Universities must be free from the Conservative ‘war on woke’, writes Pete Dorey, while Peter Martindale makes the distinction between free speech and the right to be heard, and Dr Keith Flett says British history must not be airbrushed by rightwing ideology
The Tories’ “war on woke” is a hypocritical attack on an exaggerated enemy, and riddled with contradictions – or hypocrisy (The Tories want a war on the woke – as if there’s nothing better to do, 15 February).
For example, the professed concern about “no-platforming” on university campuses is raised yet again, with the pledge of a free speech champion to prevent the banning of controversial speakers. So how would the Tories react if a student union or university department invited a former member of the IRA or al-Qaida to give a talk titled “Why terrorism is justified in order to achieve our goals”? The Tories and their allies in the press would probably demand that the university be closed down entirely. Besides, the government recently warned schools against teaching anti-capitalist views. So much for promoting free speech and encouraging an exchange of ideas.
