If the police had apprehended one, just one, potential terrorist as a result of harrassing all these thousands of innocent people, then they might have had a sliver of credibility for supporting this law. But the net result of adding thousands of people to the growing number that view the police with suspicion, loathing and contempt, is precisely nothing.
On the last sentence of the OP, I don't think that our country would be slightly less unpleasant to live in, I think that it would be a lot less unpleasant to live in.
How out of touch with the British people do NuLab have to be to think that this collection of deluded misfits represent us? The problem is that both Conservative and LibDem parties seem to think no differently.
Unfortunately our masters love these threats to our security no matter how imaginary. Just like the threats caused by Climate Change, Salt, Bad Diet, Lack of excercise (partly caused by our irrational fear of peadophiles) Alchohol, not getting our "Five a Day", Smoking, Legal Highs, etc. etc. It means that they can introduce more and more laws to control us.
It may be of interest to those that believe that censorship is necessary to prevent the total collapse of civilisation that since the advent of the internet some twenty odd years ago, censorship of any kind has become more or less impossible. It seems odd that after twenty years this descent into barbarism has so far failed to occur.
"Threat of injury to breasts or genitals" ? I have in my posession a VHS video recording of a 1989 Karate tournament. Though I gave up practicing the martial arts years ago, this video is special because it contains actual footage of the moment that I first met my wife. I was an official on area three and she had been assigned the job of score-keeper on area three.
Karate tournaments can get a little rough and despite the best efforts of the people who design protective equipment, anyone who dons the white kimono knows that they are putting their genitals and breasts, if they have them, in harms way. I have not viewed this video in years, but I would be very surprised if it does not contain at least one incident involving actual, never mind threat of, injury to someone's genitals. The gooly kicker would have been disqualified, I don't know if that would prevent the entire video from being viewed as illegal violent porn.
Personally I think that he should take his prodding nose out of my effing business and go and get a real effing job.
Having a lifelong fascination with motorcycles I read the book "Whatever happened to the British motorcycle industry" By industry insider Bert Hopwood. Even if you have no interest in Motorbikes I would recommend the book as it is very readable and must have parallels in other industries that have lost their way in spectacular style.
It is difficult to avoid seeing similarities with the state of denial that existed within the UK motorcycle industry in the late sixties and early seventies, and our situation now.
Weepingcross, you hit on the only aspect of this issue that I failed to mention. The horrors of slavery must have directly improved my way of life because of the prosperity that came to Britain as a consequence. It is an interesting question, if I could go back in time and prevent all that suffering, though at some considerable cost to myself and my family, would I do so? How easy it is to say "of course I would" when you know that the question will never truly arise. Honestly I would.
Thank you for your response, the question was not rhetorical and your reply has gone some way toward answering it. I still think that people are claiming to know more than they can possibly know but must humbly acknowledge that I do not have the in depth knowledge to make a sound judgement and that this is no more than an opinion and on reflection I suppose a pretty worthless one at that. I suppose time will eventually provide an answer, thanks again for your attempt to enlighten me.
I find it difficult to get my head around the notion that I can bear responsibility for something that happened before I was born and as a consequence being able to apologise for it. I suppose it is just as well that when I looked at my family tree, my ancestors appear to have been pretty boring with every closet having a disappointing lack of skeletons in it.
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Brainchild