RICHARD Samways (Entitled To View, Letters, June 1) accuses me of not believing in free speech.
On the contrary, I am a firm supporter of free speech. However, there is no such thing as total freedom of speech. For example, many European countries ban Holocaust denial, and some extreme right-wing groups are banned in this country.
There is more than one kind of belief. In politics there are no ‘right’ or ‘wrong’ beliefs in the sense of being testable by observation or experiment. Scientific facts are different, they are amenable to observation and experiment, and usually can eventually be said to be either true or false.
All I was attempting to say in my earlier letter is that when a fact is certain the media should not encourage the view that there is still controversy, especially when the consequences are very important, as in the case of global warming.
Ian Brittain
Wareham Road, Owermoigne,
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