I thought we lived in a country with free speech. But only if you say the right things, it appears.

If you express an opinion that does not chime with the only view deemed acceptable by a vociferous minority, you can expect to have to resign from your job or, if you don’t want to lose your job, cave in and apologise publicly.

A study last week by the New Culture Forum suggests I am not the only one worried about this.

The study showed there is a “culture of silence” where 36% say they cannot speak freely about immigration, 31% feel the same about religion and 20% feel they cannot publicly express their own political views.

This is bullying on a mass scale, and it’s frightening. It’s shutting down legitimate debate because the self-righteous “shame” those holding an opposing and perhaps unfashionable view.

We’re all entitled to our opinions, whatever they are, because even if some people hold views that are offensive to some, they have exactly the same right to be heard.