"Crackling with exasperation" – Rod Liddle at The Freedom Dinner
Sunday, July 2, 2017 at 11:22 The Spectator has published an abridged version of Rod Liddle's speech at the Forest Freedom Dinner:
Rod Liddle’s Freedom Dinner speech: Emily Thornberry, Diane Abbott and the metro-liberal left.
Oddly enough the speech works even better, I think, as a stand alone polemic outside of the context of the dinner.
As I hinted in my previous post about the event, I wasn't entirely convinced it suited an evening that is primarily a celebration of people's freedom to eat, drink and smoke without the nanny state governing our every move.
Nevertheless it was topical and like the best of his writing Rod brings an edge to his speeches that is great for the audience because you genuinely don't know what he's going to say next. Compared to most after dinner speeches this is extremely refreshing.
There were some moments during the speech when I felt slightly uncomfortable, but this was partly because I didn't know where he was going. I sensed that some members of the audience felt the same although several came up to me afterwards and said how much they agreed with everything he said.
Watching the video of the speech a few days later I can appreciate it so much more, not least because alongside the serious issues he was addressing there are some genuinely laugh out loud moments.
As a state of the nation address it's hard to beat. Enjoy.
Meanwhile Wharf News which, as its name suggests, features "news from Canary Wharf and the Docklands", has devoted a full article to The Freedom Dinner that is well worth reading:
Smokers and libertarians join for a celebration of freedom in Canary Wharf (Wharf News).
To view Rod's speech on YouTube click here.
Reader Comments (1)
I am glad that Forest is here to provide a voice against the relentless tobacco control propaganda.. The 'second hand smoke kids' meme is false but it has been engrained in the common memory as a reality as a result of the relentless tobacco control propaganda and suppression of dissent. Even newspapers that have historically published balanced accounts and report about studies that dispute the propaganda appear to have no memory. The relent less tobacco control propaganda and their exaggerated and manipulated studies must be exposed. The persecution of smokers must stop.