Sir, – Brian Boyd has a point when he argues that the "infantile and authoritarian" behaviour of some liberals, and a regressive left, has been counterproductive ("What's left? A regressive political agenda", Opinion & Analysis, February 14th).
Leading liberals are in danger of undermining their own central tenets by illiberally expanding our notion of what should count as unacceptable opinion.
Too often, rather than engage opponents, they brand them as offensive, and in cahoots with the left, orchestrate protests to try and silence them.
It is a poor principle, and a worse strategy, to attack the people we disagree with, while leaving their ideas go unchallenged. The tactic works best against people we should be allowed to hear.
It plays into the insidious provocateur’s hands. He wants to be seen to be oppressed. It validates his anti-establishment credentials. Shifting the focus from his arguments to his notoriety is a boon. It creates the illusion that his ideas are so potent that they cannot be countered. Often his views are aberrant nonsense, and even if he were to speak unopposed he’d lose a debate, but through being “disinvited” or “no-platformed” he gains an unlikely victory.
Ideas are important. Humans constantly recreate shared mental worlds, and societies flourish and fail as good and bad ideas rise and fall. We never have the luxury of resting on our laurels.
Those that represent a cause should always be ready and willing to engage in robust argument.
We should be more willing to invite people we disagree with to speak freely. By all means, put them on a stage. Shine a light on their theories. We should be open to learning from contrary views that have value, and be ready to counter those that don’t. When bad ideas are openly spoken their flaws can be exposed; suppressed, these ideas suffer no such scrutiny.
The temporary stability and unity we currently enjoy in Europe has been shaken by the surge in support for right-wing nationalist ideas.
Liberals and the left have lost a lot of ground; what they have been doing isn’t working. They need to swallow their distaste for contrary views, and get properly stuck in to the debate. – Yours, etc,
COLIN WALSH,
Templeogue,
Dublin 6W.
Sir, – Neil McDonagh (February 15th) laments that, due to a liberal “dictatorship of thought”, “the ballot box is possibly now the only safe place a conservative is free to express an opinion”.
Leaving aside the fact that it is usually liberals who are derided for seeking "safe spaces", free from alternative points of view, your correspondent does not appear to have had any difficulty in having his letter featured prominently in The Irish Times.
Some dictatorship. – Yours, etc,
CATHAL MALONE,
Carrigaline,
Co Cork.