Stive Pesley

Mel Morris. Left us in a right state. 

Myself. Wouldn't mind living in the lap of luxury and travelling round the world for a few years.
I could even cope with being followed around by the gutter press and all the rumours involving me with various actresses.
While making a few quid in bribes. No no not bribes, I mean contributions from lobbyists, like all those senior politician, who are supposedly running the country.
Then after a few years of diligently serving my country. I'd get a seat on the board of some company in the city and get paid an obscene amount of money for a few hours work each year.
Yep certainly take that position if it was offered.

Maybe just cos it's me, but I had a joke about King Charles removed from this thread. 
It was a picture of him playing guitar with the caption "The Artist Formally Known As Prince"
Just about as gentle and funny a joke as you can probably get in the circumstances, I thought. Obviously not - I should have stuck to calling him big ears or something
 
 
 

I think it's even more subtle than that. They actively plan to report in such a way that it just looks like this is what is happening. Because stoking that tension is what drives their revenue
Think about it - if they really did have an agenda to make everyone blindly agree that what is being reported is correct, there is no revenue stream there. No clicks from the "Loonie Lefts" furiously arguing with the "Right Wing Nutjobs". They go out of business
So to have people convinced that there is a media "conspiracy" to push one side and silence the other is actually the aim. Not to actually do it (note that the guy in the video you posted doesn't mention anything about narratives - just that they will push climate change as the new thing to get everyone riled)
The media don't have any interest in either side being "the truth".
For as long as people are duped into thinking there is a conspiracy in here somewhere it'll never get better
 

I don't think people know what they mean by freedom of speech. 
To be fair, it's a USA thing really. And it's a constitutional promise that the government will not limit your right to say what you want. 
The UK has no such thing, but people seem to be expecting much more anyway. 
It seems most people who complain about others being cancelled, citing their freedom of speech, are really complaining that someone said something they broadly agree with, but later that person found some people took exception to what they said. 
If Rawling upsets trans activists, if Bernard Manning jokes offend, if Piers Moron criticises a royal - they weren't compelled by the state to say or not say something. 
You have no right to use someone's platform if they don't want you to. But you can go out into the street and voice your opinions. It doesn't stop you having to answer for your views though. 

Do you really believe that? To me, whenever a warrior in the culture war tries to "carefully make a point" without saying what they really mean, it just makes everyone roll their eyes and read between the lines. We know what they really think on the matter 
I maintain that the only way forward for society is to reject the "culture wars" that the media endlessly push to drive their revenue and concentrate on being kind and respectful of each other and ignore those who aren't 
Your solution seems to be that we should allow the far right a platform because you think that will somehow lead to a fairer society. For me that just leads to deepening the divide
But I'm a lover not a fighter ?

Surely that's the point of freedom of speech, the way its being discussed here. You're allowed to criticise Liz Truss, you're not going to be arrested for it. And you are allowed to dismiss the criticism as mysoginistic, nobody is going to arrest you for that either. And you're allowed to criticise people who say you're mysoginistic for criticising her, safe in the knowledge that you won't be arrested. But your local paper, your local gentlemen's club, your local comedy club, your employer and the owner of any private social media platform etc may choose to not give you access to share any or all of the above. And that's not affecting your freedom of speech. That doesn't actually exist. 

And the reality of "freedom of speech" is entirely this. Its not will JK Rawling have her speech cancelled by some university for her views on trans issues, and it's not about comedy clubs cancelling Jim Davidson bookings for his less-than-enlightened views. It's not about football commentators making political posts despite being highly paid by the BBC. And it's not about your freedom to post on social media. 
It's about whether or not you are going to be arrested for what you say or write. 
And the other uncomfortable truth is, there is no freedom of speech. We've got libel and slander laws, we've got laws that limit what you can say about protected characteristics such as race, religion and a list of other things. And if you ask me, I don't think a free-for-all approach to write hate speech is defensible. I can't support the freedom to preach intolerance. 
I certainly don't think you should be arrested for peacefully protesting against the monarchy, if that's what it turns out to be. 
There's a lot of difference between "(insert private online platform) banned my account for what I said about xxx" and being arrested for saying something innocuous. 

