{"id":32451,"date":"2016-02-23T07:03:48","date_gmt":"2016-02-23T07:03:48","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.taxresearch.org.uk\/Blog\/?p=32451"},"modified":"2016-02-23T07:03:48","modified_gmt":"2016-02-23T07:03:48","slug":"the-right-to-speak","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.taxresearch.org.uk\/Blog\/2016\/02\/23\/the-right-to-speak\/","title":{"rendered":"The right to speak"},"content":{"rendered":"

This government has gagged unions and charities<\/a>.<\/p>\n

It is now denying charities the right to question its policies<\/a> in the interests of those they represent \u00a0if they receive government funding for that work.<\/p>\n

And academics are to now also be bound <\/a>by a 'no opposition rule' as a condition of being paid by public funds.<\/p>\n

And yet commercial lobbying has not been impacted by these rules.<\/p>\n

And commercial companies in receipt of government contracts are encouraged to express opinion on how public services may be provided.<\/p>\n

Whilst the representatives of big business are invited to run the Boards organisations like HM Revenue & Customs<\/a>. And Amazon supplies a non-executive director to the Department of Work and Pensions<\/a>.<\/p>\n

This is not evidence of a commitment to free speech.<\/p>\n

Or democracy.<\/p>\n

Or balance.<\/p>\n

Or even the inevitable process of developing change for the good of society.<\/p>\n

This is the behaviour of a government intent on imposing a dogma on a society that it is not confident embraces it.<\/p>\n

I readily admit I never thought I would live in such a country. But I am.<\/p>\n

It is only time before the long knives descend on academia.<\/p>\n

And charities close.<\/p>\n

Whilst unions are bankrupted.<\/p>\n

This is not the country I was brought up in, or was taught to believe in. It is, in fact, the antithesis of it.<\/p>\n

We have travelled a long way, in the wrong direction on the right to speak.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

This government has gagged unions and charities. It is now denying charities the right to question its policies in the interests of those they represent
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