Clueless Gutless Coalition Cant Even Maintain Freedom Of Speech

Posted on May 16, 2012 by Tony Dean Rant On UK!

Object 1

Lord Chief Justice Enshrined in our Magna Carta is the right to freedom of expression which even the Lord Chief Justice has recently said that all judges in Britain should uphold against the wishes of judges abroad and other foreigners, meaning of course the Loony Left EU Commission, unelected by anyone and think they can rule the planet. We need to be out of the EU this year a referendum is overdue. Campaigners for freedom of speech in Britain say the Public Order Act is being abused by over-zealous police and prosecutors to arrest BNP members, Christian street preachers, critics of Scientology, gay rights campaigners and even students making jokes and insulting the enrichers who came here to live off our backs on welfare and family allowance. Currently, Section 5 of the 1986 Act outlaws insulting words or behaviour, but what constitutes insulting is unclear and has resulted in a string of controversial arrests. The insulting words or behaviour phrase should never have been in legislation and I blame the Loony Left Labour Party when they were in government. Former shadow home secretary David Davis, a leading campaigner for civil liberties, said reform was vital to protecting freedom of expression in Britain today. There is a growing list of examples where the law against using insulting language has led to heavy-handed action by police and prosecutors. It is not only distressing for the individuals concerned, it constitutes a threat to Britains tradition of free speech, he said. Of course nobody likes to be insulted, particularly in public, but nor does anyone have a right not to be insulted. Freedom of speech includes the right to criticise, to ridicule and to offend. It is not the job of the police and the courts to prevent us from having our feelings hurt. The solution is simple: The law needs to change. The word insulting should be removed from section 5 of the Public Order Act. This would provide proportionate protection to individuals right to free speech, while continuing to protect people from threatening or abusive speech. In October 2011, Home Secretary Theresa May launched a consultation on the Public Order Act, including whether the word insulting in Section 5 strikes the right balance between freedom of expression and the right not to be harassed, alarmed

or distressed. The consultation closed four months ago, but this clueless Government has yet to set out its views they will move fast enough to clear their desks at the next general election.