"The liberty of the press in this country can only be maintained by the vigilance of the people, and the vigilance of parliament the courage of the newspapers themselves. That's the only way. Therefore we must, fight, fight, fight to maintain those liberties," he said.
So why is it that the left wing Blogosphere is up in arms that Iain's Dale's magazine Total Politics is interviewing the BNP's Nick Griffen? They're threatening a boycott or a magazine that does give an unbiased view of British politics especially compared with the Spectator or the New Statesman.
Look at this line from the Labour manifesto:
"The Labour Party stands for freedom - for freedom of worship, freedom of speech, freedom of the Press. The Labour Party will see to it that we keep and enlarge these freedoms, and that we enjoy again the personal civil liberties we have, of our own free will."
Of course that was the 1945 manifesto when Labour truly did believe in those freedoms. Of course as I blogged last night over the last five years the party that even stood up from such liberties during the clear and present danger that was World War Two have become more draconian, more authoritarian than any before them.
I've spoken against no platforming before, if you are not prepared to win the argument you are merely seen as running scared. If you do you are leaving people looking for a voice to fill the void and that is dangerous. We need people like Dominic Carman who is taking the fight to Griffen in Barking courageous enough to point out the truths of the BNP not run away and hide.
I trust Iain Dale will have asked some of the tough questions, he does ask them in each of his interviews. But please Labour if there is a future fair for all, you have to at least appear to mean it is for all. Don't defend press freedoms and the moniker Zanu Labour really is more appropriate.
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