20-04-2025
Criticize your child's school? In Britain, that could land you in jail.
Andrew Doyle is the author of 'Free Speech and Why It Matters' and 'The New Puritans.'
The tension in the Oval Office was palpable. JD Vance had just finished expressing his concern that the 'special relationship' between the United States and Britain was under increased pressure. 'There have been infringements on free speech that actually affect not just the British,' Vance told British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, 'but also affect American technology companies and, by extension, American citizens.' Starmer was in the precarious position of having simultaneously to defend his own government while placating a more powerful critic. 'In relation to free speech in the U.K.,' he said, 'I'm very proud of our history there.' You could practically hear his teeth gritting.
