‘Not funny’: Liz Truss says lettuce stunt crosses the line, accuses activists of suppressing free speech

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2024/08/14/liz-truss-storms-off-stage/

Posted by marketrent

36 Comments

  1. Come on Liz face facts. You could make a killing doing a stand up tour. No need to even add jokes in the audience will do that. Embrace your D-list future. You’re Neil Hamilton now.

  2. callthesomnambulance on

    >Liz Truss says lettuce stunt crosses the line, accuses activists of suppressing free speech

    Actually you’re the one trying to suppress free speech, Liz, by arguing against Led By Donkeys’ right to remind everyone of your abject failure as both a politician *and* a human person.

  3. No. They were expressing free speech, and not in a particularly nasty way. It was a clear dig at her political “achievement” rather than being a personal attack.

    The fact that she chose to leave the stage instead of exercising her own right to answer back is not their problem.

  4. Tough audience.

    [By Dominic Penna](https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2024/08/14/liz-truss-storms-off-stage/):

    *The former MP for South West Norfolk was promoting her book, Ten Years to Save the West, when the banner appeared behind her. Along with the picture of the lettuce, it had the caption: “I crashed the economy.”*

    *Writing on X on Wednesday afternoon, Ms Truss said: “What happened last night was not funny.*

    *“Far-Left activists disrupted the event, which then had to be stopped for security reasons. This is done to intimidate people and suppress free speech. I won’t stand for it.”*

    *Earlier on Tuesday, Ms Truss had praised Elon Musk, the billionaire owner of X, for his steadfast defence of “free speech” on the platform.*

    *The European Union’s [internal market commissioner] had suggested Mr Musk’s site played a role in disinformation that fuelled the recent far-Right riots across the UK.*

    *Some British politicians, including Sadiq Khan, the Labour Mayor of London, have called for strengthened online safety laws in the aftermath of the unrest.*

    *Ms Truss said: “I am appalled by the attacks on free speech in Britain and Europe.*

    *“We can’t be truly free without free speech. Good for Elon Musk and X for standing up to these bullies.”*

  5. It was very funny and it didn’t in any way impinge on her right to free speech.

    I really have no idea how complete imbeciles like this even have the mental capacity to breathe, never mind being put in charge of the country.

  6. _Spigglesworth_ on

    Absolutely is funny, she threw her teddy out instead of just laughing it off, she’s so immature which explains a lot really.

  7. Do you know what isn’t funny?

    Absolutely tanking an economy that was already struggling following a global pandemic and the continuing to act like you did nothing wrong.

    The lettuce thing *is* funny.

  8. Mushroominhere on

    It didn’t stop her speaking, it just added some context to her words whilst she was discussing the economy

  9. Civil_opinion24 on

    Why doesn’t anyone ever challenge her (and others like her) on the bullshit.

    Simple question – HOW did this suppress free speech?

    (Clue, it didn’t)

  10. Longjumping-Buy-4736 on

    I totally get the issue of protecting free speech, but you kinda have to weight it against people not consuming nearly enough fibre 

  11. frequently_grumpy on

    What’s thinner: a lettuce leaf OR Liz’ skin?

    It was funny though wasn’t it.

    (I’ll probably get two years in jail for this).

  12. Iamalittledrunk on

    Hey Liz, just give me £100000 a year (you know what you get from the taxpayer) and I’ll provide anti funny banner security at all your events.

    I’ll do really amazing security things like;

    1. Checking behind you to ensure no one has placed a banner that can be lowered.
    2. Thats it, thats the whole list.

    Please reach out to me if interested.

  13. I fully support free speech. I do think we need a list of who should be allowed to have it. I’m not sure I would put her on that list.

  14. Her reaction to these stunts just make them even funnier and more likely to happen again. If she took them with good humour then they’d stop happening.

  15. If you’re fed up with people making jokes at your expense, I think loudly and publicly declaring that you don’t find it funny is just about the worst thing you can do

  16. Lunchy_Bunsworth on

    Did people shout and jeer at her as well so she had to endure heckles at Beccles Public Hall ?

  17. Can we just ship her of to america? They will love her and we can be thousands of miles away 🙂

  18. Is there anything more quintessentially British than ridiculing politicians with elaborate stunts?

    As a culture, we tend to be very clear when one of us needs to sit down, shut up, and vanish into obscurity forever.

    Get the fucking hint, Liz.

  19. I suspect Truss’s definition of *Funny* would be pretty obscure….and not at all funny!

  20. Has there ever been a political party in power with so many awful leaders?

    From Cameron to Sunak it’s been like a Monty Python sketch.

  21. Suppressed free speech? She _chose_ to stop speaking.

    Likely to everyone’s relief but that’s beside the point.

  22. Penguin_Butter on

    In a parallel universe, she looks at the sign, turns back to what she was doing and carries on, and it quietly goes away

  23. Quiet-Hawk-2862 on

    She was perfectly free to laugh it off and go on with her tirade.

    Free speech isn’t when our betters get to drone on forever without anyone answering back. In fact that’s kind of the opposite of free speech.

  24. She could have continued speaking if she wanted to. She could have even said “this is not appropriate and I’ll wait for it to disappear to then continue my speech.” She could have also said “this is not funny” and continued her speech. She could have done many other things and continued her speech. Her speech rights were not affected.

  25. ConnectionOk3348 on

    Activists: exercise one of the purest forms of free speech: criticism of a person in a position of power by way of comedy.

    Liz truss (an alleged supporter of free speech): ThIs Is sUPprEsSINg FreE SpEecH.

    God, what an absolute dolt.