Pnewsology

Pnewsology – the one about freedom (and what we can say and do)

03/01/2026

The week’s news with a dash of psychology!

Jane Ogden (Professor in Health Psychology, Emeritus; email janeogden509@gmail.com; based on a conversation with James Cannon at Radio Surrey; 8.40 am 27/02/2026)

Week ending 27/02/2026

All opinions are those of Jane Ogden

We have a democracy and we live in the free world. But do we? This week’s news has been full of stories highlighting what we can and cannot do – and the line of freedom has been tested!

We had the by-election in Manchester which was won by the Green party. We can still vote and choose our government. AND more importantly we can get them out. A key part of freedom.

We also heard about the debate in the House of Commons which saw MPs have a frank discussion about Andrew’s role after his arrest last week. The MPs openly criticised him with none of the usual pandering to the royal family and he was called ‘a rude, arrogant and entitled man’. No censorship there.

And the assisted dying bill was passed in Jersey giving people the right to chose when to die. Another success for freedom.

We also saw the ban on ‘Palestine Action’ being overturned as it was deemed that their actions were not enough to designate them as a terrorist organisation. Thousands of people have been arrested since Yvette Cooper made her decision over a year ago. The government can appeal this decision, but for the time being it looks like freedom of speech and action may have been upheld.

But then we heard about the BAFTA awards and their failure to censor the ‘n’ word called out by John Davidson who has Tourette’s whilst they managed to censor out the call for a ‘Free Palestine’ by one of the filmmakers.

We also read that Instagram will alert parents if teenagers search for self harm or suicide content (that has to be a good thing!).

And we heard of the dreadful story when a wheelchair user was put into a nursing home without her consent – her freedom was clearly violated.

We like to think we have freedom. And we can still vote and say and do many of the things we want to. But our freedom is clearly limited – as the saying goes one person’s freedom is another person’s prison. Limiting freedom has to be a good thing at times if it prevents racist abuse, sexism, lying, self-harm or serious harm to others. But we still need to be able to call out what we see as wrong. Surely just annoying others or making them a bit upset has to be allowed? We need laws to prevent the abuse of others, but it would nice if we could just rely on common sense to stop those in power just lying to us whilst we are allowed to upset others when we feel its necessary.
Pnewsology – the one about heroes and why we need them (and what happens when people fall off their pedestal)

02/22/2026

The week’s news with a dash of psychology!

Jane Ogden (Professor in Health Psychology, Emeritus; email janeogden509@gmail.com; based on a conversation with James Cannon at Radio Surrey; 8.40 am 22/02/2026)

Week ending 22/02/2026

All opinions are those of Jane Ogden

This week’s news covered people who are heroes, those who have been heroes and those who think of themselves as heroes. We learned about the death of Jesse Jackson the well-known civil rights activist who stood alongside Martin Luther King at Selma. He campaigned for equality and was a hero for those wishing for a fairer world. We also heard that Alexei Navalny, who stood as opposition to Putin and died last year in prison, was probably killed by dart frog poison. He was a great hero for those who wanted to see regimen change in Russia. And then we have watched the Winter Olympics and seen many new heroes whizz down the slopes, make amazing jumps and streak down ice routes. We have even watched one 61 year old man become an unlikely viral hero for ‘moonwalking’ as he sprayed the ice rink with water. Heroes come in many shapes and sizes.

The Epstein files remain top of the news and much as there is nothing heroic about any of it at least the Clintons have at last offered to testify and tell everything they know. Its taken a while but at last they want to do the right thing! That’s a bit heroic!

AND then on the front page of all the papers – Andrew Mountbaten was arrested – the first royal in 400 years to be actually arrested! He is being investigated to abuse of public office and passing on information when he was a trade ambassador. Nothing to be proud of there but there have been two good responses – not quite heroic, but they made me feel proud to be British (at last!). The King said ‘the law must take its course’ and Keir Starmer said ‘Nobody is above the law’. At the moment there seem to be so many crimes going unpunished with zero consequences. Lets hope something comes of this and that we still have some remnants of a justice system!

