our right to speak good, old-fashioned common sense? We can’t be silenced!
Woke universities could be fined for cancel culture under new free speech law coventrytelegraph.net - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from coventrytelegraph.net Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
Credit: anthony devlin/pa
SIR – I welcome the move towards more face-to-face GP appointments.
However, there need to be fewer pointless ones for things like broken nails. If only those who genuinely needed appointments were seen, the service might be considerably less stretched.
I think initial phone consultations can be a good thing, along with the use of 111 to triage A&E.
Barbara Marshall
SIR – It is good to know that patients have the right to book face-to-face consultations with their GPs.
Now all we have to do is get through to them on the phone or persuade them to respond to emails.