Ireland is ‘moving at warp speed’ towards a system where free speech is only extended to people we agree with, according to columnist Brenda Power.
She was speaking after Independent Senator Sharon Keogan resigned from the Oireachtas Committee on Children yesterday.
In a letter to the Committee Chair, Senator Keogan said she ‘no longer feels safe or protected’ as a member of the committee.
Last week, the Joint Committee on International Surrogacy was suspended after Senator Keogan said she viewed surrogacy as ‘harmful, exploitative and unethical’.
A number of her committee colleagues reacted angrily to the comments, with Independent Senator Lynn Ruane labelling her “crude and cold” and criticising her for disrespecting the witnesses who were addressing the committee.
Sinn Féin TD Kathleen Funchion who was acting as chair of the Committee suspended proceedings following Senator Keogan’s remarks.
On Newstalk Breakfast this morning, Sunday Times columnist Brenda Power said the suspension was “the absolute opposite of democracy”.
“The cornerstone of a democracy is freedom of speech and we seem to be reaching a position where free speech is only extended to people you agree with,” she said. “Free speech is an opinion that you like. Hate speech is an opinion you don’t like.
“Whether you agree with Sharon Keoghan or not. Whatever you think of her views on commercial surrogacy - and there are definitely legitimate reasons to have concerns about it because Ukraine is pretty much the only country in the world that now permits it - but whatever you think about it, she is absolutely entitled to a legitimate view on it and she ought to be entitled to express that view in an Oireachtas committee in safety.”
Free speech
She said freedom of speech is the cornerstone of any democracy.
“If you don’t have freedom of speech in a democracy, you simply don’t have a democracy,” she said.
“Democracy by definition cannot exist if people do not have the freedom to express their opinions, to vote as they like, to assemble as they like and to worship as they like.
“What I saw was the absolute opposite of democracy. That was not a debate and I don’t know what element of the word debate the people who shut that down don’t understand.
“A debate should be an exchange of views. That was not an exchange of views. That was a rubber-stamping or a validation of a particular point of view and that is all it was.”
"Warp speed"
Ms Power said the situation shows that Ireland is “moving at warp speed” to a situation where dissenting views are “silenced, shamed and shouted down”.
“Where have we seen any criticism of what went on?” she asked. “Have you seen anybody say we need to look at how these committees are run, we need to look at how they are chaired and we need to look at how dissenting views are dealt with?
“This was wrong, this was undemocratic and this committee really needs to be dismantled if it can’t be run properly.
“Above all, park the issue. Regardless of what you feel about the issue being discussed, if you can’t hear a dissenting view and if a dissenting view is silenced, shamed and shouted down and the person expressing it personally abused, as far as I can see, then we don’t have freedom of speech in this country and that should worry everybody.”
To all of you who took the time to write into the @IrishTimes or indeed had the courage to support my right to free speech online, irrespective of your own personal views, Thank you. I really do appreciate all the support and kindness.
— Senator Sharon Keogan (@SenatorKeogan) April 27, 2022
Senator Keogan is keeping her seat on the International Surrogacy Committee but resigning from the Children’s Committee because it is chaired by Deputy Funchion.
She has posted several tweets in recent days defending her ‘right to free speech’.
You can listen back to Ms Power here:
Main image shows Senator Sharon Keogan outside Leinster House, 02-12-2020. Image: Leah Farrell