People need justice and they also need heroes. We look out into the world, past and present and find people that do what we want to do but can’t or say what we want to say but don’t have the voice. They reflect our goals and ambitions or our values and beliefs and make us feel the world is a better place because they are in it. And sometimes they have power and fame and sometimes they are just like us but having their 15 minutes of glory to be remarkable. But when they fall off their pedestal – do they go out with a bang! And so they should!
Pnewsology – the one about the people behind the scenes – who knows and does what?

02/13/2026

The week’s news with a dash of psychology!

Jane Ogden (Professor in Health Psychology, Emeritus; email janeogden509@gmail.com; based on a conversation with James Cannon at Radio Surrey; 8.40 am 13/02/2026)

Week ending 13/02/2026

All opinions are those of Jane Ogden

It’s been a mixed bag of a week with lots of very sad stories of young people and crime and older people making bold decisions. All of which got me thinking about the people behind the scenes and who knows what and what do they do and say?

Locally, in Guildford we have had more tributes come through for the poor 15-year-old boy who was killed in Stoke Park by two teenagers. My kids spent much of their life in that park – just tragic. We have also heard about the attempted murder of two pupils at a school in North London by a 13-year-old and the sentencing of a 14-year-old boy for the murder of a schoolboy in Birmingham. Plus, Canada had a dreadful shooting at a school by an 18-year-old. Who was in the background to these events? Did friends know about the knives or gun? Did they egg their friend on? Were they seen as cool or grown up? Or did anyone stand up to them and tell them to get rid of it? Did the parents know? Suspect? Or were they oblivious?

Then we have also had a difficult time for the adults.

Keir Starmer has been wrestling with his leadership of the Labour party and whilst he looked like it was curtains for him at the beginning of the week, as we speak, his party have rallied round, and he has announced that he is determined to stay. Did he discuss this at home? What happened at the breakfast table? Was he advised to stay or go? Did his family and friends just support his wishes, or did they have views of their own? And did they make these clear or did they keep them to themselves?

And then Jim Ratcliffe, co-owner of Manchester United football club decided to say that Britian had been ‘colonised’ by foreigners and needed tough leadership as we have too many people from overseas and too many people on benefits. Apparently, that’s why we are short of cash! Does he have friends and family – in Monaco where he is the foreigner and pays no tax to us or them?? Did anyone dare to point out the hypocrisy? Did the words pot and kettle spring to anyone’s mind? And did no one tell him that Man Utd have a massive African fan base, that they have a history of coming down hard on racism and that the Mancunians who come to the matches are a very multi-cultural bunch of fans? He has apologised. Almost.

Every event has a back story and all the people involved have people around them. No one is an island. But so often relationships are built on enablement and collusion rather than honesty. We support through ‘going along’ rather than through contradiction; we listen and agree rather than challenge and we often avoid conflict just to keep the peace. If we moan about our partners our friends say ‘oh I know’ rather than ‘well, you can be difficult too’. Whether it’s as a parent, a spouse or a friend most of us just try to make things work and not rock the boat. And even if we want to speak out there may never seem to be right time. If the boat is already rocky then we don’t want to make it worse and if the boat is calm why rock it? But everyone needs a critical friend who can say it as it is, point out where we are going wrong and keep us on the straight and narrow. As parents this is our role but its hard at times amidst all the other stuff life throws at us. But for the rich and famous its much harder for others to speak out when money and power get in the way and when it is often clear that anyone who ever did speak out in the past is now history.
Pnewsology – the one about loyalty

02/07/2026

The week’s news with a dash of psychology!

