Video Presentations
Please find below a few samples of my video presentations.
Equal Citizens, Unequal Knowledge
PANDA Open Society Sessions, 10th April 2023
The purpose of this presentation is to to review some of the main threats posed to equal citizenship by reliance on those conventionally considered to be qualified experts; and to explore some ways these threats might be mitigated both at the individual and institutional levels.
Europe Has Lost Its Way
European Parliament (Strasbourg), 19th July 2023
I believe in the European project, as a project of international cooperation based on principles of free trade and national sovereignty. But, as I explain in this video, the EU Parliament and Commission have converted Europe into an authoritarian juggernaut, turning EU institutions against basic principles of a free society, such as freedom of expression, informed consent, and democratic accountability.
Taking Stock: Why I Am Hopeful About the Future of Freedom in the West
Strasbourg, 14th January 2024
Four reasons I'm not disheartened by the ongoing assault on freedom in the West: 1/ Authoritarian governments are are losing ground politically. 2/ We see growing popular resistance to authoritarianism. 3/ We can push back through the courts. 4/ It's a true honour to be part of this epic battle.
European Digital ID is Part of a Slide Toward Technocratic, Authoritarian Rule
Strasbourg, 13th November 2023
If we consent to a centralised digital ID system, we are essentially saying that we trust politicians and technocrats with our information and our money. A centralised digital ID system has the advantage of convenience, but it is highly susceptible to abuse by central governments.
The True Story Behind the Dublin Riots
Strasbourg, 26th November 2023
Ireland's political establishment want to pin the blame for the Dublin Riots of November 23rd on "Far Right" troublemakers, in a desperate effort to distract us from the elephant in the room: the government's own failure to uphold law and order.
Debunking the False Narrative of the Sovereign People
Presentation on 13th Aug 2023 in Brazier Park, Oxfordshire
The narrative of the "sovereign people" - the idea that "the people" somehow confer their collective power and authority on a central government to rule on their behalf - is a harmful ideological construct that serves to legitimate fundamentally oligarchic structures of power and to disempower communities, whose governmental authority is subordinated to the prerogatives of a national government.
I'm Tired of Climate Hysteria and Climate Junk Science: Here's Why
Madrid, 22nd July 2023
I'm tired of the relentless fear-mongering employed by radical climate activists and some climate scientists, to intimidate us into accepting a specific set of radical climate policies. It's time for a more balanced debate, not only about the role of human behaviour in climate change, but also about the cost-benefit ratio of different sorts of climate policies.
We Cannot Allow Ourselves to Be Consumed by Fear
Bay of Biscay, 22nd July 2023
Franklin D Roosevelt once said, "The only thing we have to fear is...fear itself — nameless, unreasoning, unjustified terror..." In recent years, we have been programmed to fear life, whether the next pandemic, or global warming, or terrorism. But we must learn to manage risk without being consumed by paralysing fear. Otherwise, life becomes unbearable.
What Does the Digital Services Act Mean for Free Speech?
Pamplona, 7th June 2023
Europe's Digital Services Act is a mixed bag. On the positive side, it includes measures against child pornography. But it also permits the EU Commission to spread its tentacles inside the social media companies, pressuring them to censor political and scientific content not to its liking. In short, DSA represents a serious threat to free speech in Europe.
Here's Why Engineeering City Life from the Top Down is a Terrible Idea
Dublin, 15th April 2023
15 minute cities, hidden cameras, punitive carbon taxes that hit the poor hardest. These are the watchwords of a technocratic philosophy of city planning and governance that is, sadly, taking hold in many Western cities. Citizens must wake up to what is going on, and take action in defense of their freedom and the needs of their local areas.
Why We Should Be Worried About the Lack of Diversity in Ireland's National Media
Dublin, 1st December 2018
In this speech, delivered at a MOOT event on 1st December 2018 in the Radisson Blu Hotel, Dublin, I explain how Ireland's media suffers from a diversity deficit, and how this deficit prevents the media from exercising three of its basic public functions: to hold public actors accountable; to model a responsible approach to rational inquiry; and to give citizens a voice in the public square.