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Juliette Barnes

Email Marketing Specialist

Students For Liberty

Juliette Barnes is a libertarian who lives in Dublin, Ireland. She’s long had a strong interest in issues of justice and activism having worked and volunteered for organisations like Together for Yes and Yes Equality (the referendum campaigns to legalise abortion and same sex marriage in Ireland). Having been an active debater in university she represented Ireland in both the European and World University Debating Championships. Most recently she did an internship with the John Locke Institute, an independent educational organisation designed to promote the ideas of freedom of speech, critical thinking, and classical liberalism among school aged children.

Blog Posts

Elon Musk’s ego will always trump free speech

November 16, 2022
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Free Speech

In late October 2022, the acquisition of Twitter by Elon Musk reached its conclusion. In the lead-up to initially joining the board and subsequently buying the company through a protracted series of events, Musk sold his vision for Twitter as one rooted in the ideals of free speech.  For years, Musk has railed against Twitter’s moderation policy. Most notably, he argued fervently against the permanent ban enacted against former President Donald Trump. Musk, who has described himself as a “free speech absolutist,” has stated in the past that there should be no permanent bans on

LGBTQ+ rights in Ireland: a redemption arc

June 22, 2022
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LGBTQ

This year marks seven years since one of the most important dates in Ireland’s modern history. On May 22, 2015, the Irish electorate voted to recognize the right to marriage regardless of the sex of the partners, overturning a constitutional ban on same-sex marriage.  The referendum was the result of a long-fought campaign by activists to lobby the traditionally conservative government to give the Irish people a say in their own self-determination.  The proposal to repeal the constitutional ban on same-sex marriage passed in a landslide. 62 percent of the electorate voted for

Florida’s “Don’t Say Gay” law is about state censorship, not parental rights

March 31, 2022
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Education

When asked, Republican sponsors of Florida’s House Bill 1557: Parental Rights in Education, also known as the “Don’t Say Gay” bill, insist that the controversial piece of legislation is about giving parents an increased say in what is taught to their children.  They say it’s about protecting students from topics that shouldn’t be discussed in schools, and “strengthening the family.” Yet, this is all smoke and mirrors and is a pretext for limiting freedom. The state should not be in the business of pushing worldviews The bill reminds us of two fundamental

Liz Cheney proves we can’t trust the right to support free speech

May 13, 2021
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Democracy and Voting

Yesterday, Liz Cheney was ousted from her position as House Republican Conference chair, the third-highest position in the House Republican leadership. There was no scandal, no embezzlement, no secret second family. She was voted out of the job she was established and popular in because she wouldn’t embrace the lie that the 2020 presidential election was stolen from former president Donald Trump. Cheney had already been challenged over her dissent Liz Cheney had already survived an identical vote in February for the same reason, and many thought that that