Jane Ogden (Professor in Health Psychology, Emeritus; email janeogden509@gmail.com; based on a conversation with James Cannon at Radio Surrey; 8.40 am 06/02/2026)

Week ending 06/02/2026

All opinions are those of Jane Ogden

This week, yet again, the Epstein files have dominated the news with stories of abuse, paedophilia, trafficking, corruption, bribery and the very darkest side of evil. But within this there have also been bizarre stories of loyalty. Sarah Ferguson seems to have been loyal to Epstein, whatever he did, and sent him friendly messages both before and after he was convicted. Likewise, Andrew also still seemed to like his friend and was loyal to him throughout. Trump. Well – he’s in over 5,300 of these files and they seem to have been great pals. And there’s Peter Mandelson.

Home and away, Mandelson’s life seems to have been not only one of being loyal to Epstein but also, somehow, and up until now, having the loyalty of the Labour party. This week it has emerged that Mandelson not only received money from Epstein but also emailed him confidential information. He was appointed Ambassador to the US by Keir Starmer but removed once his links to Epstein started to emerge. But he was still in the labour party and also in the House of Lords. Now we are supposed to be surprised that there was more to this story. Apparently, he lied during the vetting process. But he has history. He ‘resigned’ back in 1998 after receiving a loan of £373,000 from Geoffrey Robinson who was under investigation (by Mandelson’s department?!). He ‘resigned’ again (having got a new job) after pushing for a British passport for an Indian Billionaire. Mandelson seems to be loyal to rich people and the Labour party seems to have been loyal to him. Although as we speak the police are at his house and Starmer is doing the right thing.

But there is some hope as others also seem at last to be doing the right thing. The Clintons have both said they will testify, about what they know and Bill Gates’s wife, Melinda, has said its time for it all to come out. And the King and Queen have now both been heckled about Andrew – which they must hate. So rather than him just having to move into a slightly smaller house and lose his title, maybe they should also do the right thing and make him testify as well. His family may feel loyal to him, but the country certainly doesn’t and maybe by coming clean and telling the world what he did and what he knows he can claw back a tiny bit of respect from the rest of us.

Loyalty can be a good thing if we are loyal to our families and friends. Ideally it is driven by love but often it seems to be money and power that are behind it. And now it also seems to gets in the way of just doing what is right. There is a massive story behind all of this of all the women who have been abused. They have told their stories and are being ignored. The main man behind this is now dead. BUT maybe if everyone else involved, stopped being loyal to all the wrong people, and started doing the right thing we could at last see some sort of justice.
Pnewsology – the one about the gap between the rich and poor

01/31/2026

The week’s news with a dash of psychology!

Jane Ogden (Professor in Health Psychology, Emeritus; email janeogden509@gmail.com; based on a conversation with Mark Carter at Radio Surrey; 8.40 am 31/01/2026)

Week ending 30/01/2026

All opinions are those of Jane Ogden

There have always been lords and serfs, upper class and working class and landlords and tenants. We have never had an equal society. But a letter to DAVOS from the campaign ‘Time to win’ at the start of the week stated that this gap is widening and that1% of the world’s population now own more wealth that the other 95% combined. This campaign by ‘Patriotic Millionaires’ then asked governments to tax the rich more. We have also seen the elaborate displays of wealth at the Haute Couture Week in Paris attended by the rich and famous and heard how David Beckham’s son drinks wine costing £17,000 and how his wife gets a monthly allowance of a million dollars. So much money!

At the same time there are so many people struggling to get their basic needs met at home and abroad. We have heard stories from people in Britain having to wait on trolleys in their local hospital; the pubs are struggling to stay open and even though they have been awarded a support package, rising business taxes makes is hard just to make ends meet; and Warm Welcome week has raised the profile of many warm spaces opening up across the country so people can save on their own heating bills and get some friendship thrown in on the side. Plus, more than 700,000 graduates across the UK are currently unemployed with about 70-140 applications for each graduate job. And abroad, we see photos of Gaza in rubble and Palestinians freezing in their makeshift tents; illegal settlers setting fire to Palestinian olive trees, cars and houses in the West Bank and the freezing cold hitting Ukraine when the soldiers are trying to fight to keep their land.

The gap between rich and poor is huge and now is bigger than ever.

