1/ The thing that seems silly about the left abandoning the principle of free speech is this: if you are in a position of power, it's understandable (if not laudable) to do away with free debate. You don't need to persuade people to cooperate with you, you can do what you like.

2/ The Left has power culturally. Most of the media is liberal, as is academia, and companies are liberal too (when it's about riding in rainbow coloured floats and not about boring stuff like guaranteeing fair labour).
But politically, the right has power. And we can't follow

3/ people into the polling booth and cancel them for voting the wrong way. If we want the left to have political power, we have to persuade people, which means understanding why they hold the opinions they do, which means knowing what opinions they hold.

4/ So that's what I find really bizarre about leftists shutting down free speech. You're shutting down debate before you've won it. You *think* you've won it because all your mates agree with you, and then following each election you're astonished & furious at the outcome.

5/ And yes, this is a massive subtweet about Billy Bragg.