Why left-wingers should be in favor of unconditional freedom of speech

"Free Speech" is a slogan of liberals - and is used by right-wingers to shoot against inclusive speech. Left-wingers then often turn to the state to institutionally safeguard their struggles with anti-discrimination laws and official guidelines. According to ideology critic Wolfgang M. Schmitt and feminist author Ole Liebl, the state is a dangerous partner here. Instead, they argue that the call for "free speech" should be appropriated from the left. And to finally address the issues that the conservative media prefer to keep quiet about, such as wealth inequality in capitalism, the genocide in Gaza or the racist propaganda of the Springer press.

Wolfgang M. Schmitt has been producing podcasts for years (including "Die Neuen Zwanziger"), while Ole Liebl only started in 2025 ("Und hier noch die Quellen"). What they both have in common in their political commentaries is a love of close reading and reliable source work. Podcasts make possible what Heinrich von Kleist once called the "gradual refinement of thoughts while talking" - a process that would be good for an often thoughtless politics.

The podcat + poodle project is supported by the Neustadt district advisory council of the state capital Dresden. We would like to thank Ostsächsische Sparkasse Dresden for their support of the project in the form of sponsorship.