That’s Debatable!

Can universities ever recover from the free speech crisis?

Connie Shaw
 
18:54 (11 minutes ago)
 
 
 
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In this week’s That’s Debateable!, hosts Vinay Kapoor and Connie Shaw discuss:
The new academic year in a post-Higher Education (Freedom of Speech) Act world, and what needs to be done to restore the university experience.
They relay their visit to LSE campus where they spoke to a variety of students from different causes, including both pro-Palestine and pro-Israel, and what their perspectives were on the state of freedom of speech at university 
Vinay explains how his time at the University of Warwick has helped his work at the FSU, and what the FSU offers for students who wish to promote freedom of speech on their campuses.
Join the Free Speech Union: freespeechunion.org/join
 
Freshers’ half price membership: freespeechunion.org/product/freshers-membership-annual-concessionary-subscription
 
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Transatlantic Free Speech Hypocrisy?

This week, Connie and Jan discuss the extraordinary level of interest in the case of Deborah Anderson, the Free Speech Union member and American citizen who filmed a visit from a British police officer who wished to talk to her about her ‘upsetting’ Facebook posts. The video has been viewed over 6 million times on X alone. Deborah’s indignant defence of her speech rights in the face of state overreach has clearly touched a nerve.
 
They then cross the pond to discuss the suspension of US talk-show host Jimmy Kimmel for his comments about the assassination of Charlie Kirk. Kimmel claimed that the shooter was part of the MAGA tribe and that the murder was being exploited for political capital by Trump and his supporters. The decision by ABC and the Nexstar Media Group to cancel Kimmel, apparently under pressure from chief of broadcast regulator the Federal Communications Commission, provoked much debate about whether those on the right who have claimed to be free speech defenders have now become justifiers of cancel culture.
Connie and Jan discuss the nuances of, on the one hand holding people to account for what they say, and on the other, upholding the importance of free speech.
Edited by Jason Clift

Can Free Speech Unite the Kingdom?

This week on That’s Debatable…
Charlie Kirk, a bastion for free speech and open debate, was tragically assassinated last week. Everyone at The FSU is still holding the wife and young children of Charlie Kirk in our thoughts and prayers.
Jan describes her experience witnessing The Unite the Kingdom march for free speech that took place on 13th September, where many Free Speech Union members were present. 
The Leader of the Opposition has asked General Secretary of the Free Speech Union, Toby Young, to lead a review of Britain's free speech laws. The provisional recommendations are due to be issued in December 2025.
Edited by Jason Clift

Down With This Sort of Thing!

Jan Macvarish is joined by Vinay Kapoor who runs the Free Speech Union’s funding stream for students and young people, the Ian Mactaggart Programme.
They begin by responding to the outrageous arrest of comedy writer Graham Linehan by five armed police officers at Heathrow Airport. Graham has not yet been charged but police are investigating him for three tweets posted earlier this year. The FSU is providing Graham with legal support, raising funds with a crowdfunder, and has succeeded in overturning the bail conditions that forbade him from posting on X.
 
Vinay speaks about his time as a student at Warwick University where he launched his own society for open inquiry and debate, called Warwick Speakeasy. Now that he has graduated, he will be concentrating on expanding the FSU’s outreach to a younger audience through tailored events and by encouraging free speech initiatives by other young people. Vinay is committed to resurrecting the ‘socratic’ approach to intellectual development and public discourse where everything is open to question in the pursuit of critical thinking and deeper understanding.
Finally, Jan encourages our viewers and listeners to get their tickets for The War on Science on 4th October (FSU Members can book discounted tickets) and the Battle of Ideas Festival on the 18th and 19th October (FSU Members can use the promo code in the weekly newsletter to unlock a reduced rate).Edited by Jason Clift

What REALLY happens at the Free Speech Union…

Celeste, an FSU Case Officer, and External Affairs Officer Connie discuss what goes on behind the scenes at the FSU, what case officers do when they receive your emails to the help@freespeechunion.org line, and what tactics they deploy against those who try to silence you. 
 
