"Concerns over censorship are now routinely dismissed as ‘a right-wing talking point’. As one commentator put it recently, there are those for whom free speech is ‘nothing more than a political ploy, a ruse, a term the far right wilfully abuse to spread hatred’. In my view, free speech is a principle that transcends notions of ‘left’ and ‘right’ because all forms of political discourse depend upon its existence.

"Free speech is the marrow of democracy. Without it, no other liberties exist. It is detested by tyrants because it empowers their captive subjects. It is mistrusted by puritans because it is the wellspring of subversion.

If our fear of free speech is that it facilitates the dissemination of bad ideas, then we have pre-emptively decided which ideas are beyond the pale. By doing so, we limit our own capacity to be challenged, and inadvertently reveal our existing prejudices."
(Andrew Doyle)