Alwyn Poole: On School Lunches – A Response to Jonathan Ayling

(My response to his words in point-form).

“More than lunches, children need parents – Jonathan Ayling”

– Clearly a truism.

“While there has been much talk about the quality and cost of school lunches, the debate misses a larger point, argues Jonathan Ayling – why is the Government in the business of feeding our children at all?”

Graham Adams: Media talks up Winston Peters’ rise

The path to election glory has traps.

NZ First’s prospects at the election after a run of good polling are being talked up by increasingly enthusiastic commentators. But if a week is a long time in politics, more than six months is an eternity. And there are traps aplenty for the party to navigate before November 7.

Listening to the media, however, you might think the continuing rise of Winston Peters and NZ First is unstoppable.

David Harvey: The China Syndrome

This article addresses the way in which the Chinese Government responded to an opinion piece written by Jonathan Ayling in the Herald. The response is revealing not the least because it maintains an ideological position that is out of touch with reality but as much because of the way in which it reveals the Chinese Government’s mindset, not just about contrary views but also about the way in which those views may be expressed within the boundaries of an independent sovereign state.

Matua Kahurangi: NZ Herald buys silence

Free speech champion gagged by contract

The New Zealand Herald has revealed itself as one of the biggest bullies in the media landscape, and the latest example is their handling of Jonathan Ayling, the recently departed chief executive of the Free Speech Union.

Centrist: InternetNZ’s free speech crackdown faces setback.....

InternetNZ’s free speech crackdown faces setback as Free Speech Union CEO takes board seat

Jonathan Ayling, Chief Executive of the Free Speech Union, has been elected to the InternetNZ board following a recent membership vote.

This election comes after a campaign by the Free Speech Union to increase InternetNZ memberships and influence, aiming to restore focus on free speech and democratic governance within the organisation.

Damien Grant: Why free speech isn’t always free

Phil Goff was amongst friends. An event at Chatham House in London and the Finnish foreign minister had just given a speech finishing with a quote from Winston Churchill: “ To each, there comes a moment ... when they are figuratively tapped on the shoulder and offered the chance to do a special thing, unique to them and their talents.”

This was a cue for Goff to ask the Foreign Minister; “President Trump has restored the bust of Churchill to the Oval Office. But do you think he really understands history?”

Jonathan Ayling: Why New Zealand Must Reject 'Hate Crime' Laws

On Tuesday, the Law Commission opened consultation on whether or not New Zealand should create standalone 'hate crime' laws, a move that, at first glance, might seem like a necessary step toward a more just society.

However, beneath the surface lies unavoidable subjectivity, concentration of more power in ideological hands, and inevitable unintended consequences that threaten foundational freedoms.

Jonathan Ayling: Problems we need to talk about

I believe there are some serious issues we need to deal with as a nation. Together, we’ll be able to figure out the right solutions, I’m sure, but there’s a step before we get to that.

First, we need to know what the problems are; and in order to do that, we need the right to speak freely.

Jonathan Ayling: Candace Owens barred from entry into New Zealand

Late yesterday afternoon Immigration New Zealand barred Candace Owens from entering New Zealand. It seems (incredibly) the best response New Zealand now has to opinions that some find distasteful or wrong is to exclude them from the conversation entirely.

Jonathan Ayling: Desinformatsya - a Soviet hangover

The Disinformation Project represented so much of what is wrong with the censorship culture we’re experiencing in democracies like New Zealand today. The word disinformation itself has troubling origins, coined by Stalin to control public opinion.

I’ve studied 6 languages, and to me, big words can be fascinating.

The word obscurantism, for instance, means the use of technical or overly-complex language to confuse a meaning or make understanding a concept more difficult than it needs to be.

Jonathan Ayling Explains New Hate Speech Training for Police

Sean Plunket talks to Jonathan Ayling from the Free Speech Union who explains new hate speech training for police - on the Platform.

               Click to view

Paul Brennan chats to Jonathan Ayling about Hutt City Council's banning of Sir Apirana Ngata

Free Speech Union Chief Executive Jonathan Ayling joins Paul Brennan on Reality Check Radio to discuss an open letter to Local Government Minister Simeon Brown about a case of censorship - the cancelling of Sir Apirana Ngata by the Lower Hutt City Council.

Click to listen

The Platform: The government's latest censorship plans

Sean Plunket discusses the government's latest censorship plans with Jonathan Ayling from the Free Speech Union.

