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The official podcast of the Free Speech Union. Focused on protecting and promoting freedom of expression in New Zealand, the Free Speech Union Podcast hosts interviews with international and local guests discussing the importance of free speech in a free and open society.www.fsu.nz
150 Episodes
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This week, Patrick talks with Georgina Blackmore about the upcoming Abortion Legalisation Bill, in particular the “safe areas” which the bill would establish to prevent protest in the vicinity of abortion clinics, and the state of protest rights globally. Georgina has been at the forefront of a number of protest groups, and is an experienced and skilled activist. With the (accidental) passing of the SOP making these "safe zones" ineffective, free speech activists can breathe a sigh of relief, however the discussion of the international implementation of these "safe zones" is still fascinating.This episode was recorded on 3 March 2020.Support the show
This is the first part in a two part discussion with world renowned moral philosopher and psychologist James Flynn. Professor Flynn has been at the forefront of the discussion on intelligence, race and IQ, bringing this together with a deep grasp of moral and political philosophy.In this episode Professor Flynn covers his research and study on intelligence and its application to politics, and the current state of universities.Support the show
ACT leader David Seymour has picked up the free speech batten and is looking at the likes of Massey University with a Parliamentary Members Bill that would require taxpayer funded institutions to respect free speech on campus.Patrick Corish sits down with David to discuss his Bill.Support the show
Dr Michael Johnston is an Associate Dean of Education at Victoria University of Wellington. His teaching focuses on the educational assessment and in particular, the positive and negative impacts on pedagogy and curriculum. Dr Johnston has launched a campaign calling for New Zealand's universities to adopt the University of Chicago's statement on free speech, and he sits down with Patrick to discuss the campaign and how educational institutions do their students a disservice by trying to 'protect' them from controversial or offensive ideas or speakers.The Chicago principles are available here: https://provost.uchicago.edu/sites/default/files/documents/reports/FOECommitteeReport.pdfDr Jonston's letter to VUW's Vice-Chancellor is available here: www.freespeechcoalition.nz/johnston_letterSupport the show
Helen Pluckrose is an academic specialising in postmodern thought. She has become known mainly by her participation in the Sokal Squared - Grievance Studies Affair where she, James Lindsay, and Boghassian manufactured fake academic articles to illustrate how easily it publish in social science journals. Helen shares her insights into the postmodern school of thought and its natural aversion towards free speech.Support the show
Patrick Corish sits down with the deputy leader of the New Conservative Party of New Zealand, Elliot Ikelei. Patrick and Elliot discuss the New Conservative's views on free speech, the role of parents in protecting children from online harm and Elliot's debate on free speech with Dr Don Brash at Auckland University.Support the show
Patrick sits down with Dr Melissa Derby, a lecturer of history at Auckland University of Technology. On 16 October Massey University cancelled a Feminism 2020 event that Melissa was invited to speak at. Her speech was going to be on the dangers of identity politics and the break down of constructive dialogue between different interest groups.Patrick and Melissa discuss the topic of her speech and the growing issues surrounding public dialogue in which anti-free speech mentality is a root cause.Support the show
Free Speech Coalition's Dr David Cumin interviews British journalist and editor of Spiked! Online, Brendan O'Neill. David and Brendan discuss the similarities between New Zealand and Britain regarding free speech, censorship culture and the current climate surrounding political correctness.Brendan gives his views on the scope of free speech and how current pushes for hate speech laws does more harm than good to those that the laws purport to protect.You can read Brendan's recommended reading by Fredrick Douglas, "A Plea for Freedom of Speech in Boston" here.You can listen to Brendan's podcast, The Brendan O'Neill Show here.Support the show
Free Speech Coalition spokesperson Rachel Poulain interviews Grant Edwards. Grant is a street preacher with more than 20 years of preaching experience. Recently Grant was preaching on a public street in Whangarei where he was stopped by the police and threatened with being charged under the Summary Offences Act for disorderly behaviour.Grant opens up about his views on free speech, persons of different faiths and views and the current political climate that is increasingly aggressive against preachers in New Zealand.Support the show
Hear from Josie Pagani, Paul Moon, Marcus Roberts, and Jonathan Ayling on a panel discussion and Q+A on speech rights and the ability to pursue tolerant debate on conflict in the Middle East. This discussion is about our ability to deal with complex and competing ideas, not the substance of the conflict itself. Support the show
