Weapons expert cut from government event due to Twitter posts

8 comments
  1. This is actual government censorship, the Tories aren’t even bothering keeping the mask on at this point they’re just openly suppressing anyone who opposes them.

  2. Reminder to have all your social media regularly set to delete.

    Employers are already doing this to vet applicants.

    Dont lose out on a job cos you like to say edgey things to your 30 followers.

  3. Tories will rant about any political position to the left of trophy-hunting immigrants as the machinations of some global cabal out to cancel free speech, democracy and western civilisation… and then happily shut down an expert in an increasingly important field because he dared to hold an opinion critical of their ideas.

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    Suella Braverman has expressed opinions critical of government policy on numerous occasions, is she uninvited from government-backed conferences now?

  4. *The check on your social media has identified material that criticises government officials and policy.*

    Several members of the Cabinet currently fall into that category.

  5. > The American, who has been based in the UK for the past 13 years, told BBC Two’s Newsnight he was “outraged” that the government’s trawl through his Twitter account – on which he poked fun at Liz Truss, expressed anti-Brexit views and criticised asylum policy – means he can no longer share his knowledge with delegates from the government, industry, academia and armed forces.

    Is this what the right wingers are talking about when they go on about “cancel culture”?

    Is it cancel culture when the Government stops you from speaking about your area of expertise because you’re anti-Brexit? Or is it only cancel culture when someone is allowed to call a racist person a racist?

  6. A scientist banned from speaking at a chemical weapons disarmament conference because of his opposition to refugee deportations to Rwanda? What? Is Sunak planning to use Sarin on the small boats?

    This is seriously pathetic and very worrying for the country at large. It seems all the government wants is a coterie of Yes Men (and women), which is bad enough for domestic policy, but especially damnable when it’s in the field of literal weapons of mass destruction!

    Tories love to venerate Churchill – but it’s not the man they want, it’s the dog from the ads. Oh, yes!

  7. Having met this chap a few times, he’s a fountain of historical knowledge and an expert in his field. I might add a highly trained professional as well, so not even remotely likely to use his platform as a soapbox.

    I’m one rarely to pipe in about politics on forums, only ever get on it around family with plenty of beer, but this needs saying – this is a beginning of a very slippery dangerous slope that is in direct contradiction to democractic values.

    To be honest, I can see how this post of mine might go against me in the future, as perhaps this post in itself will be enough to put me onto some list. How mad is that, now saying you should be worried about a posts of opinions that could be used by the government in the future against you!

    Anyone who is under any illusion that everything is fine, read this, it’s really not fine. Alas, history has a way of repeating itself

  8. *It’s not that we dont think you’re an expert on the topic, but you aren’t a fervent enough supporter of the regime so you will be blacklisted.*

    > “Rules introduced by the Cabinet Office in 2022 specify that the social media accounts of potential speakers must be vetted before final acceptance to the programme. The vetting is impartial and purely evidence-based.

    Contrasted with:

    > “The check on your social media has identified material that criticises government officials and policy. It is for this reason and not because we do not value your technical insight, that I’m afraid that we have no choice and must cancel your invitation to the CWD conference.”

    Fuck the Government.

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