Controversial Conservative MP Jacob Rees Mogg spoke to students at the Priory Road lecture theatre on Friday evening.
This was the MP for North-East Somerset’s second appearance at a Bristol University following a fracas at the University of the West of England (UWE).
Security was tight following the UWE incident, with student IDs being checked on the door and bags being searched, but the talk went without incident.
Security was tight (Epigram/Ed Southgate)
The backbencher spoke of freedom of speech, the principles of conservatism, and fielded questions from the audience about a range of topics, including his views on Brexit, same-sex marriage and abortion.
“There can’t be democracy without freedom of speech”, opened Rees Mogg, no doubt responding to the events at UWE.
“How can you have the rule of law without freedom of speech? It helps protect the rule of law and protection from corruption, and If you cannot expose corruption then you cannot hold property”
He moved on to discuss the democratic principles of freedom of speech, calling for a US-style protection of free speech, claiming it is “essential for the well-being of our constitution”
Rees Mogg was introduced by Conservative Association chair Peter Emptage (Epigram/Cameron Scheijde)
However, he did leave a warning for audience members: “We should be wary of safe spaces and deliberately avoiding beliefs that may 'offend'- that is trying to stop ideas from happening- and that is an attack on freedom of speech"
Speaking on Conservatism, he claimed there was a simple distinction between socialists and conservatives; the involvement of the state. He said "As an MP, I want to let people live the lives they want to live and make the decisions they want to make, it's not up to me to decide what is “best” for them. I put the individual before the state.
"Liberty comes from the belief that the state is built from the bottom up, not the top down, and that is the fundamental principle of conservatism".
Fielding questions from the audience, Rees Mogg asserted that he would never judge a woman for having an abortion, but re-inforced his beleif that "life begins at conception".
(Epigram/Cameron Scheijde)
When challenged on his opposition to same-sex marriage, the MP re-iterated the importance of the separation of Church and State: "while the state should always remember its separation from the Church, I think the separation works both ways, and I beleive in the sanctity of marriage in the Church".
The microphone was kept in the close grasp of the Conservative Association committee while audience members asked questions, no doubt to ensure security. Whilst leaving the venue, some protestors from the Socialist Worker's Party remained wielding megaphones and waving banners.
Protest outside the venue as Rees Mogg leaves- 'I have the right to my own body' pic.twitter.com/I9I0G8h9ve
— Epigram (@EpigramPaper) February 16, 2018
This talk will not have made any headlines, unlike its UWE counterpart, but the implications of having such a well-known figure speak at Bristol were clear to see.
Featured Image (Epigram/Cameron Scheijde)