So, what does this do to us when we look out and see others so much better off? I’m guessing those with all the money expect us to be inspired, to enjoy their glory and to treat it like a bit like watching an episode of ‘Dallas’ (my generation), ‘The Only Way is Chelsea’ or ‘Suits’ where we marvel at how the other half live. But in reality, I think this gap just creates envy, upset and anger as it just feels so unfair. And what do with do with that anger? We should be angry with the rich and blame the governments that enable this upward movement of money to happen. We should vote for a fairer taxation system and get furious as those who dodge their fair share and we should fight against corruption and be cross with those that make money out of an unfair system. But so often our anger gets misplaced. And in the same way people kick the dog when they get home from a difficult day at work, or men hit their wives after their football team has lost, people often get angry at the wrong people. And often they aim this anger at those even worse off than they are. Its classic social psychology!

Knowing the gap between the rich and poor is getting bigger is a step in the direction. But redirecting our anger to changing this seems to be a whole other problem.
Pnewsology – the one about bullying

01/23/2026

The week’s news with a dash of psychology!

Jane Ogden (Professor in Health Psychology, Emeritus; email janeogden509@gmail.com; based on a conversation with James Cannon at Radio Surrey; 8.40 am 23/01/2026)

Week ending 23/01/2025

All opinions are those of Jane Ogden

I hate bullies. This week, news about bullies has been central to the international and local stage.

As ever (it’s a long time until 2027!) Trump is everywhere and this week he has been bullying the whole world into letting him ‘Take Greenland’. He has various reasons such as to protect it against Russia and China, because borders are just a recent thing or for its oil and minerals. But he just wants it because he thinks he can.

Then Trump (again) has been accused of bullying the UK government about their ban on trophy hunting imports. We ban them (bits of elephants, tigers, lions etc) but the US government want us to unban them as they ‘support conservation’ and are good the economy. The US wants us to do what they want because it is just used to us doing just that.

Then we have also heard stories of bullying within families.

In Sussex, CAPA (Children against Parent Aggression) opened in 2020 and looks after parents who are struggling with their children. One family described how their children come at them with scissors. They are now at 40 referrals a year. How terrifying to feel bullied in your own home by your own children.

And we have also watched the high-profile stories of Prince Harry and the Beckhams being played out in the media. Were Prince Harry and Meghan bullied by the press? and what on earth happened in the Beckham family to turn what always seemed a loving home into one of estrangement?

But one good news story – the Israeli government were threatening to demolish a small (10^th size) children’s football pitch for Palestinian children in the West Bank. Apparently, it didn’t have the right permits and was a security threat?! But due to publicity, a campaign and over half a million signatures, this has been postponed for the time being. If only people power could also stop ethnic cleansing!

People become bullies for many reasons. Some have also been bullied and have just learned that this is the way to behave. Some are frightened of losing power and use this as a way to protect themselves. Some are defensive, have fragile egos and so lash out as soon as they feel vulnerable. Some have no empathy and are narcissists. And some just do because nothing bad happens and the people around them let them. Around every bully is a bunch of people saying nothing.

So how should we manage them? We could ignore them, not give them the attention they crave and hope it all goes away. We could feel sorry for them and see them as the sad people they are. Or we could try to negotiate with them and appeal to their more rational side. All this can work in the school playground, at home or even at work. But on the world stage something more is needed. Bullies think they have power and want to be feared. We need to take what they see as their strength and make it their weakness.

First, we need to boost our own power and this comes from numbers. Joining together, creating a team, a group, a union or anything is better than being alone. There is always safety in numbers and bullies find size important.

Then we speak out. The notion of speaking truth to power if often attributed to George Orwell who said ‘In a time of deceit telling the truth is a revolutionary act’. This week Mark Carney gave an amazing speech about how Canada intends to stand up against Trump.

