The Student Room Group

4 days until academic freedom is gone in the UK

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Academic freedom went ages ago. You have to pass irrelevant subjects before you are allowed to enter university.
So what?
Reply 22
It's all theatrics. Counter terrorism my foot. Studies show the chances of being killed in a terrorist attack is around 1 in 20 million.
Unis have already been censoring themselves for years by the means of "safe space" policies, which basically means that you can say whatever you like as long as you're a radical leftist, and if you're not then you're going to be censored.
Reply 24
Oh goody :rolleyes:
Just bizarre... how the government feels they've got the right to infringe so massively on academic freedom is beyond me. It's like they think students are a bunch of brainless zombies just waiting for the opportunity to get radicalised and blow themselves up. It's pretty insulting.
Original post by #Ridwan
Unis have already been censoring themselves for years by the means of "safe space" policies, which basically means that you can say whatever you like as long as you're a radical leftist, and if you're not then you're going to be censored.


Oh yes, the well-known radical leftists like Tommy Robinson...
Reply 27
Original post by Green_Pink
The Government is giving itself the power to ban anyone it likes from speaking at Universities and other public institutions if they hold views deemed to be "extreme", regardless of whether or not they are inciting violence or otherwise breaking existing laws.


I've only given this a cursory glance, but surely any direction issued under this Bill would have to be compliant with clause 25(1), which would only be triggered if their duty to address "the need to prevent people from being drawn into terrorism" had not been sufficiently discharged?
Reply 28
Original post by Green_Pink
I think what we already have is fine as a middle ground. It's already illegal to incite violence or racial/religious hatred.

I think we're missing the difference between creating a crime and putting in place safeguards to prevent crime from happening. The offences you point to give criminal recourse after the act; the provisions of this Bill, so far as I can see, place a duty on public bodies to take reasonable precautions to stop it happening in the first place.
Original post by Rugar Rell
What if you extremely like grapes?

Posted from TSR Mobile


Well, it depends on if you're close to Theresa May I guess.
Original post by Skip_Snip
Perhaps. But banning islamic hate preachers is definitely a good thing.


This is not (just) about that, this is giving the Home Office absolute authority on what events universities can host.
Original post by Green_Pink
I'd dispute the policing costs here for a start - if a speaker was inciting people to commit criminal activity then that is already illegal, whereas this legislation stops them from simply talking about ideas. If there were some costs they'd likely be pretty minimal from if speakers encouraged, for instance, lawful protest. For a start, that's a pretty crucial part of our democracy that it's perfectly right we should facilitate. Secondly, there is a benefit to having these debates. If you talk to someone with extreme views and engage with them, you have an opportunity not only to show other people that they're wrong but also to change the mind of the extremists themselves. Most of these people are, one way or another, marginalised by society: criminalising their opinions will just make this worse and give them encouragement if they hold anti-western views, whereas it is far harder to oppose something which includes and values you.


Also, arguing from policing costs really isn't arguing in favour of this bill...With this bill, universities will have the responsibility to monitor and report students.
Original post by #Ridwan
Unis have already been censoring themselves for years by the means of "safe space" policies, which basically means that you can say whatever you like as long as you're a radical leftist, and if you're not then you're going to be censored.


You mean the student societies which have nothing to do with the universities themselves.
It's been impossible to get outside speakers in since they tightened immigration laws anyway. I doubt this is going to make things any worse.
For me, freedom of speech comes before all else. Therefore, I oppose this bill, and really hope it doesn't become Law. I don't like the implications this bill has for our society.
Original post by L i b
I've only given this a cursory glance, but surely any direction issued under this Bill would have to be compliant with clause 25(1), which would only be triggered if their duty to address "the need to prevent people from being drawn into terrorism" had not been sufficiently discharged?


Yes, but with that comes with the Home Office dictating what they want universities to do, and the impractical fourteen-day requirement for all events to be approved beforehand.

The bigger problems with the bill are that it doesn't define the actual obligations of institutions, it doesn't tell you about the punishments of the failure to perform up to the undefined standard, and the issue it could potentially cover could be anything.
Original post by redferry
It's been impossible to get outside speakers in since they tightened immigration laws anyway. I doubt this is going to make things any worse.


So you think the obligation from universities to submit content of any event to the Home Office for approval 14 days prior to it happening is not going to make it worse? Or the need to monitor and report students or risk being punished by the government?
Original post by clh_hilary
So you think the obligation from universities to submit content of any event to the Home Office for approval 14 days prior to it happening is not going to make it worse? Or the need to monitor and report students or risk being punished by the government?


Not really, it's virtually impossible for researchers to get in anyway. Those who aren't struggling already won't be hit by this new law in my opinion.
Original post by redferry
Not really, it's virtually impossible for researchers to get in anyway. Those who aren't struggling already won't be hit by this new law in my opinion.


To my understanding this applies to inviting British citizens from other British universities, and possibly expands to all events of any kind involving anyone as long as it's an official university event.
Original post by clh_hilary
To my understanding this applies to inviting British citizens from other British universities, and possibly expands to all events of any kind involving anyone as long as it's an official university event.


Oh really? Well ok that would be pretty ****ty. It's been ****ed up for ages though, and no-one was bothered first time round so I'm not surprised they don't care now...

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