Toby Young: Defending free speech in Canada and the UK
Inside Policy Talks7 Elo 2025

Toby Young: Defending free speech in Canada and the UK

Free speech was once considered a bedrock democratic value. Now it's become one of the most contested issues in our culture-shaping institutions. Over the past decade, debates about what can and can’t be said have intensified across universities, schools, newsrooms, and corporate boardrooms. In many Western democracies, including Canada, speech codes, cancel campaigns, and ideological conformity have become flashpoints in a deeper cultural and political struggle. It's a similar story on the other side of the Atlantic. The United Kingdom has moved from a beacon of free expression to one of the most censorious countries in the western world – with people now being arrested for what are known as “non-crime hate incidents.” To unpack this, Toby Young, founder and director of the Free Speech Union, joins Inside Policy Talks. A well-known journalist, commentator, and author, Toby has been at the forefront of the UK’s free speech movement—defending individuals facing ideological persecution, advocating for legislative reform, and helping shape the public debate. He tells Peter Copeland, deputy director of domestic policy at MLI, that he believes rising attempts to restrict expression are driven by political and cultural elites who have “lost their faith” in liberal ideology and its associated policies, like mass immigration. “They don’t want to be forced to defend it,” says Young, because they “wouldn’t really know how to go about defending it in the pubic square.” Instead, he suggests, they want to “pretend that their particular political position doesn’t require a political defence.”

Jaksot(117)

Using the Notwithstanding clause to fix our justice system: Peter Copeland and Ryan Alford

Using the Notwithstanding clause to fix our justice system: Peter Copeland and Ryan Alford

Welcome to Inside Policy Talks, the premier video podcast of the Macdonald-Laurier Institute.In this episode, Peter Copeland, Deputy Director of MLI's Domestic Program, is joined by Ryan Alford, a pro...

25 Loka 202437min

Double Trouble: Our fear of escalation makes the West look weak / Balkan Devlen with Edward Hunter Christie

Double Trouble: Our fear of escalation makes the West look weak / Balkan Devlen with Edward Hunter Christie

Welcome to Double Trouble, a special foreign policy focused podcast series within MLI's Inside Policy Talks, to address the growing challenge of the Sino-Russian axis of authoritarianism facing the We...

24 Loka 202441min

Is Canada winning the fight against crime?: Peter Copeland and Dave Snow

Is Canada winning the fight against crime?: Peter Copeland and Dave Snow

Welcome to Inside Policy Talks, the premier video podcast of the Macdonald-Laurier Institute.In this episode, Peter Copeland, Deputy Director of MLI's Domestic Program, is joined by Dave Snow, a profe...

16 Loka 202437min

The real story behind Canada's housing crisis: Peter Copeland and Matthew Spoke

The real story behind Canada's housing crisis: Peter Copeland and Matthew Spoke

Welcome to Inside Policy Talks, the premier video podcast of the Macdonald-Laurier Institute.In this episode, Peter Copeland, Deputy Director of MLI's Domestic Program, is joined by Matthew Spoke, a C...

10 Loka 202441min

Double Trouble: Looking at China from the Baltics, from economic opportunity to authoritarian challenge

Double Trouble: Looking at China from the Baltics, from economic opportunity to authoritarian challenge

Welcome to Double Trouble, a special foreign policy focused podcast series within MLI's Inside Policy Talks, to address the growing challenge of the Sino-Russian axis of authoritarianism facing the We...

10 Loka 202437min

We must preserve safety and fairness in women's sport: Peter Copeland and Emma Hilton

We must preserve safety and fairness in women's sport: Peter Copeland and Emma Hilton

Welcome to Inside Policy Talks, the premier video podcast of the Macdonald-Laurier Institute.In this episode, Peter Copeland, Deputy Director of MLI's Domestic Program, interviews Emma Hilton, a leadi...

3 Loka 202428min

Canada-US border security - A North American perspective: Alex Dalziel and Alan Bersin

Canada-US border security - A North American perspective: Alex Dalziel and Alan Bersin

Welcome to Inside Policy Talks, the premier video podcast of the Macdonald-Laurier Institute.In this episode, Alex Dalziel sits down with Alan Bersin, a former Assistant Secretary of Homeland Security...

2 Loka 202435min

The new censorship, professional regulators erode free speech: Peter Copeland and Christine Van Geyn

The new censorship, professional regulators erode free speech: Peter Copeland and Christine Van Geyn

Welcome to Inside Policy Talks, the premier video podcast of the Macdonald-Laurier Institute.In this episode, Peter Copeland, Deputy Director of MLI's Domestic Program, interviews Christine Van Geyn, ...

27 Syys 202435min

Suosittua kategoriassa Politiikka ja uutiset

aikalisa
ootsa-kuullut-tasta-2
politiikan-puskaradio
tervo-halme
rss-ootsa-kuullut-tasta
viisupodi
rss-vaalirankkurit-podcast
rss-podme-livebox
rss-asiastudio
otetaan-yhdet
the-ulkopolitist
et-sa-noin-voi-sanoo-esittaa
rss-tasta-on-kyse-ivan-puopolo-verkkouutiset
rss-kaikki-uusiksi
rss-hyvaa-huomenta-bryssel
rss-kiina-ilmiot
linda-maria
rikosmyytit
radio-antro
rss-polikulaari-pitka-kiekko-ja-muut-ts-podcastit