So we need to speak out. But we also need to just laugh at them. The British are great are ridiculing those in power whether it’s through sitcoms like ‘Yes, Minister’, the puppets in ‘Spitting image’, standup comedians or visual gags. If I am ever in crowd facing Trump, I have a fantasy of getting everyone to fall about laughing. Bullies want to feel their power, and they want to be feared. Laughing makes US feel better AND make them realise we don’t fear them anymore.

I hate bullies. Let’s have a mass laughter fest at them and get the world back on track for being a nicer place to be.
Pnewsology – the one about gratitude

01/16/2026

Jane Ogden (Professor in Health Psychology, Emeritus; email janeogden509@gmail.com; based on a conversation with James Cannon at Radio Surrey; 8.40 am 16/01/2026)

The week’s news with a dash of psychology!

Week ending 16/01/2025

All opinions are those of Jane Ogden

This week has been grim with lots of images of death and talk of executions. At the start of the week, we read about the aftermath of the killing of Renee Nicole Good by the ICE member Jonathon Ross. He shot her in the head and then shouted ‘F***ing bitch’ before driving away to be heralded the US government as a hero whilst Renee was labelled a ‘deranged leftist’. Apparently, ICE have ‘Absolute immunity’. There is now huge unrest across Minneapolis.

We have watched the protests in Iran against the current regime and heard how over 2,400 protesters have been killed – just shot in the streets with live ammunition. Videos are now showing body bags in the morgues and reports of how the families are being charged the equivalent of nearly £4k to take home the bodies of their loved ones. They are even being charged for the bullets. Iran is now threatening to publicly execute captured protestors. Although these may have ‘postponed’.

At the same time the Israeli government are pushing through a bill so they can execute the Palestinians they hold in prison and have also moved their military zone even further into Gaza to give the Palestinians even less space to live in.

And NATO have started to move troops into Greenland given Trump’s claim that he will take it.

What a week!

Meanwhile in the UK we have had yellow weather warnings and rivers breaking their banks, extended water outages with one local describing it as a ‘third world country’ and traffic nightmares, particularly locally here in Surrey with 3 horses killed in separate incidents on the A3.

Whether it’s because there is only much death and misery I can take, whether it’s my optimistic streak, or whether it’s my years of being a psychologist but whilst all this makes me want to turn away it also make me feel grateful. The UK is not in a great place at the moment, with a struggling NHS, an unpopular government who don’t really to know what they stand for and divisions around immigration and what it means to be British. BUT with my gratitude hat on, we DON’T have capital punishment and the days of public (and private) executions are over; we ARE a democracy and can vote out any government we get after 4 years; our police mostly don’t carry guns and if they do they are trained not to use them and so far, don’t seem to be trigger happy. AND we can still take to the streets to protest without the risk of being hit by a live bullet.

AND, that most British trait of all, we can laugh at our leaders without being arrested.

There done – my gratitude task for the day (psychologists would be proud!).

It’s a great thing, gratitude, and really does help me feel better about my lot. It helps to get perspective, focus on the positives and find the pleasure in the important (no capital punishment) and trivial (good coffee) parts of our daily lives. But telling someone else to be grateful strangely always backfires! As I would say to my parents ‘I didn’t choose to be born’. So be grateful but be careful how you get others to do the same!
Pnewsology – the one about rules (and why we need them!)

01/09/2026

The week’s news with a dash of psychology!

Jane Ogden (Professor in Health Psychology, Emeritus; email janeogden509@gmail.com; based on a conversation with James Cannon at Radio Surrey; 8.40 am 09/01/2026)

Week ending 19/12/2025

All opinions are those of Jane Ogden

This week’s news has been full of rules being broken with me frequently shouting at my phone ‘how can that be allowed’! At the start of the week, we read about the catastrophic fire in the Swiss basement bar which took the lives of 40 young people as well as injuring many others. It seems to have been caused by sparklers in champagne glasses being held up to the ceiling whilst people stood on tables. The flammable sound proofing then caught fire, the fire extinguishers were locked away and there was no available fire exit. How on earth was any of that allowed? Where were the health and safety rules? Where was the fire training and more basically where was the common sense of the owners? Just tragic. What with this and Grenfell I don’t think I will ever complain about health and safety again.

