Freeedom of Speech

The recent row caused by Waterstones sacking of one of their employees for comments made on his blog is interesting for many reasons.
Firstly, the damage done to Waterstones reputation by the sacking massively outweighs any possible effects of the original blog. Not so much shooting themselves in the foot, more like deliberately stamping on an anti-tank mine.
Secondly, the implication that corporations now feel that they have the right to control what we say, even outside the workplace, and discipline us if they don't like it. That this should come from a bookseller, for whom freedom of speech is a pre-requisite for their business, is ironic. There have been several similar cases recently, some of which may have been justifiable in that the intent behind the blog was clearly to inflict damage on the employer (and if you are in a place where you want to inflict damage on your employer, what the hell are you doing still working for them?), and the worry is that this right will get enshrined in law.
Waterstones used to represent a refreshingly un-corporate approach to business. Now, after several ownership changes, it appears that the cold dead hand of corporate idiocy is firmly on the tiller. It must be time for a new competitor to take their customers away, the way Tim Waterstone originally took the market from WH Smith. I certainly won't buy another book from them.