Can we light a fire in your belly too? How strongly do you feel about censorship?
Dean Jeffreys goes through contortions to stop from being banned because of words - even just saying my name! I so appreciate his efforts ❤️, but how can we be free if we can't even say words?
You can watch the video (above) on YouTube at this link.
As you would know from previous Substack posts, earlier this week, I spoke at an event in Mullumbimby, NSW - a place we’ve been told has one of the lowest vaccination compliance rates in Australia. (see link below)
My talk wasn’t about vaccination, per sé, but I was speaking about the recent ACMA attempt at a power-grab to force social media platforms not to allow what they or the government class as mis or dis-information - what I refer to as the truth!
I was also speaking about the dire situation regarding the World Health Organisation treaty amendments and the amendments to the International Health Regulations which will completely remove our sovereignty should Australia not exit the WHO before November this year.
Both are very important issues - but my name is known for its association with the Australian Vaccination-risks Network, so of course, the controversy surrounding vaccines was always going to arise.
Complaints and a very late cancellation
I received a phone call on the afternoon of the talk to tell me that the venue - The Courthouse Hotel in Mullumimby where the organisers of Politics in the Pub had been holding monthly talks for years - had just cancelled the venue. Apparently, they had received ‘several’ complaints, one of which was from a local person who had lost a baby to whooping cough. The only people I know of who match that description are Toni and David McCafferey - the parents of Dana McCaffery who died nearly 15 years ago during a whooping cough outbreak. If you would like to know more about this, click here to read my article - Why I did what I did, Why I do What I do
Of course, I have no proof that they were the ones who contacted the venue - someone else could have been masquerading as them - but I believe this is not outside of the range of possibilities.
I want to state very clearly that there are many, many people I disagree with on a whole range of issues - from the environment to vaccines, to nutrition, to spirituality - you name it. I would never, ever in a million years try to silence them or prevent them from speaking freely. The only way we will ever get to the truth about any subject is through open discussion and debate.
Whoever made these calls obviously feared the truth more than they desired rights or freedom. So sad.
And the management at the hotel caved immediately after just a couple of calls - claiming in the letter (below) that they had been told by the people who called that they would never support the business again.
The organisers were left scrambling and spent a long time calling around to find another venue which they finally did, thank goodness. But what a lot of stress and effort was wasted just because of fear of words!
Was it worth it to not do the right thing?
Well, the people who came to the new venue - many of whom had reservations for dinner at the hotel and would have purchased drinks while the talk was going on - told the hotel that they would never again eat or buy anything there. One of them had reservations for a table of 13. So what did the hotel actually gain by discriminating against us? Nothing. What did they lose? A lot!
In addition, in the letter, the anonymous management representative claims that they have already lost so much due to the lockdowns. Don’t they realise that we are trying to ensure that lockdowns and this pandemic panic never happen again so they will be protected?
Letter from hotel management to people wanting to attend my talk
To whom it may concern,
Tonights meeting with politics in the pub will no longer be held at the Courthouse Hotel and has been relocated to Durumball Hall.
Our apologies for the late cancellation with our venue for tonights speech.
We have had multiple complaints regarding the speaker, Meryl Dorey.
These complaints come with threats to never support us as a venue again, families in our community and regular customers outraged.
We like to remain separate from the topics and discussions at politics in the pub. We provide a comfortable space for the organisers. There is no fee for the space.
As tonights discussion will be very controversial we fear that the Courthouse Hotel will have a negative impact from providing space for this particular speaker.
If we were informed earlier of the speaker we would have had the discussion with the organisers to implement strategies to avoid this.
We have closed our venue for several months in the past due to the vaccine passport. We have endured a further six months of closure due to the Floods in 2022. We sincerely apologise for the outcome of this but we have decided that the negative impact outweighs the benefit for our hotel.
Regards, Courthouse Management
Oh, one other thing I’d like to point out. I spoke with the organisers regarding that second last paragraph in the letter. It seems that the anonymous writer might have been telling porkie pies because they were informed 10 days’ prior that the conversation was going to be on the subject of problems with vaccination and that it might be fairly controversial. They did not offer any objection.
Cowardice and prejudice
There would have been a time in Australia - not too far in the past - when an attempt to silence grown men and women would have been met with fire. There was a time when we would have stood up against prejudice and censorship.
Now, it seems that many Australians are made of weaker stuff and aren’t prepared to defend what is right if it means inconveniencing themselves or costing them money. They would prefer to stay in their comfort zones as the water beneath them slowly boils away.
Our morality only goes so far it seems and we will gladly put our hands out to be shackled by those who mean us no good.
Will you help fight back against censorship?
It seems like I’m always asking you to write letters! But you do it so well and it does have an effect - especially if many of you do it.
Would you be able to send a quick polite email to the Courthouse Hotel and let them know that you support freedom of speech on all issues?
And if you live locally, perhaps consider telling them that you will not support their establishment unless and until they change their policy on censoring people speaking about controversial issues.
Again, feel free to send copies of your letters to me (just put my email in the bcc field) at admin@myinformedchoice.com.au