Cases and news of note include:
The Islamophobia definition delayed down to the FSU’s pressure on the government 
Disabled 8 year old boy banned from summer camp due to his mother’s gender critical views
Robert Moss, retired fireman, arrested for criticising his former employer
Events and Offers:
The War On Science panel with Richard Dawkins, Lawrence Krauss, Alice Sullivan, John Armstrong and Alan Sokal, 4th October 
Battle of Ideas: FSU members get 20% off tickets!
New students get half price FSU memberships for £14.99
Edited By Jason Clift

Lucy Connolly RELEASED: Toby Young answers common questions

Lucy Connolly, the child minder who was jailed for 31 months for a single tweet, has been released from prison.
The Free Speech Union funded her appeal in May 2025. In this episode, Toby Young answers some common questions surrounding Lucy Connolly’s case.
Edited by Jason Clift

Pensioner ARRESTED for criticising former employer

This week on That’s Debatable…
The Free Speech Union had a trip to Margate beach to protest Thanet District Council’s new Public Spaces Protection Order (PSPO). Being so broad and over-reaching, the PSPO is likely unlawful and has the effect of banning swearing in public and taking the mickey! The FSU are threatening legal action if Thanet District Council does not alter the wording of the PSPO.
Along with JD Vance’s visit to the UK came a report from the US state department which referenced a decline in human rights regarding free speech. 
Labour Cllr Ricky Jones was acquitted by a jury after being charged with encouraging violent disorder which has caused considerable outcry from those who disagree with the treatment Lucy Connolly received for her tweet.  
Scottish army veteran, David Toshack, was sacked from his role as a police custody officer due to his ‘strong views’ being incompatible with company policy and ‘the law’. His strong views? That sex is real, immutable and important. Support his case here: freespeechunion.org/david-toshack-l/
Edited by Jason Clift

Swearing and satire have been BANNED

This week Connie and Jan discuss the Public Spaces Protection Order that has been passed by Thanet District Council (TDC). In the summer of 2024, the FSU threatened legal action when TDC proposed a similar measure. This is their second attempt, and there are still serious concerns that it will infringe on speech rights and is likely to be unlawful – the swearing ban!
https://www.kentonline.co.uk/thanet/news/council-launches-fresh-bid-to-fine-people-for-swearing-327075/
Jon Farley was arrested under the Terrorism Act for holding a satirical image made and published by Private Eye magazine about the proscription of Palestine Action. He was held for 6 hours and was eventually told no further action would be taken. The FSU has offered to look into helping the protestor with securing an apology from Leeds police.
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2025/jul/23/private-eye-cartoon-arrest-ian-hislop-protest
Lord Toby Young has called for Akeela Ahmed to step down from the government’s  Islamophobia Working Group due to a conflict of interest. Ms Ahmed is the incoming Chief Executive of the British Muslim Trust which aims to monitor incidents of Islamophobia and “raise awareness” of hate crime with the help of £1 million a year donation from the government, we argue that her position calls into question the ability of the working group to objectively assess the merits of an official definition of Islamophobia.
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/politics/2025/07/21/conflict-interest-row-over-rayners-islamophobia-definition/?mc_cid=ced63ae64a&mc_eid=ad5cde99a7
Finally, some good news. Lord Chris Smith, a supporter of free speech and academic freedom, has been elected to the Chancellorship of Cambridge University! You can read his responses to a survey sent to all candidates in the election  by Alumni for Free Speech here.

Free speech for all or just for ‘gammon’?

This week, Connie and Jan discuss a new report released by the Government’s Commission for Countering Extremism (CCE). The CCE Freedom of Expression Survey asked 2000 people in England and Wales about their views on free speech with regard to politics, religion, race, immigration, climate change and transgender issues. It claims to reveal a ‘nuanced landscape of public opinion on free speech’ and highlight ‘the challenges of navigating free speech in a diverse society’, but Jan and Connie question whether it really provides valuable insights when it fails to explore why free speech matters to people, weights the sample to include more Muslim respondents than are present in the general population and unhelpfully pitches those who care about free speech against those who wish to protect people from ‘threats and abuse’.
They go on to relate some of the findings to the FSU’s most recent intervention in debate over whether an official, non-statutory definition of Islamophobia will having a chilling effect on free speech and actually protect Muslims from prejudice—a letter from 30 members of the House of Lords to the Chairman of the working group tasked with interrogating the merits of a definition.
Finally, Connie updates us on the cases of Scottish nurse Sandie Peggie, who was disciplined by NHS Fife for questioning the presence of a male nurse in the female changing room of the hospital where she works and Newcastle United fan Linzi Smith, who has succeeded in challenging Northumbria Police’s active participation in a Pride parade that declared itself hostile to gender-critical people.That's Debatable is edited by Jason Clift

Defining Islamophobia

In a special episode of That's Debatable, FSU founder and General Secretary Lord Young talks to Fiyaz Mughal, the founder of Tell MAMA and Faith Matters, about the government's determination to adopt an official definition of 'Islamophobia/Anti-Muslim Hatred' and the chilling effect it is likely to have on free speech.
That's Debatable is edited by Jason Clift