If we fail to defend that right for speech we dislike, we will lose it for the speech we do like
Alexei Sayle: an MP called for him to be removed from Desert Island Discs. Photograph: Tristram Kenton/The Guardian
Alexei Sayle: an MP called for him to be removed from Desert Island Discs. Photograph: Tristram Kenton/The Guardian
Sun 23 May 2021 06.00 EDT
A Tory MP demands that the comedian Alexei Sayle be dropped from
Desert Island Discs for his supposed antisemitism. With the hashtag #KaufmannOut, students at Londonâs Birkbeck College demand an âinvestigationâ into lecturer Eric Kaufmann for his âwhite supremacyâ. Essex University apologises after a damning report on the cancellations of meetings by academics Rosa Freedman and Jo Phoenix for their âtransphobicâ beliefs. In America, Associated Press sacks journalist Emily Wilder after a rightwing campaign against her pro-Palestinian views. Just another week on the free speech front line.
Last modified on Sat 22 May 2021 14.26 EDT
Billie Piper has occupied a near continual, if shifting, position in the public imagination for almost a quarter of a century. Thatâs a notable achievement by any reckoning of a performerâs career, but itâs also rather alarming, given that sheâs still only 38.
Having started out as 15-year-old chart sensation, she walked away from the pop music treadmill, enjoyed a boozy marriage with the DJ Chris Evans, returned to frontline fame in
Doctor Who, struck out on a path of acclaimed dramatic performances on TV and the stage, and has now made her directorial debut with the feature film
I m not a fan of Alexei Sayle but he has a right to hold his views
Our CEO Ruth Smeeth fundamentally disagrees with the efforts of British parliamentarian, Matthew Offord, to stop the broadcast of an episode of Desert Island Discs featuring the comedian
21 May 2021
BY RUTH SMEETH
Writer and comedian Alexei Sayle reads from his book The Dog Catcher. VALENTIN HELEN VALENTINE/PA Archive/PA Images
I think that it is fair to suggest that Alexei Sayle isn’t one of my biggest fans. We agree on little politically and in the last few years I believe that his interventions on the issues of antisemitism and racism in the Labour Party were not only factually incorrect and morally wrong but also made my life, at a time when I was very vulnerable, even more difficult. So, it would be fair to say that I am not a fan of his either.
Eavis told PA news agency: “You get to see it (Worthy Farm) in a way which people never see it, which is just the pure, beautiful farm that is in a really incredible, beautiful setting. But also, you’ll get to see the bands in a way you’ve never seen them before because there’s no audience, so you’re going to really be getting into these performances and that’s something really special as well.”
Singer-songwriter George Ezra and Irish disco producer Roisin Murphy are also on the bill, while festival co-founder Michael Eavis, 85, will lead a spoken-word narration of the five-hour event with the help of Harvey and Cocker, plus Kate Tempest, George The Poet and Kurupt FM.