From a liberal perspective it goes without saying that the Online Safety Bill (OSB) represents yet another advance for the forces of speech prohibition. This has been the type of legislation the contemporary, 'Culture Control Left' have long been campaigning for.

And now a Conservative government is about to make their ambition a reality. While the new culture secretary Michelle Donelan has agreed to amend the provision that would have tasked regulators with removing content deemed ‘legal but harmful’ it is not clear whether this really signifiers anything much. This requirement will remain in place concerning what under-18s might see.

As many commentators have argued, this will undoubtedly also impact on what adults can view. Censors will still be able to erase material they consider to be ‘dis/misinformation’. This offers another route for the state to prohibit the expression of views that it is theoretically legal to espouse in general. Some on the left, for example, are agitating for dissident perspectives on climate change to be subject to internet censorship on these grounds.

Among Donelan’s amendments will be the inserting of a ‘spy clause’ whereby Ofcom will be able to enforce the scanning of private communications by messenger apps. They will employ state of the art government technology to ensure certain types of message never even reach their intended recipients. Again, this chimes with the left’s broad desire to extend state control over private conversation, as recommended by the Law Commission for England & Wales and now enacted by the SNP’s recent hate speech law.  

The fundamental problem liberals face, as I argue in an 1828 blog, is that the contemporary left’s redefinition of what constitutes harmful activity, and therefore what is judged to violate ‘safety’, has become politically entrenched. JS Mill’s rational distinction between self and other-regarding behaviour has been completely eroded. Now anything judged to be emotionally upsetting to members of favoured identity groups is judged to be on a par with a physical attack. This gives those seeking to re-structure our society total licence to limit the free expression of narratives they subjectively consider to be transgressive and dangerous.  The OSB represents a major step towards this objective.  

Marc Glendening
IEA Head of Cultural Affairs

iN THE MEDIA



Blame the Bank... IEA Forum Director Jon Moynihan wrote for The Critic, giving his assessment of the Bank of England's recent performance. Jon noted that the Bank's inertia on quantitative easing and inflation was instrumental in Liz Truss' demise. Outlining his position, Jon wrote:

"The brutal demise of the Truss administration following the mini-budget has been widely attributed to the market’s reaction to the expectation of unfunded borrowing occasioned by tax cuts and the fuel price cap. To the contrary: the market’s behaviour was quite clearly a response to the actions — and inactions — of the Bank of England, before, during and after the mini-budget." Read here. 



Embrace the tide... In light of the difficulties facing the NHS, IEA Director General Mark Littlewood argued in The Times that, far from being immoral, making the wealthy pay for private healthcare is both desirable and necessary. Mark explained:

"There are a vast number of ways in which the NHS itself could be reformed to become a more efficient beast, but without contemplating yet another overhaul of its systems, we could help to ensure better, faster treatment by getting richer cohorts to opt for private care."



Managed decline... Mark joined TalkTV's Julia Hartley-Brewer to analyse the reasons behind Britain's economic decline. Mark contested the notion that our economic woes are entirely down to the Ukraine war and the pandemic, noting that successive governments have allowed stagnation to fester for too long. Watch here.



NHS on life support... IEA Head of Lifestyle Economics Christopher Snowdon appeared on GB News to discuss the case for NHS reform, highlighting the organisation's frequent winter crises. Watch here.



Tax on logic... IEA Energy Analyst Andy Mayer wrote for CapX on the government's imposition of an Energy Profits Levy on North Sea oil and gas firms, reminding readers of the scale of taxation currently faced by the sector:

"To recap, the new Energy Profits Levy (EPL) is a 35% ring-fenced (RF) profits tax. Combined with the RF Corporation tax (30%) and Supplementary Change (10%), it amounts to a possible 75% tax on drilling returns."



What the frack?... Commenting on the government’s approach to fracking and Liquified Natural Gas (LNG), Andy Mayer told City AM:

“It is self-evident that imported gas, whether used for power, heat, or hydrogen production, will have more impact on emissions than domestic production. Banning UK fracking while importing US fracked gas is an irrational act of economic self-harm that does nothing good for the planet.”



The season of giving... In his fortnightly column for City AM, IEA Head of Public Policy Matthew Lesh argued that MPs should not be prevented from expensing their Christmas celebrations. Matthew wrote:

“There is nothing intrinsically wrong or unusual for an employer to organise and fund a Christmas gathering. They are important opportunities to thank people for their hard work and build up team cohesion. Pretty much every organisation, public, private and charity, has one. Nor do they entail a large financial burden – it may be a “bad look” but a few hundred quid per MP is hardly breaking the bank.”

