Regarding the loss of Free Speech.

D

Del Boy

Active member
"During the dark days of Soviet oppression, there was a joke that did the rounds in Russia. 'Homosexuality is a crime and the punishment is seven years in prison locked up with other men. There is a three year waiting list.'

Don't laugh too loudly. It could soon be illegal to repeat a joke like that in Britain."


The above is the opening shot of a protest about the creeping loss of free speech and liberties in Britain ,published today from one of our Gay Icons who feels that political correctnesss is now strangling us.

He is a popular show -business figure here and is speaking up.
 
Interesting... is gay marriage legal in Britain? If it is, then this is overkill meant to make homophobes feel better by pretending that they're not. If it isn't legal, then why are they removing freedoms instead of adding them?
 
I've been giving it some thought and came to the conclusion that you could also look at this as a consequence of free speech. Who, in his right mind, would have said that he was gay 20 years ago? The fact that so many pressure groups are giving their (sometimes very small minded) opinion is an extension of the loss of fear of giving their opinion.
An issue that does bother me is the fact that so many are hiding behind their right of free speech when they are abusing others. We had a guy calling muslims "goat-f*ckers" and "inbred retards" on prime time television. In my opinion this is plain insulting and you shouldn't start moaning when somebody kicks your ass over this. If you would call me an inbred retard on television, then I'd pay you a visit as well...
 
I like Elton John, myself. Good music.

I think of all the rights we talk about, several that go unmentioned are the most important- privacy and opinion.

Who cares what others do in the privacy of their bedroom? If others are so bossy about that, what's next? Telling you what color of condom to use on which day? Maybe they don't approve of your wife's/GF's hair color? WTF?
I have a cousin that thinks I'm an "evil pedo-lover" because I like some of Michael Jackson's music. I also like some of Prince, ELO, Jefferson Airplane, Monkees, Johnny Cash, and the Russian Red Army Choir.

BFD.
 
Hmmm said:
I like Elton John, myself. Good music.

I think of all the rights we talk about, several that go unmentioned are the most important- privacy and opinion.

Who cares what others do in the privacy of their bedroom? If others are so bossy about that, what's next? Telling you what color of condom to use on which day? Maybe they don't approve of your wife's/GF's hair color? WTF?
I have a cousin that thinks I'm an "evil pedo-lover" because I like some of Michael Jackson's music. I also like some of Prince, ELO, Jefferson Airplane, Monkees, Johnny Cash, and the Russian Red Army Choir.

BFD.
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Hear hear on all counts! I agree whole-heartedly. If it doesn't abjectly affect you in your day-to-day life, then why the hell shouldn't it be legal?!



(I also like your taste in music. ;))
 
I'm really not all that informed on the daily happenings of Britain, so I don't know exactly what's going on as far as the creeping loss of free speech, but I could never see them simply taking away free speech.
 
That's the way I feel too... but like you, I'm not up on the latest news there... and sometimes it's hard enough to decipher what is real or not in the news in our own country, let alone one that is across the pond!
 
Hmmm said:
I have a cousin that thinks I'm an "evil pedo-lover" because I like some of Michael Jackson's music. I also like some of Prince, ELO, Jefferson Airplane, Monkees, Johnny Cash, and the Russian Red Army Choir.
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Then check out the Leningrad Cowboys, A Finnish band, pretending to be Russians who are pretending to be American, they do some awesome stuff with the Red Army Choir.

As for the thread, I'm not personally in favour of the gay scene, but it is their life & we live in a democracy, so they have a right to choose.

The right of Habeus Corpus has been enshrined in British Law since Edward I, it has been expanded over the years to include freedom of expression & speech, from the right not to be imprisoned at the will of the legal authority, unless the individual has broken an existing law. Since being gay is no longer a crime in the UK, they can "have away".

Yet again the govt is trying to extend its powers under the pretence of protecting the public, in actual fact all they are doing is creating more bureaucracy & sinecures for ministers when they get ousted.
 
