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The Forum > Article Comments > A better democracy? > Comments

A better democracy? : Comments

By Dilan Thampapillai, published 14/8/2012

A liberal democracy doesn't require an unbridled amount of free speech

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As with free trade, free speech is vastly overrated. And as with free trade, free speech also pretends to be free, when it's not free at all.

Free speech is ultimately the weapon of power. In any society, the rich have a lot more freedom of speech than the poor, men more than women, adults more than children, and majorities more than minorities.

What is necessary for a properly functioning democracy is not free speech but FAIR speech. And we can only really maintain fair speech through regulating and moderating the means by which those with more power use speech and other forms of communication to maintain their status and control over those with less power.
Posted by Killarney, Tuesday, 14 August 2012 4:51:37 PM
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<< What is necessary for a properly functioning democracy is not free speech but FAIR speech. And we can only really maintain fair speech through regulating and moderating the means by which those with more power use speech and other forms of communication to maintain their status and control over those with less power. >>

Yes, very good point Killarney.
Posted by Ludwig, Tuesday, 14 August 2012 9:40:02 PM
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In Norwegian schools students are required to look at the media and discuss what appears in it. This equips them to recognise propaganda, special pleading and other items that give a slanted view of events.

There is no political advertising allowed. Candidates for office are required to go on tv and discuss with their opponents the issues of the day. The Norwegian populace are equipped to evaluate news items and political speech better than most people in other countries.

This is much better then government deciding whether the media are 'fair.'
Posted by david f, Tuesday, 14 August 2012 9:54:14 PM
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DEMOCRACY?

Australia is not a Democracy. It is a POnzi Scheme.
Anyone associated with the Law Must know this.

The use of large scale and rapid immigration has literally vote stacked every electorate in this nation. Only parties with the friendliest immigration policies are elected now. Thus Australia is being gerrymandered to favour foreign powers. Free speech of ANY kind is a danger for Ponzi powerbrokers at this critical time when REAL power is coming from foreign interests.

Meanwhile Our Lazy politicians are bedazzled by $US's that only cost 15 cents to print and are only worth 15 cents yet are trading at $A1.05. In effect our politicians are selling each and every Australia out.

Its not surprising that Bob Carr has demonised the Anglosphere and condemned Australia's last 200 years of history to an Asian dustbin while he prats about on the world stage getting his rocks off. Its the only way he sees Australia breaking the US vice grip. But Asia has no appetite for multiculture. Carr should go to any Asian city and play spot the Anglo before he consigns our future to Asia's triad grip.

Never mind attacking free speech on behalf of democracy. Democracy is only gained through bloodshed. To give it up so foolishly to a Virtual Reality sphere for quick gratification of a few at the top of our big fat Ponzi Pyramid is a dangerous game from ALL sides.

Before changing free speech rules here, we must reflect:

The notion that "all men are equal but some are more equal than others" is AS endemic to Asia & Europe AS "fair go for all" is endemic to Australia unless of course you are an obese woman or a man under 5'4" tall.
Posted by KAEP, Wednesday, 15 August 2012 12:19:16 PM
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"Yes, very good point Killarney."

Oh sure, and who decides what is fair: Finkelstein, Conroy, Gillard, Bob Brown; you cannot mitigate free speech by any criteria which requires one group deciding the criteria by which other groups have to conform to.

As for this:

"In any society, the rich have a lot more freedom of speech than the poor, men more than women, adults more than children, and majorities more than minorities."

In the age of the internet that is simply ROT; what will happen if Finkelstein gets his way is that the communication and information tool of the relatively poor, the internet, will be constrained and the rich and powerful will have control again.
Posted by cohenite, Wednesday, 15 August 2012 12:44:24 PM
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<< Oh sure, and who decides what is fair… >>

What? Are you really poo-pooing fair speech, cohenite??

Yes it is difficult territory to define the boundaries of what is fair and what isn’t, and to make it apply as uniformly as possible across all facets of society and to all people.

But hey, we could do a pretty good job with it if we put our minds to it. Certainly a whole lot better than just allowing open-slather unfair speech!
Posted by Ludwig, Wednesday, 15 August 2012 2:41:26 PM
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