The lack of rational debate must be a disappointment for the editor of OLO. Though mangled, the message of my posting was unmistakable. I made no reference to the validity of Professor Germaine Greer’s opinions. I was simply arguing for free speech as basic to democracy. Just as free speech gives the right to attack her arguments it guarantees her right to express them.

onthebeach, too right mate,

SHORT&SHARP, an honest feminist? darling i hear where you are coming from but there is an oxymoron if ever i heard one.

Leslie, leftists love free speech for them & hate it for any one who does not agree with them.

Cobber the hound, sorry but you are wrong, medical science discovered the causes of gender confusion decades ago. 1, birth defects, 2, child abuse, 3, choice, often influenced by peer pressure. grow up & get over yourself.

Roscop, too true, but don't expect an antisocialist to agree with facts.

onthebeach & Leslie, well said again guys but the antisocialists will never admit to committing social, economic & cultural treason, sedition, sabotage or engage in a rational debate about anything. it is high time the OLO editorial staff & all moderate conservatives stopped expecting the criminally insane to be reasonable about anything & move on.

Ban every one from the left & have a reasonable discussion with conservatives, moderates, libertarians, centrists & swinging voters. then we will be able to repair left wing damage, repay left wing debt.

I know its extremely unlikely to happen on OLO but I'd strongly oppose attempts to silence the voices of the Left by editorial policy. I like the way parts of the argument is Putin this OLO article http://www.onlineopinion.com.au/view.asp?article=17791&page=3

I also tend to think that views don't go away by being silenced, that it's better to have them expressed in a space where they can be challenged and rebutted than pushed underground. That is a different thing than handing a podium or pulpit to be used for unchallenged promotion of a viewpoint.

I also tend to the view that OLO is much more interesting and covers a wider range of aspects of an issue within a thread when there are competing viewpoint ts than when there is broad agreement.

R0bert

Hi R0bert

I agree with you and the author, it’s important to be able to discuss these issues honestly and vigorously. And I also like OLO’s robust debate.

The Greer-NUS case is interesting because it is one strand of the left trying to silence another. Usually when people advocate restrictions on free speech they are trying to silence ideas from the opposite side of the political spectrum – left censoring right, and vice versa.

This New Statesman article gives an interesting leftish perspective on the issue

http://www.newstatesman.com/politics/feminism/2015/10/what-row-over-banning-germaine-greer-really-about

RObert & Rhian, i have never once seen a leftist ever admit they were wrong, about any thing, ever, despite being proven wrong by the settled science. Their antisocial, anticommunity, power from the people policies have been creating poverty ever since 1972.

They are like islam, beyond hope for reform, must be jailed for treason or deported to a leftist nation where they can be happy.

if they don't love a christian nation they can leave.

Oh this is great stuff, Iamacentristmoderate. Great stuff!

I’d love to see what your character would consider a right-winger to be if he thinks he’s a centrist.

There are moments where I feel sorry for OLO’s conservatives, having a character like yours on the same side of the political divide as them, but many of them seem to be quite happy to accept him with open arms. He even got a “mate” the other day.

I sometimes wonder if runner is just some Leftie too. A really intelligent Leftie who never tires of trolling the place.