Silence not an option in war for free speech

In any assessment of the health of free speech, a despairing reference to US president, Donald Trump, is unavoidable. He and his unsettling Praetorians trumpet contempt for anything that celebrates the Enlightenment principle of freedom of expression and do so in a way that encourages despots, tinpot or otherwise, to silence and undermine individuals, movements, and ideas that challenge their worldview. This big-brother gagging often comes from sources that should know better and which should have the institutional confidence to tolerate dissent, so it might be, with logic, challenged and possibly refuted.

In any assessment of the health of free speech, a despairing reference to US president, Donald Trump, is unavoidable.

He and his unsettling Praetorians trumpet contempt for anything that celebrates the Enlightenment principle of freedom of expression and do so in a way that encourages despots, tinpot or otherwise, to silence and undermine individuals, movements, and ideas that challenge their worldview.