Will Inheritance Tax Kill Family Farming? Free Speech & X vs Blue Sky | IEA Podcast

IEA Podcast

Join host Callum Price, IEA's Director of Communications, along with Christopher Snowdon, Head of Lifestyle Economics, and Kristian Niemietz, Editorial Director, as they explore the recent farmers' protests in Westminster over inheritance tax changes. Our panel dives into the complex debate around taxing agricultural assets, food security, and the broader implications for Britain's countryside. The discussion weighs the principles of fair taxation against the practical challenges faced by family farms and agricultural businesses.

The conversation then shifts to the latest free speech controversy involving police action against a journalist over a tweet. Our guests examine how the discourse around free speech has evolved, noting how different political groups change their stance depending on who's being censored. Snowdon and Niemietz discuss the concerning trend of "sensible centrists" failing to defend free speech principles consistently.

Finally, Price leads the panel in analysing the growing competition between X (formerly Twitter) and BlueSky, examining whether social media platforms are truly natural monopolies. The panel explores how user migration works, the role of influential accounts in platform shifts, and whether these platforms are becoming increasingly politically segregated. They also debate whether platform ownership affects content moderation and user experience.

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