Pnewsology

The week’s news with a dash of psychology!

Jane Ogden (Professor in Health Psychology, Emeritus; email janeogden509@gmail.com; based on a conversation with James Cannon at Radio Surrey; 8.40 am 12/12/2025)

Week ending 12/12/2025

In the modern world we pride ourselves on having freedom of speech and much as we recognise that there must be limits, we champion our right to speak out, march and strike.  This week the news has been full of examples of when this right has been challenged.  The protest group ‘Palestine Action’ was proscribed by the UK government as a terrorist group after they took direct action against defence firms.  Since this time more than two thousand peaceful protesters have been arrested for holding handmade cardboard signs supporting Palestine Action (or Plasticine Action in one case!) and protesting against the genocide in Gaza.  This week we have seen reports of those on remand (without trial or charge) going on hunger strike to raise awareness of what has happened to them.  We have also learned that the US are going to start checking the social media accounts of all tourists (How? Really? All of it? For what? The World cup?) and Salah was called out for speaking out against his manager at Liverpool for dropping him from 3 matches.  Apparently, he should have kept his feelings to himself!

I can vote because the suffragettes took direct action. I get reasonable working hours and holidays because of the unions and I proudly spent much of my twenties demonstrating against what the Thatcher government was trying to do.  I also love it that Count Binface stood next to Boris Johnson in the last election, that the Monster Raving Looney party has stood against pretty much every famous MP for decades and that the late comedian Jane Godley met Trump off his helicopter will her succinct and precise placard!

Freedom of speech is key to being British and when it goes hand in hand with our irreverence its perfect!

But not everyone can say or do whatever they like.  This week Australia banned social media for the under sixteens in a damage limitation move and the leader of the AFD in Germany has been involved in an ongoing court battle for using banned Nazi slogans.  There need to be lines and it’s good to see that when these are crossed, action is taken (and governments could actually legislate against social media companies?).  But then why can Trump seize a Venezuelan tanker without any consequences and how can Israel keep supporting the illegal settlers in the West Bank as they set fire to Olive trees and attack the locals with no-one doing or saying anything?

Freedom of speech is a great thing and the fundamental building block of democracy.  I can march, rant or argue against the things I don’t like and then vote to try and make things better.  But we have laws to stop this going too far and I know that if I incite hatred, violence or am racist then there will be consequences.   

But sometimes these consequences are misplaced – we have to be able to speak out against a genocide that is playing out now in our lifetime.  And sometimes these consequences are nowhere to be seen, and people seem to literally get away with murder as the world looks on and does nothing.

All opinions are those of Jane Ogden