Paul Thistoll is a dedicated trans-rights activist and outspoken opponent of the Free Speech Union. But he was willing to sit down with Jonathan Ayling, the Chief Executive of the Union, to discuss hate speech, trans-rights, preferred pronouns, professional deregistration, and more. There are two very different views on free speech on display in this podcast. So rarely do we have the opportunity to hear two so very different perspectives engage respectfully. And in the end, it's you who gets to decide which view is right. Support the show
More than any other one thing, COVID-19 has defined our past 3 years. But are we starting to thinking about it, or talk about it in fresh ways? Our lives have been impacted in unprecedented ways by COVID-19; but this virus has also been weaponised by our would-be-censors to corral us into one position on this issue, and a host of others. In this episode, Jonathan Ayling sits down with the director of River of Freedom, a recently released documentary film on the 2022 occupation of Parliament. Support the show
Speaking to the recently published Addressing the Challenges to Social Cohesion, Sir Peter Gluckman (former Chief Science Advisor to the Prime Minister and Director of Koi Tū: The Centre for Informed Futures) sits down with Jonathan Ayling to discuss what's happening to fraying public discourse, and what we can do to address it. Support the show
Free speech across our universities is under fire- but many academics are also working to address this. After 3 years, a working group established at the University of Auckland to consider how to preserve academic freedom and free speech has reported back, making a bold stand in a hostile environment. Free Speech Union member and UoA Professor, Kendall Clements, sits down with Jonathan to give an insider's view to why free speech is under fire, and what needs to be done about it. Support the show
"Most important thinking I've written", this is how Prof. Grimes describes his recent research on who benefits from free speech. Spoiler alert- it's not who you might think. We're often told that the marginalised, oppressed and poor need protection from free speech, probably provided by the State, to ensure that free speech doesn't oppress them. But in reality, free speech enables the powerless to undermine the powerful by insisting that ideas and speech should be challenged with dialogue and reason, not force. Jonathan Ayling and Adam Young from the Free Speech Union sit down with Prof. Arther Grimes to consider this important research, and look at why it is the poorer in society, the uneducated, and the vulnerable who benefit from the radical idea that even they should be free to speak. Support the show
Academic freedom and free speech can appear to be nebulous subjects at times, which wonky intellectuals pontificate on. Yet the real world implications for a university that fails to preserve academic freedom are far-reaching. In this episode, Jonathan Ayling sits down with Dr. James Kierstead and Dr. Michael Johnston to discuss the opposition we’ve faced to our academic freedom research, why certain arguments have been made, and what this tells us about the debate for free thought and belief in general. Let’s just say, the stakes are fairly high for all of us. Support the show
With the Free Speech Unions Academic Survey for 2023 now released and raising concerns Jonathan Ayling sat down with Prof Elizabeth Rata (a co-author of the "Listener 7" letter) and Dr. David Bromell (formerly of Canterbury University) to discuss the state of academic freedom in today's New Zealand. The trio explores the increasingly doctrinaire approach turning up in fields where truth has traditionally never been considered settled, and why this intellectual inflexibility seems to be ramping up post covid with many Universities currently in financial straits. Support the show
Jonatha sits does with Paul Brennan on Reality Check Radio to discuss the FSU announcement that we are supporting a tender-bid for a DPMC contract to research disinformation. Support the show
Free Speech Union Chief Executive Jonathan Ayling sat down with Prof. Grant Schofield who recently authored a 'A falling out of love letter to the university'- which reflects on his over 30 years in academia. Prof. Schofield questions whether the contemporary New Zealand university can any longer claim to be the 'conscious and critic of society' and in an in-depth discussion, comments on the health of free speech within our universities, the problem of self-censorship (especially among young academics), whether withholding funds to anti-free speech universities would work, and how a refusal to debate important issues affects society. This episode is a good warm-up for the release of the Free Speech Union's 2023 academic survey next week so get swatting! https://profgrant.com/2023/04/24/a-falling-out-of-love-letter-to-the-university-we-need-to-talk/Support the show
Join Free Speech Union Chief Executive Jonathan Ayling, FSU council member Stephen Franks and Left-wing commentator Josie Pagani and Connor Molloy for a debrief on former ACLU president Nadine Strossen's recent tour of Aotearoa. The team discuss some of the high-profile members Strossen attended, why rationalism wins the argument, and what lessons we should take from her into our ongoing free speech battles. It's then a gearshift to discuss the disturbing 'Disinformation Project' report released in the wake of the Posie Parker visit in which the shadowy group warns of an imminent genocide against the trans community... with zero evidence? What is the best strategy for tackling such bad-faith actors? All this and more in another fascinating podcast episode. Enjoy! fsu.nz Support the show
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