(15-10-2009 02:40 )IanG Wrote: (15-10-2009 00:07 )Censorship :-( Wrote: (14-10-2009 14:52 )IanG Wrote: SNIP
Ofcom, indeed, this bloody Government, are doing all the wrong things for all the wrong reasons because they refuse to trust the scientific evidence in favour of their cultural brainwashing in unproven and psychologically damaging 'British values' and insane beliefs.
It's not just 'this bloody Government', the Tories would be just as bad; Video Recordings Act, anyone?
Do you think that, had the Tories been in power when the campaigners were calling for the 'extreme' porn law, they would have said no? I doubt it. However, I'm not sure if the Tories have an equivalent of Harriet 'Hatesmen'/‘Harmsmen’ (take your pick); I wouldn't be surprised if she is the driving force behind much of Labour's repression - the woman is obsessed!
Cen., the VRA 1984 was never at fault...
SNIP
I agree with much of what you say about Ofcon, they are an utterly appalling, hypocritical, inconsistent, arbitrary, unreasonable, rights abusing, repressive… bunch of censors. However, their predecessor wasn't great, either.
Not that it did much good, but the Communications Act at least did away with ‘Taste & decency’, which should have been a good thing, if Mediawatch’s reaction to this was anything to go by. The fact that 'Offence' was left, though, is a big problem.
I am somewhat surprised at your apparent support for the VRA & the BBFC; Can I conclude that you are happy that the VRA allows censorship to be carried out, and ‘justified’, on the basis of harm that MIGHT be caused, rather than on the basis of actual harm, based upon actual evidence? Wouldn't this come under the heading of 'precautionary approach', that you seem so unhappy with (rightly so, IMO)?
Can I conclude that you are happy that the BBFC, an industry body, continues to censor considerable amounts of consensual adult entertainment (that is freely available throughout most (all?) of the mainland EU) without any evidence of harm? Not on what is actually, legally obscene (material that has a tendency to deprave & corrupt; not, as many seem to think, material that they find distasteful/offensive), but what they claim they have been told is in accordance with the current ‘interpretation’ of the OPA.
What is allowed at R18, is, as far as I am aware, based upon what the BBFC, police, Customs, CPS, etc. decided upon at their meeting following the High Court decision. Basically, what they thought would stop the chance of further legal challenges, but no more than that, hence the considerable amount of censorship that still exists.
I’m not sure why you might think this, but just to be clear, I’m not trying to defend Labour or Ofcon; in fact, I hold them in the same low regard as I do the BBFC, Customs etc.; I just think that people are deluding themselves if they think it will be all sweetness & light if/when the Tories gain power at the next Westminster election.