How on earth have I proved that unwittingly? I don't make the forum rules. I just reminded you what they are!
The fact that you posted yet another lengthy rant about your perceived view of "cancel culture" unwittingly proves that you aren't being silenced at all.
It strikes me that a lot of the time when people cry about cancel culture it's less about not being able to say what you think and more about being sore that the consensus doesn't agree with you

Do you really believe that? To me, whenever a warrior in the culture war tries to "carefully make a point" without saying what they really mean, it just makes everyone roll their eyes and read between the lines. We know what they really think on the matter 
I maintain that the only way forward for society is to reject the "culture wars" that the media endlessly push to drive their revenue and concentrate on being kind and respectful of each other and ignore those who aren't 
Your solution seems to be that we should allow the far right a platform because you think that will somehow lead to a fairer society. For me that just leads to deepening the divide
But I'm a lover not a fighter ?

I just saw this too
It's weird isn't it? I mean on a point of principle making peaceful protest an arrestable offence is deeply wrong in a democracy, but I don't think we should be highlighting the hypocrisy. We should be applauding the fact that those who normally cry "free speech" have learned an important lesson about considering matters of respect before exercising your free speech. Minorities everywhere will be very happy that this penny has dropped

As Rowan Atkinson said, with far more humour than I can write it:
I say, I say, I say what is the secret of good comedy
I don't know, what is the secret of..
Timing

Actually - I am fully aware that my initial post on the Queen thread wasn't very respectful. A couple of posters called me out on it and I apologise. I've softened a lot the past few days as I've had time to reflect on the momentous occasion, and although I still don't support the concept of a hereditary monarchy, I realise that it wasn't the time or place to start discussing that 
But aside from that - honestly - if you think i have extreme and abhorrent views then you need to give your head a wobble. 

Do you really believe that? To me, whenever a warrior in the culture war tries to "carefully make a point" without saying what they really mean, it just makes everyone roll their eyes and read between the lines. We know what they really think on the matter 
I maintain that the only way forward for society is to reject the "culture wars" that the media endlessly push to drive their revenue and concentrate on being kind and respectful of each other and ignore those who aren't 
Your solution seems to be that we should allow the far right a platform because you think that will somehow lead to a fairer society. For me that just leads to deepening the divide
But I'm a lover not a fighter ?

That's the thing with jokes, one person's idea of funny is another person's offensive. I mean, my joke is far more offensive, which is why I haven't posted it. 
I'll hazard a guess and say it was more about the timing than the content. 

Actually - I am fully aware that my initial post on the Queen thread wasn't very respectful. A couple of posters called me out on it and I apologise. I've softened a lot the past few days as I've had time to reflect on the momentous occasion, and although I still don't support the concept of a hereditary monarchy, I realise that it wasn't the time or place to start discussing that 
But aside from that - honestly - if you think i have extreme and abhorrent views then you need to give your head a wobble. 

I've sunburned my legs on holiday in France
Severe pain
 

Maybe just cos it's me, but I had a joke about King Charles removed from this thread. 
It was a picture of him playing guitar with the caption "The Artist Formally Known As Prince"
Just about as gentle and funny a joke as you can probably get in the circumstances, I thought. Obviously not - I should have stuck to calling him big ears or something
 
 
 

Do you really believe that? To me, whenever a warrior in the culture war tries to "carefully make a point" without saying what they really mean, it just makes everyone roll their eyes and read between the lines. We know what they really think on the matter 
I maintain that the only way forward for society is to reject the "culture wars" that the media endlessly push to drive their revenue and concentrate on being kind and respectful of each other and ignore those who aren't 
Your solution seems to be that we should allow the far right a platform because you think that will somehow lead to a fairer society. For me that just leads to deepening the divide
But I'm a lover not a fighter ?

Do you really believe that? To me, whenever a warrior in the culture war tries to "carefully make a point" without saying what they really mean, it just makes everyone roll their eyes and read between the lines. We know what they really think on the matter 
I maintain that the only way forward for society is to reject the "culture wars" that the media endlessly push to drive their revenue and concentrate on being kind and respectful of each other and ignore those who aren't 
Your solution seems to be that we should allow the far right a platform because you think that will somehow lead to a fairer society. For me that just leads to deepening the divide
But I'm a lover not a fighter ?

Agreed.

How on earth have I proved that unwittingly? I don't make the forum rules. I just reminded you what they are!
The fact that you posted yet another lengthy rant about your perceived view of "cancel culture" unwittingly proves that you aren't being silenced at all.
It strikes me that a lot of the time when people cry about cancel culture it's less about not being able to say what you think and more about being sore that the consensus doesn't agree with you

How on earth have I proved that unwittingly? I don't make the forum rules. I just reminded you what they are!
The fact that you posted yet another lengthy rant about your perceived view of "cancel culture" unwittingly proves that you aren't being silenced at all.
It strikes me that a lot of the time when people cry about cancel culture it's less about not being able to say what you think and more about being sore that the consensus doesn't agree with you