There were some groups on campus who argued that the John Smith Centre should not have invited Gove to take part in the event. Angered by his recent statement – that the IDF should be nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize – the University’s Justice for Palestine society said, for example: “How dare he (Gove) have the audacity to come to our campus and try and educate us. Shame on Glasgow university for hosting him”.

At the start of last Tuesday’s event, I made clear I supported the rights of the protestors, and we also raised the issue immediately. But on the specific demand that Gove should not have been given a platform, I respectfully disagree with the protestors – and I think the subsequent event proved our reasons for pressing ahead.

For one thing, the event provided Yousaf with an opportunity to challenge Gove about his comments. A clip of his comments, posted by Yousaf on social media, has now been viewed more than 400,000 times. If we’d no-platformed Gove, Yousaf would have been denied this chance to critique his views and share that with tens of thousands of people.

But far more importantly than this, had we had banned Gove from attending, he himself would have been denied the chance to listen to and directly engage with what Yousaf had to say. In our modern political culture – where no-platforming can be deemed more important than political discussion – this crucial point now gets lost. The whole point of politics is to provide a forum for disagreement. Universities must be places for free debates on these issues, within the law. Politicians should listen to and engage with what their opponents have to say and, perhaps, to be influenced a little by their arguments. Politics is not all about projection; it’s about the clash and exchange of ideas. The John Smith Centre seeks to provide a safe and civic home for such conversation. By allowing Gove the chance to hear Yousaf’s comments on Tuesday, that exchange was able to take place.

I have no idea whether it changed Gove’s mind or made him question his position; or indeed whether his explanation made much mark on Yousaf. I do know that it’s this exchange of opinions – of listening to opponents as well as speaking to your supporters – that real politics actually happens.

I know students in the audience were grateful to have a safe space where open and civilised political discussion could take place (Gove and Yousaf talked about a lot more than Gaza). I think these students are intelligent enough to decide for themselves, having heard from Gove and Yousaf, what to think about what the pair said.

The other matter that came to the fore was the question of security. One student in the audience raised concerns about the actions of the police, whose role is to preserve public order, and about the way security was being managed. Both Gove and Yousaf addressed his point, defending the right to protest while also raising the dilemmas that are faced: Yousaf, for example, spoke about his meetings as First Minister with the Jewish community post October 7th, and how intimidated they felt at the time.

At events like last week’s, there are a lot of rights competing with each other. Protestors have their right to protest. The audience has their right to attend. Speakers have a right to talk and a right not to be at risk of physical harm. When tempers flare, these rights all wrestle with one another and it leads to conflict: protestors feel they’re being blocked; the audience feels intimidated; and speakers themselves can feel extremely vulnerable.

I accept that if you’re on the other side of security or the police, it can feel threatening. All I would say is that it’s the security staff and the police who stand at the fault line where these competing rights clash. They try to manage that conflict as best they can. I think we owe them a huge thankyou for seeking to do so.

Last week’s event was combustible, uncomfortable, funny, bad-tempered, exciting, moving, stressful, insightful, civil, and fun: in short, politics. The Centre and the University are proud to offer a space where free debate can take place. Thanks to all those who attended and made it happen.

Watch the full event here:

This event summary was originally posted on the John Smith Centre website. 

First published: 4 February 2025

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