Freedom of Speech

Free speech is a lie, it does not exist and has never existed. People are limited in what they can say in a multitude of senses and there is fundamentally nothing wrong with that providing it is not excessive. Limiting something because it can cause harm is a decent principle however when that crosses over into limiting something because it may cause offence is where the problem comes. How far is this limitation on free speech aloud to encroach?

One of my personal favourite quotes (With the first link the chain is forged. With the first speech censured, the first thought forbidden, the first freedom denied, it chains us all irrevocably) draws reference to the danger of limiting free speech. It leaves us all in danger of having our ability to speak openly. Am I just being sceptical? Is it wrong to assume that people in power function that way. Your mileage may vary on this point but I do sit in the Acton camp (power tends to corrupt and absolute power corrupts absolutely) and while people in power aren't evil, the position of power corrupts them and their view of the world. This is especially relevant with the soon to be Tory peer Howard Flight's comments regarding the poor. I personally find that his views are abhorrent (something most people won't disagree with , publicly at least) and it could have easily been phrased another way but is he allowed to express these kinds of opinions ? Of course he is, while i have distaste for the manner in which he said it, he still has the right to say it because while offensive its not harmful. (if David Cameron said it, this would be a different matter)

Personally I think this kind of action is actually helpful, with people coming out and making comments like this, it allows the debate to rear its head and for people to discuss the issues, whereas before people may have silently held these beliefs about people they don't know, this allows the views that are ignorant or stereotypical to be challenged and defeated, and that really would be a victory not just in the realms of freedom to speak but also making sure people were capable of holding a reasoned opinion when they did. Because if a former MP has such an ignorant view point , someone apparently responsible enough to run the country, it would be a great break through if we could free speech itself , free it from ignorance and hatred so that in times those laws designed to protect us from harmful speech, those laws that could one day lead to the government suppressing more liberties are no longer necessary...