The New Normal
Katherine Gelber · Oxford University Press eBooks · 2016
This chapter summarizes the argument of the book, claiming that we are living in a new normal for freedom of speech in which restrictions that once would have been considered aberrant, overreaching, and impermissible are now considered ordinary, necessary, and justified as long as they occur in the counter-terrorism context. The chapter revisits the new institutionalism framework outlined in Chapter 1, showing how it has been utilized in the analysis. It points out the highly similar substantive effects of the policy changes in the United States, the United Kingdom, and Australia. It draws out a number of implications of the policy changes that have impacted significantly on freedom of speech since 9/11 in this context, concluding with the concerning possibility that these policies are not, in fact, making us safer after all.