That’s Debatable!
Welcome to ‘That’s Debatable!’, the weekly podcast of the Free Speech Union. Hosts Connie Shaw and Jan Macvarish – both staffers at the FSU – talk about the free speech controversies that have erupted in the past week. Edited by Jason Clift. Please like, subscribe and share. Thank you.
Episodes
In 2021, the award-winning author, teacher and poet Kate Clanchy suffered one of the most public and aggressive cancellations in the cultural world. In a series of vicious attacks, online critics accused her bestselling memoir, Some Kids I Taught and What They Taught Me, of ‘racism’ and ‘ablism’, provoking an unprecedented pile-on. Shamefully, her own publishers, Picador, sided with the accusers.
This week’s podcast guest is CEO, journalist and author Tanya de Grunwald.
Tanya has been making waves in the world of HR with her This Isn’t Working podcast. Tanya talks to FSU’s Jan Macvarish about the free speech issues arising in workplace culture and the network she is building of employees and employers who want to make things better.
Subscribe here to listen and here to watch.
Edited by Jason Clift
This week’s episode is a bit different — a live recording of an especially timely event hosted by the FSU as part of the Battle of Ideas Festival 2025.
Titled, ‘What is the Problem with Defining Islamophobia?’, this lively discussion, features fascinating comments from the audience, but first you’ll hear from a expert panel of speakers who have been at the frontline of debat...
This week, Jan Macvarish speaks to the FSU’s Director of Projects Stephen O’Grady about the continuing case of Hamit Coskun, the asylum-seeker from Turkey who the FSU is helping appeal his conviction for a public order offence.
As an act of political protest, against the Turkish government that had previously tortured and imprisoned him, Hamit burned a copy of the Quran, out...
- The new academic year in a post-Higher Education (Freedom of Speech) Act world, and what needs to be done to restore the university experience.
- They relay their visit to LSE campus where they spoke to a variety of students from different ca...
This week, Connie and Jan discuss the extraordinary level of interest in the case of Deborah Anderson, the Free Speech Union member and American citizen who filmed a visit from a British police officer who wished to talk to her about her ‘upsetting’ Facebook posts. The video has been viewed over 6 million times on X alone. Deborah’s indignant defence of her speech rights in the face of state overreach h...
This week on That’s Debatable…
Charlie Kirk, a bastion for free speech and open debate, was tragically assassinated last week. Everyone at The FSU is still holding the wife and young children of Charlie Kirk in our thoughts and prayers.
Jan describes her experience witnessing The Unite the Kingdom march for free speech that took place on 13th September, where many Free Speech Union members were present.
The Leader of the Oppositio...
Jan Macvarish is joined by Vinay Kapoor who runs the Free Speech Union’s funding stream for students and young people, the Ian Mactaggart Programme.
They begin by responding to the outrageous arrest of comedy writer Graham Linehan by five armed police officers at Heathrow Airport. Graham has not yet been charged but police are investigating him for three tweets posted earlie...
- The Islamophobia definition delayed down to the FSU’s pressure on the government
- Disabled 8 year old boy banned from ...
Lucy Connolly, the child minder who was jailed for 31 months for a single tweet, has been released from prison.
The Free Speech Union funded her appeal in May 2025. In this episode, Toby Young answers some common questions surrounding Lucy Connolly’s case.
Edited by Jason Clift
This week on That’s Debatable…
The Free Speech Union had a trip to Margate beach to protest Thanet District Council’s new Public Spaces Protection Order (PSPO). Being so broad and over-reaching, the PSPO is likely unlawful and has the effect of banning swearing in public and taking the mickey! The FSU are threatening legal action if Thanet District Council does not alter the wording of the PSPO.
Along with JD Vance’s visit to the U...
This week Connie and Jan discuss the Public Spaces Protection Order that has been passed by Thanet District Council (TDC). In the summer of 2024, the FSU threatened legal action when TDC proposed a similar measure. This is their second attempt, and there are still serious concerns that it will infringe on speech rights and is likely to be unlawful – the swearing ban!
https://www.kentonline.co.uk/thanet/news/council-launches-fresh-b...
This week, Connie and Jan discuss a new report released by the Government’s Commission for Countering Extremism (CCE). The CCE Freedom of Expression Survey asked 2000 people in England and Wales about their views on free speech with regard to politics, religion, race, immigration, climate change and transgender issues. It claims to reveal a ‘nuanced landscape of public opinion on free speech’ and highli...
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