Britain doesn’t need hateful laws to defeat hate preachers

If the Labour party conference in Manchester felt like a funeral, the Conservatives’ gathering in Birmingham had the air of a wedding. It had jazz bands, champagne bars and a near-universal mood of celebration — which is odd, given that every opinion poll and bookmaker reckons the Tories are on course to lose power next year. Almost every speech delivered from the floor was more substantial, forceful and credible than any delivered at the Labour party conference. And one of the highlights was the tour de force delivered by Theresa May.

For almost two decades the job of Home Secretary has been a political graveyard. Theresa May has made it into a power base. Several home secretaries tried to deport Abu Qatada; she succeeded. She is unafraid to confront the police, berating them for stopping and searching young black men without cause. She has championed the Modern Slavery Bill which, once passed, will give Britain the most advanced anti-slavery legislation in the world.

But there was one section of her speech that ought to alarm Conservatives — her proposed ‘extremism disruption orders’ which would ban organisations and individuals broadcasting certain views. We need to prevent people preaching ‘extremist views that we believe can create the environment in which violence becomes something that others wish to do’, she said. The Home Secretary’s job is to prevent crime. When the government extends its remit to include the prevention of views, it is time to worry.

The clear inference of her words is that people will soon find themselves on the wrong side of the law if they promulgate ideas which, though expressed in a peaceful fashion, are deemed to be extreme or inspire others to violence. This raises the clear risk that the right of free speech will apply only insofar as it is not deemed by an official to be appealing to some lurking hothead.