Free speech: we should try it again

Lincoln Allison says we must sweep aside today’s pervasive fearfulness. Instead we should feel free to offend — and not take offence when others treat us equally robustly

I REMEMBER FREE SPEECH; it happened on a muddy building site outside Coventry in the late 1960s and the early 1970s. It was called the University of Warwick and I signed up as a lecturer aged 22. If you gave a bad lecture, the students would tell you so. If they fancied you, they would tell you that as well. I was frequently told I was a fascist (which I’m not) and that I was talking rubbish (maybe sometimes). I was happy to dish it back. Staff and students sat in bars and argued about everything from Arianism to an immense variety of Marxism. There were lots of Tories as well, some of whom went on to be notable Thatcherites. At the beginning of my second term, the Senate —…

You're reading a preview of

The Critic (Digital) - 1 Issue, February 2023

DiscountMags is a licensed distributor (not a publisher) of the above content and Publication through Zinio LLC. Accordingly, we have no editorial control over the Publications. Any opinions, advice, statements, services, offers or other information or content expressed or made available by third parties, including those made in Publications offered on our website, are those of the respective author(s) or publisher(s) and not of DiscountMags. DiscountMags does not guarantee the accuracy, completeness, truthfulness, or usefulness of all or any portion of any publication or any services or offers made by third parties, nor will we be liable for any loss or damage caused by your reliance on information contained in any Publication, or your use of services offered, or your acceptance of any offers made through the Service or the Publications. For content removal requests, please contact Zinio.