About Me

My photo
Australian philosopher, literary critic, legal scholar, and professional writer. Based in Newcastle, NSW. My latest books are THE TYRANNY OF OPINION: CONFORMITY AND THE FUTURE OF LIBERALISM (2019) and AT THE DAWN OF A GREAT TRANSITION: THE QUESTION OF RADICAL ENHANCEMENT (2021).

Saturday, April 16, 2011

Wilders hate speech trial resumes

I guess we should be watching this - whatever individual opinions we have formed of Geert Wilders. The trial has recommenced after screeching to a halt last year and having to start from the beginning. Once again, it's bogged down in debates about judicial propriety.

As always with the ongoing Wilders debacle, we have the spectacular mix of free speech issues, extreme-right perspectives lurking around the edges, clashes between classical liberal values and post-modern ideas of how to enforce social harmony. All grist for the mill. Hopefully, the Dutch judicial system will eventually extricate itself with honour from this mess which it brought on itself (recall that the prosecutors never actually wanted to prosecute this case).

No comments: