In a written statement yesterday, Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson announced that she had halted “further commencement” of the Higher Education (Freedom of Speech) Act 2023, just days before powers for the free speech tsar were due to come into force, and that the Act’s repeal would be considered.>>>CONTINUE FULL READING HERE....CONTINUE READING THE ARTICLE FROM THE SOURCE
Ms Phillipson justified her decision by claiming the Act could have led to “appalling hate speech on campuses”, with particular concerns around anti-Semitic behaviour. Yet if that is the case, surely the correct response would have been to tighten up the language of the Act, rather than to potentially shelve entirely a piece of legislation many academics consider necessary.
In recent years, we have seen far too many examples of university staff being hounded for expressing views and opinions contrary to the Left-wing orthodoxy. In one notable example, Kathleen Stock resigned as professor of philosophy at Sussex University after a “witch-hunt” over her views on transgender issues.
Such incidents run directly contrary to the purpose of the university as a space for free inquiry; academics must be able to ask difficult questions and reach uncomfortable conclusions in their search for the truth. The clear legal protections offered by the Act would have provided the necessary security for them to do so. It is deeply regrettable that Ms Phillipson has chosen to weaken this shield, handing control of our campuses back to the Left-wing culture warriors.>>>CONTINUE FULL READING HERE
