The leftist Labour government in Britain has proposed radical reforms to the rights of workers that could include classing ‘sensitive’ topics of conversation in the workplace such as religion, women’s rights, or transgenderism as ‘harassment’.
The proposed legislation would force employers to prevent workers from being subjected to such subjects by third parties, such as customers.
If they are found to have failed to do so, they could face lawsuits under the legislation.
Watchdog The Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) has warned that if it comes into the force next year, the proposed law could significantly impact freedom of expression and even be applied to “overheard conversations” such as those between two or more people in a pub.
Labour's controversial law 'threatens Brits' ability to speak freely at the PUB' – whether they're discussing trans rights or religion https://t.co/Cd3XuEOt5L pic.twitter.com/LN6H3y1mER
— Daily Mail Online (@MailOnline) January 14, 2025
The EHRC has noted that applying the harassment law in cases involving a “philosophical belief” could lead to problems owing to the fact that many employers do not understand such topics are protected by equality law.
“The legal definition of what amounts to philosophical belief is complex and not well understood by employers. It is arguable that these difficulties may lead to disproportionate restriction of the right to freedom of expression,” the watchdog warned.
Wow. You gotta listen to this.
— Kosher?? (@koshercockney) January 14, 2025
“It really is 1984, we are living it now”
In the UK, they are looking to curb speech in Pubs by “banning customers from discussing controversial topics” in case the conversation you are talking about offends someone.
This is absolutely mad.
?… pic.twitter.com/LP4OshDHB0
A spokesman for the British Beer and Pub Association said in comments to The Times “Any legalisation must be carefully drafted to make sure it does not have unintended consequences, such as pub workers expected to decide whether private conversations between customers constitute a violation of law.”
Julia Hartley-Brewer slams a potential Labour law that may ban pub-goers from speaking freely about controversial issues such as the trans debate.
— Talk (@TalkTV) January 14, 2025
"Labour view everyone in the pub as horrible, racist, xenophobic bigots… part of the crackdown on freedom of speech!"@JuliaHB1 pic.twitter.com/kdRpWr8BUE
Sir Tim Martin, founder and chairman of the pub chain Wetherspoons urged that the proposal “sounds like Big Brother thought control which would be a bureaucratic nightmare to enforce.”
Martin added, “All beliefs which challenge the status quo are contentious. Newton’s law of gravity and Einstein’s theory of relativity were contentious at one point. Or Alexander Fleming creating the biggest-ever advance in medicine from mould.”
“Humanity has progressed through these challenges and their subsequent debate,” he further emphasised, adding that “The cancellation of ideas is, in effect, a new religious commandment by those who think they’re not religious.”
Nigel Farage, the leader of Reform UK remarked “Every pub is a parliament. It is where we discuss the world. If that is restricted they might as well all close.”
If we can't go to the pub for a pint to talk nonsense, there's almost no point in going.
— Nigel Farage MP (@Nigel_Farage) January 14, 2025
Labour's war on pubs and free speech continues. pic.twitter.com/wD2pcaN3xl
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Your ignorance of the law is as breath-taking as usual. The truth is, pubs are private spaces, and like any private space, you may be there only as long as the owner (or the people employed by the owner) is OK with you being there. You may be told to leave the pub because the staff don’t like what you are saying, don’t like your clothes, don’t like you, they are having a bad hair day, you got drunk on the drinks they sold you, or no reason whatsoever. They are in their right to ask you to leave whenever they want to ask you to leave, full stop.
So don’t bitch because you think you are losing a right that you never had. Insisting to stay in a place where you are not welcome already constitutes harassment. If the Labour government choose to waste their time over-regulating something that is already covered by existing law, that’s their prerogative, but it doesn’t change a thing about the actual state of things.
You’re the one who is wrong. Currently, there is nothing stopping the owner instructing the staff to ignore any topics of conversation they may hear – leave the customers alone. However, when this new legislation comes in, owners will have a duty to ensure their staff are not offended by the customers’ choice of topic. Meaning that government is overriding the owners’ wishes in a horrendous example of totalitarianism.
We should’ve left the UK to the nazis. They’d be living under less tyranny today, unlike the woke dictatorship they have now.
Goodbye civil liberties, hello 1984.
UK is now transformed into a true Community State. Way to go boys. Glad we kept you from being overrun by Adolph when you had Stalin in mind the whole time.
Spell check changed Communist to Community. Interesting, huh?
Just use the term “commie” instead.