Point of Order: Joanna Kidman

Finding out about Joanna Kidman – the tweets are private but her invective has not been removed from public view

A professor by name of Joanna Kidman seems to have caused a stir in political circles this week.

So what do we learn about her, if we put her name into the Google search system?

Eric Crampton: The 'shakedown' news legislation that is heading to parliament

Shakedown rackets are, thankfully, illegal.

Except when government legislates them. In that case, all bets are off. And if I were Facebook, I’d be off too – or at least thinking about it.

The Government finally released the Fair Digital News Bargaining Bill this week. The bill aims to improve news funding by requiring payments from those who link to news online.

Patrick Carroll: Jordan Peterson’s License Fiasco Highlights Why Government Licensing Should Be Abolished

On January 3, Jordan Peterson used his recently-reinstated Twitter account to alert the world of a new development in his seemingly-endless battle with mainstream institutions.

“The Ontario College of Psychologists has demanded that I submit myself to mandatory social-media communication retraining with their experts for, among other crimes, retweeting Pierre Poilievre and criticizing Justin Trudeau and his political allies,” Peterson wrote.

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.

Ani O'Brien: Is the woke reign of terror coming to an end?

The howls of protest can be heard reverberating around the echo chambers of the internet as the world’s second richest man confirmed his purchase of Twitter this morning. Reports from inside the company tell of chaotic discontent as those who have until now been tasked with censoring and banishing the Wrongthinkers™ from the site realise that their reign of terror may be coming to an end.

To paraphrase a tweet I read this morning: Twitter under Elon Musk will not be perfect and will no doubt come with its own issues, however, in my opinion, it is preferable to Twitter under the ideological San Fran stasi. If Musk remains committed to the free speech values he has thus far espoused we will be in a much better place.