Do we really in the true sense of the words, enjoy freedom of speech in the UK?

Question

With all of the laws surrounding incitement to this and that.... can any of us really say what we're thinking anymore? If so are we now losing our democratic rights? The very thing we are fighting for on other countries behalfs.

Answer 1

There is no freedom of speech in the UK unless it is the immigrants or Leftists speaking! This political correctness puke is making it so you cannot speak your mind without some immigrant saying that you are offending them even though they are the foreigners and it's not their country! And then the Leftists go on a rampage of "we are all equal" which translates into foreigners 1st, British 2nd!

I mean what kind of country is it when the natives can't even speak their thoughts for fear of getting shot down by Leftists for "offending" foreigners!

Answer 2

Talk is cheap, not free. I don't think it is ever totally free to talk. Therefore if you are financially persecuted, there is no freedom of speech in the UK. This has always been the case.

Actions always speak louder than words. Suicide bombers are heard for miles right around the world. What are they saying?

Your democratic rights are the same as they always have been. The enforcement and policing of peoples rights can only be done by a force outside of government which is quite often the force whose rights are abused. This force is more commonly known as the "not in government" opposition. It is the all party coalition against government which eliminates persecutions of minorities.

A government with a slim majority cannot persecute without retaliation. A government on the slippery slope out of office, will find it even more difficult to enforce any more of its lunatic policies and changes in rules. It will find eventually the everything it says will be ignored until it gives up trying to rule over a population which increasingly thinks it has lost.

Answer 3

As has been pointed out freedom of speech does not mean that you can go into a crowded cinema and shout, 'Fire!', or go up to someone and say something abusive and claim, 'But I'm exercising my right to freedom of speech!' when he thumps you.
In every society, every freedom (to do this or that) is always constrained by something. When your right to exercise some freedom infringes on someone else's rights, you would have gone too far. You may be free to drive down the street, but only if you obey the law and highway code. If you drive on the right side in the UK on a 2-way street, you will soon lose all your freedom.
However, it is true that some groups appear to have asserted their rights to such a degree that others are now asking if they are not now riding rough-shod over the rights of others. In an Open society, it is sometimes difficult to balance the 'rights' of different groups.

Answer 4

Depends what you want to say.

If you stand on a soapbox (yes Abu Hamza I'm looking at YOU)and preach about death to a section of the population then no you shouldn't be allowed to do that because that isn't so much freedom of speech as making threats and incitement to commit murder. Look what those bastards did in London on 7/7/05.

If you just want to express your political beleifs without actually threatening violence against anyone else then yes you are allowed to do that.

We are allowed to march with placards, protests against things that we disagree with. Theres just a line between doing this and using this freedom of speech to promote violence and thats where you start to lose your right to freedom of speech.

We have a lot more freedom of speech in the UK than in some countries.

Answer 5

I don't think any stable society can have complete freedom of speech and actions. There has to be some limits on what you can say in order to protect others - there must be a balance between individual expression, and protection of the public. Otherwise you'll get people inciting murder, terrorism etc without being criticised. If what a person is thinking, e.g. that it's ok to rape children and that suicide bombings on buses are a legitimate form of political protest, and they decide to preach this on the streets and encourage people to do these things, then any sane person would say that they must be controlled in order to protect the common good.

Answer 6

There is no such thing as freedom of speech nowadays. A lot of people are afraid to speak out on what they REALLY feel.

Even press freedom... the reporter or journalist has to toe the company line of the newspaper. You would not have articles published that promote X when the newspaper tycoons are for Y, and anti X

We have democratic rights, yes, but on paper. WE have rights as long as we toe the line.

Answer 7

I believe we enjoy a lot of freedom of speech today, more so than ever before. Unfortunately some people find that their intolerant and vile language is being curbed and do not like it. Its similar to the way some smokers hate anti smoking legislation.

However you cannot legislate away a belief, and I do think we are getting close to the words of George Orwell 'Everyone is equal, but some people are more equal than others' The 'rights' of a tiny minority are used to deny others their belief.

Answer 8

With 'trepidation' I examine your offering. Freedom of speech might desire to continually be a given yet as you factor out would be constrained by using the guy's way of existence, etc. Your words ramble some, probable because of having to insert words yet you pose some sturdy questions. enjoyed the 'decrease-tipped pen' photograph and 'never say sorry for giving voice to ideas'. usual in spite of the undeniable fact that, this desires greater modifying and a run via spell verify.

Answer 9

No we don't. You can now be arrested in this country for making a fascist speech, as deplorable as that may be. Everyone should be entitled to an opinion, regardless of whether other people agree. That's what makes a democracy.

If I were to go down to Speaker's Corner and make a speech in favour of jihad, and calling for non-Muslims to be executed that would be OK. However, if I stood on a soap box and made a "send 'em all back" speech I'd be arrested and charged. That's not my own opinion, that's fact.

Answer 10

We Brits do not have complete freedom of speech. However we have more rights to free speach than most other countries including the USA