Jonathan Ayling: Media regulation plan - a censor's greatest dream

The vast majority of you will read this article online, many probably on your phones, maybe after you clicked on a link from your social media.

This one sentence illustrates a major revolution. We all know it – the internet and digital age has changed everything.

Everything? Well, maybe not everything. Like taxes and death, there are some dependables in life. I would suggest a government’s propensity to censorship and speech regulation is one of them.

Jonathan Ayling: Academics don't feel free to air controversial opinions, according to survey

The second annual survey on academic freedom by the Free Speech Union is an eye-opening read for those of us who value ideas and solutions being openly debated in Kiwi universities.

The survey, which was conducted in conjunction with Curia Market Research and endorsed by their director and head pollster, had hundreds of participants from across each university.

Concerningly, this report shows that a majority of academics who responded at five of our eight universities disagreed that they were free to state controversial or unpopular opinions, even though this is one of the specific features of academic freedom as defined in the Education and Training Act 2020.

Jonathan Ayling: Worlds of Journalism Study shows concerning trend, but without free speech there is no free press

The third survey of journalists undertaken by the Worlds of Journalism Study was recently released, providing valuable insights into journalists’ perspectives in our country. Free speech is the foundation of freedom of the press. Along with the right to information, it is crucial in ensuring a transparent democratic society.

The data tells an interesting story regarding journalists' motivation in New Zealand. When asked how important different roles of journalists are in their work, after listing educate the audience at 3.99 (on a scale of 1, unimportant, to 5, extremely important), the second highest rated role of journalists was to counteract disinformation at 3.95. This role, which did not feature at all in the 2015 survey, has quickly become a central part of the perceived purpose of journalism to Kiwi journalists.

Jonathan Ayling: A win for free speech

 

Hate speech laws are a fool's errand that make things worse

Time has been called on overhauling ‘hate speech laws’ in New Zealand. After sitting in Labour’s manifesto for years, and two Ministers of Justice failing to build support for the proposals, maybe they’ve seen the light: legislation is no antidote to hate. 

Minister Kiri Allan confirmed Saturday morning on Newshub Nation that the only proposal which will be enacted from last year’s proposal consultation is the inclusion of religion as a protected class. This is a major backdown from the intention to expand penalties significantly for hate speech (from 3 months in prison to 3 years and/or a fine from $7,000 to $50,000), to include a host of new protected groups, and to amend ‘incitement to discrimination. 

Jonathan Ayling: 'Plain Language Bill’- Another Solution Looking for a Problem

Parliament: an ironic place where contradictions abound. At first glance stately and formal, but under the surface we know skulduggery abounds. A place of quiet importance and hushed propriety, yet if you’ve ever seen Question Time (or a Caucus meeting), it gives a disrupted kindergarten a run for its money.

It’s fitting then that Rachel Boyack’s Plain Language Bill keeps up this ironic trend- a piece of Government writing filled with lots of big words about why they need to employ people to make sure their writing has small words. And yes, you’d think that government would already be writing in a way so that the people they represent can understand. But, well, there’s that irony again. As the Shadow Attorney-General, Chris Penk, claimed as simply as possible ‘this Bill is not good. In fact, it is bad.’

Jonathan Ayling: Why free speech isn't a left-right political issue

Why do we constantly insist free speech isn’t a Left-Right political issue?

It’s not just so we don’t get branded extremists. Surprisingly enough, it’s actually because it’s true. And unless Elon Musk accepts that, his acquisition of Twitter is no great victory for free speech. It’ll simply be the same play, different theatre.

Thankfully, Musk seems to appreciate that, but now we need action on those words. And by action, I mostly mean inaction - tolerate those who disagree with you, and let them be.

The belief that free speech is a "Right-wing conservative" ideal reveals a very limited knowledge of history. In different generations, the Left and the Right have both advocated for and opposed free speech. That’s why free speech is not a Left-Right issue; it’s a liberty-orientated vs authoritarian issue. Look beyond the past 10 years of woke lunacy (which fair enough, has come from liberal progressives on the Left), and you will see that the Right has more frequently suppressed speech than the Left (I say this as someone who comes from the conservative Right).

So what does this mean for Elon Musk’s acquisition of Twitter? While woke progressivism and speech moderation on Twitter have gone hand-in-hand, that doesn’t mean the Right is the natural champion of the freedom to raise unconventional or provocative views.