Douglas Murray speech, New Statesman/Frontline Club debate

Douglas Murray, author and political commentator, speaks at the New Statesman/Frontline Club debate on the motion: "This house believes whistle-blowers make the world a safer place." With Julian Assange's point-of-information interjection. Speakers for the proposition were Julian Assange, editor in chief of WikiLeaks; Mehdi Hasan, senior editor (politics) of the New Statesman; Clayton Swisher, head of al-Jazeera's transparency unit. Speakers for the opposition were: David Richmond, former director for British defence and intelligence, member of the Foreign and Commonwealth Office board; Bob Ayers, former director of the US department of defence, information systems and security programme; Douglas Murray. The event took place on 9 April 2011, Kensington Town Hall, London. This footage was filmed exclusively for the New Statesman. Video direction: Michael Taylor, Big Face Art.

Category:

News & Politics

Tags:

• Julian Assange
• Mehdi Hasan
• New Statesman
• Frontline Club
• Kensington
• whistleblowing
• Douglas Murray
• Clayton Swisher
• Bob Ayers
• David Richmond
• Simon Cowley
• WikiLeaks
• debate
• transparency
• newspapers

[OxAO]

When I thought Britain no longer had great speakers along comes Mr. Murray.

Thank you

[DancinJim]

To all the Assange lovers out there, allow me to point out the recent news that he is outraged that an autobiography has been published about him, without his consent! A taste of his own medicine, methinks! Yet he displays utter hypocrisy by claiming this is a terrible thing! But of course it was ok for him to leak anything he wished, with no thought for the individuals involved in the leaked stories. Assange - you live by the sword, you die by the sword. Perhaps you shouldn't have started this.

[otonomi1]

After watching this, the US can have Julian Assange.

[ZobaK1]

scumbag Assange is now finding his real friends... in Putins Russia!

[ZobaK1]

Murray is one of the few men with balls!

[Zigiwy]

"Are you sure you know what you're doing?" is such a potent line when he uses it in this context.

[DemocritusWept]

bit of a problem judging how well Murray did since I couldn't hear the other side! Where's the rest?

[bahdahdoop]

Thank you for renewing mu faith in clear thinking, Mr. Murray.

[IAMLS360]

@GiantSandles no, what i am saying is because journalists have the freedom to use investigative techniques in their practice, they decide to attack the nations that give journalists that freedom, like America, like Britain etc. We never hear leaked stories about Russian intelligence, Chinese Intelligence, Iranian, Israeli, Japanese and so on. Why you may ask? Because Assange and others like him have no backbone. So yes, leakers are cowards and need to focus more on hostile nations

[IAMLS360]

@GiantSandles oh yes. But then again it is not free expression, it is exposure; two very different things. Free expression is the ability to, without prejudice or interruption, express a point of view. Exposure is to locate, track and reveal information that would otherwise be kept in secret - this is not free expression, rather, it is the use of the freedom given to a party who then unleash knowledge that could be damaging on an international scale. Big dicotomy

[GiantSandles]

@IAMLS360 >the point he is making is that journalists enjoy smearing the nations that are democratic for the simple reason that they value freedom

That sentence made no sense. At all. Journalists have the freedom to 'smear', as you put it, democratic governments. Right, so what? Is that supposed to be an argument against whistleblowing or something, because it's a pretty poor one if it is.