Author Archives: Martin Dickson

Martin Dickson

Democracy and Public Debate

By Martin Dickson | Mon 13th September 2021 - 4:17 pm

Fake news and hate speech online – much of it spread via the giant tech platforms. Government ministers brazenly lying. Threats to the integrity of our elections through the dissemination of misinformation on social media. National newspapers that are increasingly partisan, and a local press too financially enfeebled to hold politicians to account.

In recent years, the quality of public debate in Britain has deteriorated sharply, thanks to all these factors and the increasing rejection of traditionally accepted norms of behaviour. And this threatens the very fabric of our democracy. We have lost a set of shared truths and facts around which we can base political debate. What can be done to reverse the decline?

A policy paper prepared by an FPC working group, to be debated at Autumn Conference, proposes a bold and distinctly liberal set of initiatives that carefully balance our rights and freedoms, especially the right to free speech, with the need to combat online harms and allow misinformation to be challenged.

Continue reading »
Posted in Conference, Op-eds and Party policy and internal matters | Tagged and | 3 Comments
Advert

Recent Comments

  • Neil Fawcett
    @Cllr James Moore The 40% marginal tax rate kicks in only on income that puts someone in tje top 20% of earners. Surely any Lib Dem tax cuts should focus on ...
  • Simon Robinson
    Freedom of movement benefitted the minority of (often, middle class) people who wanted to live abroad without going through the hassle of applying for a visa, a...
  • Chloe
    Pm. It's not an easy narrative to make when it doesn't suit international contributors. Very quick to champion Hungary's new Prime Minister who released this in...
  • Peter Davies
    The ECB did not end up responsible for Greek debt and safeguards have been strengthened since then to ensure it will not be responsible for French debt either....
  • PM
    We should all want a good relationship with our neighbours, but this doesn't mean we should get into bed with them :-) Or even that we should be ultra close fin...