Well there we go.

SkyCity’s joined the brigade of cowards who cancel events because someone said something controversial.

SkyCity was booked as the venue for a June speech by Australian philosopher Peter Singer.

They’ve just cancelled it.

Singer’s a well-respected academic, he’s been a leading animal rights campaigner for decades, he and his wife give away 40% of their income to relieve poverty, he’s a professor at Princeton.

He’s written something that some people don’t like and the blow back seems to have freaked Sky City out.

I’ll admit, his idea is pretty confrontational.

He argues that parents should be allowed to euthanize their children if they’re born disabled.

Goes without saying, not a view I agree with.

And I totally understand why the disabled community feel strongly enough to protest his speech.

But let’s let it happen… let him speak… let the disabled community protest.

It’s a bit rich of SkyCity to suddenly, by the looks of things, be worried about reputational damage

This from the company that runs hundreds of pokies and launched an online gambling site despite government concerns about the impact on gaming addicts? Suddenly they’re apparently worried about their reputation?

How did we get to a place where it’s more damaging reputationally to have a professor of philosophy talking on stage.

Than it is to be taking pokies money off punters who can’t always afford it?

Of course SkyCity is entitled to try to protect its brand…

The problem is it’s not fooling anyone.

It was happy to take the booking until the headlines started.

And SkyCity can put out media statements saying it “supports the right of free speech”, but it clearly doesn’t.

As they say, actions speak louder than words.

And we know now how SkyCity feels about words.