Sir, – Fintan O’Toole’s solution for what ails these islands is that Elon Musk be “held personally to the same standards of criminal justice” as others (“Musk is the Pablo Escobar of toxic disinformation”, Opinion & Analysis, August 13th).
Here, Fintan O’Toole recommends state-imposed criminal sanctions for Mr Musk’s speech and for Mr Musk’s permitting others to speak on Twitter (now X). But your columnist never explains what specific speech by Mr Musk is at issue, and more importantly, what specific Irish or EU law was violated by that speech.
George Orwell’s 1984 was a period piece. It was fiction describing a dystopic future. For Fintan O’Toole, and other speech monitors, 1984 is a how-to guide for running today’s society. Perhaps the greater danger lies elsewhere? – Is mise,
SETH BARRETT TILLMAN,
David McWilliams: Just think what might have happened if Hitler’s money had fallen from the heavens in 1943
Nilüfer Yanya: ‘You are a bit of a target. You never really feel completely safe’
Through a Yellow Door, musicians find a creative home in Dublin
Roddy Doyle: ‘I feel quite good about living in Ireland. But I think we were probably a bit smug’
Associate Professor,
School of Law and Criminology,
Maynooth University,
Co Kildare.