Actually it's not so much a pretense as it is a choice you have to make.
More security = less freedom.
More freedom = less security.
It's always been that way and probably always will be.
But I think ultimately it goes deeper than that.
More freedom = more responsibility.
Less responsibility = less freedom.
Right now, the people expect the government to solve everything but when they actually go about trying to do that people whine about the loss of freedom.
I think this sort of thing MUST be taught at school but it's missing out on the corriculum for some reason. When we are given freedom, it should be at the age of 18 and until then, people should be educated in a way so they can handle freedom. Children cannot be given freedom because they cannot be expected to handle the responsibilities that come with it.
At the end of the day if you have no responsibility and all the freedom in the world, you'll just be a useless waste of space that has no direction, no goal, no discipline and ultimately no hope. Why? Because you'll have no way of directing yourself because you won't have the discipline required to do so.
Freedom of speech follows the same principle. If you don't have the discipline to actually go and find out for yourself or at least educate yourself on the issue, it's meaningless. Also, it means if you hear stuff that you don't like, you should be able to do something about it instead of crying to the authorities to take away other people's rights to say something that is accurate but you find offensive.
That's how political correctness came along didn't it? People have no discipline or character to actually reflect on an argument that challenges them. They don't reflect on it, they go defensive on it and go crying to authorities about how the other group hurts their feelings. You have to be able to say "we were wrong." And that doesn't come without responsibility.
I guess I've wandered off a bit but you get the idea.
 
Partisan said:
The right of Habeus Corpus has been enshrined in British Law since Edward I, it has been expanded over the years to include freedom of expression & speech, from the right not to be imprisoned at the will of the legal authority, unless the individual has broken an existing law. Since being gay is no longer a crime in the UK, they can "have away".
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I dunno,.. I may be wrong, but I can't see where Habeus Corpus guarantees free speech per se. From my understanding of Habeus corpus regarding speach, it merely guarantees the right of an accused person to be heard in a court of law.
 
Double Jeopardy

From what I understand, double jeopardy has been, or is in the process of being removed in UK.

The UK has had a constitution for hundreds of years (off hand I cannot remember the date of implimentaion), which allows for the right to “Self Defence,”
However, there is a case not too long ago where a young man pleaded the right to self defence when he fought off an attack, causing the attacker injury. The judge told him, “People must never taker the law into their own hands.”
 
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Rob Henderson said:
Can you give multiple cases of these types of rulings, Britin?
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As it happens I can. A few years ago a chap on Londons Underground was attacked by a number of youths, he was carrying a sword stick, drew the sword and jabbed one of them.

http://www.lewrockwell.com/callahan/callahan96.html

*
In 1987 two men assaulted Eric Butler, a 56-year-old British Petroleum executive, in a London subway car, trying to strangle him and smashing his head against the door. No one came to his aid. He later testified, "My air supply was being cut off, my eyes became blurred, and I feared for my life." In desperation he unsheathed an ornamental sword blade in his walking stick and slashed at one of his attackers, stabbing the man [sic] in the stomach. The assailants were charged with wounding. Butler was tried and convicted of carrying an offensive weapon.
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In 1994 an English homeowner, armed with a toy gun, managed to detain two burglars who had broken into his house while he called the police. When the officers arrived, they arrested the homeowner for using an imitation gun to threaten or intimidate. In a similar incident the following year, when an elderly woman fired a toy cap pistol to drive off a group of youths who were threatening her, she was arrested for putting someone in fear. Now the police are pressing Parliament to make imitation guns illegal.

I was a member of the local Ju Jitsu Club, our sensi a 3rd Dan Balck belt was attacked by three youths, one of which had an iron bar which he smashed across the back of our sensi. Despite intense pain, our sensi floored all three thugs. The police arrived and arrested our sensi who was charged and convicted of assault.
 
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