A WAY TO HUMAN FLOURISHING

This week, Institute of African Trade and Prosperity Director Alexander Hammond travelled to Nairobi to participate in the first annual Global Scientific Conference on Human Flourishing.



He met with numerous IATP partners from Burundi, Uganda, Nigeria, South Sudan, Tanzania, Kenya, and the DRC. Throughout the conference, Alexander met with our partner think tanks to strategise about future collaborations and enjoyed presentations about how to best advance human flourishing across Sub-Saharan Africa.

IEA DIGITAL



Swift Half with Snowdon... In this week's episode, IEA Head of Lifestyle Economics Christopher Snowdon speaks to EU regulations blogger David Zaruk. They discuss a variety of topics ranging from anti-pesticide NGOs to the demonisation of industry professionals in general. Watch here.



Niemietz Answers... In this episode of Niemietz Answers, IEA Head of Political Economy Kristian Niemietz answers the internet's most burning questions about libertarianism. Watch here.



IEA Podcast... In this episode, IEA Head of Public Policy Matthew Lesh talks to IEA Trade Fellow Shanker Singham. Following former Environment Secretary George Eustice MP's criticisms of UK trade deals with Australia and New Zeland, Matthew and Shanker assess the state of UK free trade.

Watch here.

YOU'RE INVITED!

On Monday 12 December, 12.30-2.30pm, the IEA Book Club will be hosting journalists Harry Cole and James Heale to discuss their latest book “Out of the Blue: The inside story of the unexpected rise and rapid fall of Liz Truss”. This event will take place at the IEA Westminster office and will be chaired by IEA Head of Public Policy Matthew Lesh.

Despite being written off by even her closest colleagues, Liz Truss slowly but determinedly achieved her goal of taking over 10 Downing Street – only to instantly plunge her administration into chaos and announce her resignation after a record-breaking 44 days. How did she do it? And what exactly went so wrong?

With unrivalled access and insight, award-winning political journalists Harry Cole and James Heale provide the answers, drawing on interviews with Truss’s friends and supporters, as well as her worst critics and rivals, from Kwasi Kwarteng to Michael Gove.

Tracking Truss’s transformation from geeky teenage Lib Dem to Tory PM, with the inside scoop on her first – and only – month in office, Out of the Blue is the unmissable behind-the-scenes account of Britain’s shortest-serving Prime Minister.

This event is exclusive to IEA Book Club members. For more information on the Book Club, please contact [email protected] or follow the link here

CALLING ALL STUDENTS!



Global Internship... The Initiative for African Trade and Prosperity partners with a plethora of think tanks across Africa and works with them to make their voices that push for greater free trade more effective and louder. If you are interested in African trade and development, want to work with cutting-edge think tanks across the continent, and develop your knowledge on the biggest issues facing Africa, then this internship is for you!

The IATP is a project of the Institute of Economic Affairs and the Vinson Centre at the University of Buckingham. We are housed at the Vinson Centre at the University of Buckingham, where we work under the same roof as dozens of world renowned academics and popular think tanks.

Having an interest in African affairs is vital. The internship will provide you the exciting opportunity to work directly with the IATP’s Director, Alexander Hammond and our 11 partnered think tanks across Africa. Your work will be vital to the IATP, and main tasks include creating innovative social media outreach methods, assisting with our newly created YouTube and Twitter pages, and generally supporting the IATP by conducting an array of meaningful work. You will also have the opportunity to execute exciting research projects and write your own articles.

Candidates interested in the internship should be able to commit for a 15 hours per week, for at least eight weeks. This is a remote internship, though occasional work from the University of Buckingham or the IEA offices in Westminster would be beneficial.

Click here for more details on how to apply.



Future thought leaders... We are delighted to announce that applications for our Future Thought Leader Programmes for sixth-formers and undergraduates are now open! There will be two weeks for sixth formers in April, and one in July. The undergraduate programmes will be in July and August.

You can find out more information on the programmes, and how to apply here.



Monetary policy essay price... Applications remain open for the monetary policy essay prize, organised by the IEA, the Institute of International Monetary Policy Research and the Vinson Centre at the University of Buckingham.

This year's question is: Are the central banks to blame for the current inflation episode?

To be in with a chance of winning up to £500, you must submit your answer by 6 January 2023. Further details on how to enter can be found here.