And then Trump excelled himself! He removed the President of Venezuela and his wife killing many Cubans in the process and declared that he would run the country himself. And since then he has threatened to take Greenland and possibly Mexica, Cuba and Columbia. How is any of this possible? What has happened to the rules and where are the consequences?? I thought we had agreements about national boundaries and sovereignty. Or at least that people just knew what was right and wrong.

But then some semblance of sanity here in the UK. At last, new rules are being introduced about eye tests for driving if you are over 70, lowering the level of alcohol permitted before driving and there is some discussion about dementia and cognitive function. I know some people don’t like rules and will kick against these changes, but it does seem sensible that people should be able to see properly to drive. In fact, shouldn’t we all get our eyes tested regularly, not just for eyesight but also for other health issues (tumours, haemorrhages etc). And I’ve never understood why we can drink even a bit before driving. Doesn’t this encourage people to test the boundaries? To argue ‘I have a fast metabolism’ or ‘I’m all muscle’ or I’m a good driver and know what I’m doing’. Zero tolerance might be an easier rule to follow. And having that conversation with a loved one that maybe their driving days are over is so hard BUT much easier if the you can say ‘but its the law!’.

Rules can be annoying and sometimes intrusive and feel like an infringement of our autonomy and personal freedoms. I have been known to break a few ‘silly rules’ in the University world where bureaucracy seems to have gone mad! And if it wasn’t for the suffragettes I wouldn’t be able to vote, have a mortgage or get a divorce. But many are there to just keep the world a safer place. We need world order and some sense of right and wrong and what’s allowed and what’s not to keeps things ticking along in a fairly sensible manner. But when these rules are broken something needs to happen. I’m sure many bar owners looking at the Swiss tragedy will question their own escape routes and call in the inspectors. Even more so that the owner is now in custody. Children learn through consequences – touch the kettle, it hurts, don’t do it again. But at the moment rules seem to be broken all over the place with no consequences. If we want world order, peace and some kind of calm, consequences need to happen and me shouting at my phone just doesn’t seem be enough!
Pnewsology – the one about addiction!

12/19/2025

The week’s news with a dash of psychology!

Jane Ogden (Professor in Health Psychology, Emeritus; email janeogden509@gmail.com; based on a conversation with James Cannon at Radio Surrey; 8.40 am 19/12/2025)

Week ending 19/12/2025

All opinions are those of Jane Ogden

In the week up to the festive season, often dominated by celebration and excess, this week’s news has seen many stories of addiction. We have read about the tragic murder of the film Director Rob Reiner and his wife Michele and watched as their son Nick was charged. His life seems to have been a struggle against substance abuse and periods of homelessness, and the stories described periods of tough parenting and his parents’ regret over listening to the health care professionals rather than their son. How on earth all this led to a brutal stabbing of two people is beyond imagining.

The news also reported how a doctor called Mark Chavez has become the second person to be charged for selling ketamine to Matthew Perry (Chandler from Friends) – the first was known as the Ketamine Queen. I listened to Matthew Perry’s autobiography which was full of sad times of loneliness and depression and wild times of the excessive use of every drug under the sun and alcohol.

More locally, Amy Dickson from Reigate, Surrey described how Christmas is hard due to her father who died in 2020 from his problematic drinking. Children with alcoholic parents can have a difficult time growing up and often report having to be ‘good’ and ‘invisible’ which is reflected in a recent film released by the National Association of Children of Alcoholics.

And in line with many rock stars before him, the base player from Biffy Clyro from Scotland announced he was leaving due to addiction and mental health problems.

So, on one hand we live in a world where drinking alcohol is a normalised part of an annual festival (as well as everyone other social get together across the year) and yet it can become a problem for so many people. Where is the line? and how does it become so much of a problem for some but not others?

