No free speech for Communists?

[mactheknife]

Certain persons on the left of the political spectrum maintain there ought not be free speech for 'the far right'. The 'far right' is difficult to define and as such the so-called "No Platform for Facists" strategy is held by some to be an insidious ploy by the far left to deny free speech to people that disagree with them. All that one would require to be labelled 'far right' and thus inelligible to the right of free speech, would be adherence to the Catholic faith, holding pro-life views or opposition to unrestrained, liberal mass immigration. No free speech for anyone holding these views?

But what about the far left? Should they have a right to free speech? What about a "No Platform for Communists"?

Of course the rights of free speech in the former USSR are well documented, but how would free speech be maintained under the Socialist Party and other trotskyite groups? What about the Dictatorship of the Proletariat?

The revolutionary dictatorship of the proletariat is rule won and maintained by the use of violence by the proletariat against the bourgeoisie, rule that is unrestricted by any laws.

A state of the exploited must fundamentally differ from such a state; it must be a democracy for the exploited, ‘and a means of suppressing the exploiters; and the suppression of a class means inequality for that class, its exclusion from “democracy”

The proletariat cannot achieve victory without breaking the resistance of the bourgeoisie, without forcibly suppressing its adversaries, and that, where there is “forcible suppression”, where there is no “freedom”, there is, of course, no democracy

"The dictatorship of the proletariat, i.e., the organization of the vanguard of the oppressed as the ruling class for the purpose of suppressing the oppressors, cannot result merely in an expansion of democracy. Simultaneously with an immense expansion of democracy, which for the first time becomes democracy for the poor, democracy for the people, and not democracy for the money-bags, the dictatorship of the proletariat imposes a series of restrictions on the freedom of the oppressors, the exploiters, the capitalists. We must suppress them in order to free humanity from wage slavery, their resistance must be crushed by force; it is clear that there is no freedom and no democracy where there is suppression and where there is violence"

A cursory review of Leon trotsky's career is instructive as to how the Socialist Party might govern in Ireland, with executions of the opposition and suppression of trade unions.

Time to limit free speech for Marxists?

[CJH]

Time to limit free speech for Marxists?

Time to limit stupid, pointless threads, more like.

Free speech is indivisible. End of story.

[quirk]

What about the Dictatorship of the Proletariat?

Under the dictatorship of the proletariat there would be free speech to a certain degree. People who are oppossed to the system would be allowed to criticise it and indeed this would be essential as the best criticism usually comes from those who oppose something. However in my opinion those who called for an active overthrow of the system should not be allowed. Also you can not be allowed to have the freedom to call for rape or murder.

One of Stalins main problems is that he failed to see the difference between what were on one hand contridictions between the people and on the other hand antagonisms between the people and the counter revolutionaries and this led to some negative aspects in the Soviet Union in regards to free speech.

Time to limit free speech for Marxists?

It is already limited through censorship and the fact that the bourgeoisie had a monopoly on the media.

[zacchy]

The socialists only support freedom of speech so long as no minority groups get 'offended'. They seek to conform the nation to a public speech norm, and people who hold dissenting views from the prevailing one will be persecuted. In some European countries and Canada, Christians are afraid to voice their views on homosexuality for fear of legal action being taken against them.

[gosimeon]

The only ideologies that do not embrace free speech are fascist and communist ones.

Just look at Cuba and their awful record with journalists who dare to question the way things are done there.

[jmcc]

The only ideologies that do not embrace free speech are fascist and communist ones.

Just look at Cuba and their awful record with journalists who dare to question the way things are done there.

Or here with the Sindo? Or here with McDowell, the Minister for "Justice" leaking papers to destroy Frank Connolly?

[Podolski]

Or US financed agents provateurs

[merle haggard]

Certain persons on the left of the political spectrum maintain there ought not be free speech for 'the far right'. The 'far right' is difficult to define and as such the so-called "No Platform for Facists" strategy is held by some to be an insidious ploy by the far left to deny free speech to people that disagree with them. All that one would require to be labelled 'far right' and thus inelligible to the right of free speech, would be adherence to the Catholic faith, holding pro-life views or opposition to unrestrained, liberal mass immigration. No free speech for anyone holding these views?

This is crap . The far right comprise nazi linked groups and nobody else . Im a catholic , opposed to abortion and dont believe in unrestrained mass immigration . I also believe nazis should have the crap kicked out of them and be denied a political platform .

[quote:10toizqk]The only ideologies that do not embrace free speech are fascist and communist ones.

[/quote:10toizqk]

so is the ideology as well as the currently serving politicians and indeed currently active journalists behind decades of section 31 south of the border fascist or communist ?

[Defeated Romanticist]

The great Irony is that by shouting "No free speech for facsists" lefties are attacking fellow lefties. Facism is a form of hyper leftism.

Nice to see jmcc trying to turn this topic into a into a forum to his own invectivity...again

[quirk]

The great Irony is that by shouting "No free speech for facsists" lefties are attacking fellow lefties. Facism is a form of hyper leftism.

Nice to see jmcc trying to turn this topic into a into a forum to his own invectivity...again

That is the biggest load of ************************ I have ever read.