If You Cannot Criticise Your Side, You Do Not Have Free Speech - William McGimpsey

We argue that real free speech requires the courage to criticise the radicals on our own side without sliding into denunciation or cancellation. We test where open debate ends and coercion begins, from political correctness and taboo research to hate speech laws and contested definitions of antisemitism. • why “never criticise your right” weakens debate and traps movements in loyalty tests • media and institutional power shaping the Overton window of acceptable speech • political correctness as stigma and censorship rather than honest disagreement • Orwell as a model for improving your own side through hard critique • whether “moderate” and “extreme” are cultural fashion labels • race, IQ, biology, and the risks of building policy on abstract assumptions • trans politics as a flashpoint for sex based differences in law and safety • diversity, social trust, and conflicting evidence versus lived experience • hate speech laws in Australia and the Joel Davis case as a warning • the IHRA definition of antisemitism and how broad rules can chill debate • platforming controversial voices versus correcting misinformation in public If you enjoyed this episode, please

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If You Cannot Criticise Your Side, You Do Not Have Free Speech - William McGimpsey is an episode from Free Speech Union's Podcast by Free Speech Union.

This episode is 67:09 long.

This episode was published on Apr 7, 2026.

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