Orwell - a prophet for our time

Calton is wondering if it was purely coincidental that Radio 4 should choose to do a season on George Orwell precisely when Westminster was voting on redefining marriage. It has certainly been extremely apt. Hearing the new adaptation of 1984 on the radio this afternoon was chilling, all the more so because so many of Orwell's predictions have come true. We may not quite have the thought police but expressing an opinion on social media could well cost you your career or your freedom. If you dare to go against the current political consensus and vote against gay marriage in the Commons you get death threats. Anyone who disagrees with lesbian feminist Julie Bindel (and others like her) gets labelled a bigot. There is an atmosphere of fear and hate surrounding the current debate on marriage which prevents many people from speaking their mind. Some people in this country want to dictate what we think, by force if necessary. That's called totalitarianism and it's what Orwell fought against. It's high time those of us who value freedom of speech and thought followed his example.