The classic definition of addiction involves withdrawal and tolerance and its interference with our social, family and work lives. But in essence its about amount and control. If you are drinking so much that it’s damaging your health – that’s a problem. And if you can’t stop, you have lost control. I guess it’s the age old ‘moderation’ in everything yet again and once this line is crossed, the use of any substance, whether legal or not, is just going to do harm.

Then why do some people cross this line and why does it seem to be more common amongst the rich and famous? Often, addiction is just down to the people around us. Peer pressure is huge and if our friends and family indulge then we are so much more likely to do the same. We copy and we want to fit in. But also, at its simplest, we do anything because we like it and it makes us feel good. So, a drink or a drug that has an instant effect of pleasure (which they all do!) will make us want to do it again (and again!). But then along comes the negative consequences which put us off and should make us decide to stop. Unfortunately, these often come the following day which are hard to anticipate and very easy to forget. So, we often ignore them and next time do the same again. But when the more serious consequences come along that influence money, work, family, marriage and children, us mere mortals may get a wakeup call and announce ‘never again’. But for those in a peer group of excess AND with a fame and financial buffer, maybe the pressure to keep going is too great and the consequences are too far away making it easier to stay on that downward spiral.

So, find yourself a moderate peer group this Christmas, stay away from the rich and famous (!) enjoy and have fun and if you do overindulge try to remember how this feels so that you are less likely to do it again!
Pnewsology – the one about freedom of speech!

12/13/2025

The week’s news with a dash of psychology!

Jane Ogden (Professor in Health Psychology, Emeritus; email janeogden509@gmail.com; based on a conversation with James Cannon at Radio Surrey; 8.40 am 12/12/2025)

Week ending 12/12/2025

In the modern world we pride ourselves on having freedom of speech and much as we recognise that there must be limits, we champion our right to speak out, march and strike. This week the news has been full of examples of when this right has been challenged. The protest group ‘Palestine Action’ was proscribed by the UK government as a terrorist group after they took direct action against defence firms. Since this time more than two thousand peaceful protesters have been arrested for holding handmade cardboard signs supporting Palestine Action (or Plasticine Action in one case!) and protesting against the genocide in Gaza. This week we have seen reports of those on remand (without trial or charge) going on hunger strike to raise awareness of what has happened to them. We have also learned that the US are going to start checking the social media accounts of all tourists (How? Really? All of it? For what? The World cup?) and Salah was called out for speaking out against his manager at Liverpool for dropping him from 3 matches. Apparently, he should have kept his feelings to himself!

I can vote because the suffragettes took direct action. I get reasonable working hours and holidays because of the unions and I proudly spent much of my twenties demonstrating against what the Thatcher government was trying to do. I also love it that Count Binface stood next to Boris Johnson in the last election, that the Monster Raving Looney party has stood against pretty much every famous MP for decades and that the late comedian Jane Godley met Trump off his helicopter will her succinct and precise placard!

Freedom of speech is key to being British and when it goes hand in hand with our irreverence its perfect!

But not everyone can say or do whatever they like. This week Australia banned social media for the under sixteens in a damage limitation move and the leader of the AFD in Germany has been involved in an ongoing court battle for using banned Nazi slogans. There need to be lines and it’s good to see that when these are crossed, action is taken (and governments could actually legislate against social media companies?). But then why can Trump seize a Venezuelan tanker without any consequences and how can Israel keep supporting the illegal settlers in the West Bank as they set fire to Olive trees and attack the locals with no-one doing or saying anything?

Freedom of speech is a great thing and the fundamental building block of democracy. I can march, rant or argue against the things I don’t like and then vote to try and make things better. But we have laws to stop this going too far and I know that if I incite hatred, violence or am racist then there will be consequences.

But sometimes these consequences are misplaced – we have to be able to speak out against a genocide that is playing out now in our lifetime. And sometimes these consequences are nowhere to be seen, and people seem to literally get away with murder as the world looks on and does nothing.

All opinions are those of Jane Ogden

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