Tag: freedom

future

2012: Not the end of the world, but perhaps the end of the world as we know it

As we come up to the year 2012 many prognosticators are predicting the end of the world. I suspect that this will not come to pass. But I do think that we are seeing the end of the world as we’ve come to know it during the latter years of the twentieth century and the early years of the twenty-first century. Many of the verities … Continue reading 2012: Not the end of the world, but perhaps the end of the world as we know it

Kate Carruthers3 Comments
civil society

Dissent and Securing Freedom – Aung San Suu Kyi shares her ideas

Over the weekend I listened to this moving  talk from the Burmese pro-democracy leader and Nobel Peace Laureate, Aung San Suu Kyi, where she examines what drives people to dissent. Reflecting on the history of her own party, the National League for Democracy, Aung San Suu Kyi, examines the meaning of opposition and dissident. She also explains her reasons for following the path of non-violence. … Continue reading Dissent and Securing Freedom – Aung San Suu Kyi shares her ideas

Kate Carruthers
civil society

Freedom – the price and the value #Libya #auspol

What is a cynic? A man who knows the price of everything and the value of nothing. Oscar Wilde, in Lady Windermere’s Fan (1892) It has been fascinating to watch the progress of the various revolutions in north Africa and the middle east, in particular the travails of the Libyan people trying to oust the long-standing dictator Gaddafi. Unlike the other countries in the region, … Continue reading Freedom – the price and the value #Libya #auspol

Kate Carruthers
ideas

Public discourse and private citizens – how free is freedom of speech? #groggate

A recent disclosure that a Federal public servant has been blogging about matters political in his personal time has come to be referred amongst Australian journalists and bloggers alike as #groggate. There has been much discussion about the rights and wrongs of this unmasking of a pseudonymous blogger who had the temerity to question the efficacy of the retinue of journalists who were following the … Continue reading Public discourse and private citizens – how free is freedom of speech? #groggate

Kate Carruthers1 Comment
ideas

Tolerance: freedom of speech, thought, association and discussion

It has been very interesting (during the 2010 Australian federal election campaign) to watch people advocating freedom of speech on one hand and then getting upset when people with differing views speak out. The intolerance of opposing points of view has really resonated with me. It makes me a bit sad that we are not always able to have a free and frank discussion of … Continue reading Tolerance: freedom of speech, thought, association and discussion

Kate Carruthers
ideas

We take our freedom of speech for granted!

This news item from Techcrunch – hat tip to @jowyang for the link – makes me conscious of how precious are our freedoms of speech and association. People fought hard in the past to achieve those freedoms for us and we need to protect them. Some bloggers in other countries are risking their lives to do what we take for granted – post opinions and … Continue reading We take our freedom of speech for granted!

Kate Carruthers