Freedom of Speech
Is it the Primary Right
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 9933669 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Sydney Kentridge (corresponding author) |
| Year | 1996 |
| Volume | 45 |
| Issue | 2 |
| Pages | 253-270 |
| Publication date | 1996-04-01 |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | International and Comparative Law Quarterly (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 0020-5893 • E-ISSN: 1471-6895 |
| Publisher | Cambridge University Press (CUP) (PUBLISHER) |
| DOI | 10.1017/s002058930005898x |
| OpenAlex | W2141387363 |
| Language | EN |
| Citations received | 3 |
The title of this article is not intended to disparage the value of freedom of speech in a modern democratic society. The right freely and publicly to criticise the institutions of government, the conduct of public affairs whether by the executive or Parliament, the freedom, indeed, to criticise the performance of the judiciary—that right is one of the glories of the unwritten constitution of this country. Its importance is constantly and forcefully emphasised in our highest courts. In one of the Spycatcher cases Lord Bridge of Harwich said that the right to freedom of speech is one of the fundamental freedoms essential to a free society. 1 In the same case Lord Oliver quoted Blackstone's statement that the liberty of the press is essential to the nature of a free State. 2 More recently Lord Goff of Chieveley, observing that he could see no inconsistency between English law and the European Convention on Human Rights in relation to freedom of speech, added: “This is scarcely surprising, since we may pride ourselves on the fact that freedom of speech has existed in this country perhaps as long as, if not longer than, it has existed in any other country in the world.” 3
Constitution · Convention · Democracy · Freedom of thought · Human rights · Parliament · Political science · Politics · Sociology · European and International Law Studies · Law
| Citations per year | 0.14 |
|---|---|
| Citation span | 2005 - 2012 (8) |
| Highly cited | No |