Text of a real letter to am MP
Nigel Meek, 17 Oct 2005 11:37:18
This is the text of a letter that I've just written to my MP, Eric Forth, on Soceity for Individual Freedom headed notepaper. The only differences are that in the real one (a) there was a personal line or two at the end (since I know Eric and indeed sat on the panel that selected him) and (b) there was a list of relevant webites at the end, i.e. the consultation document, Backlash, the Libertarian Alliance and the Campaign Against Censorship.
Nigel Meek
Dear ??,
Consultation on Extreme Internet Pornography
“Wearing multiple hats” as a senior member of the SIF as well as the Libertarian Alliance and the Campaign Against Censorship I have recently attended the first two meetings of the Backlash campaign and made other modest contributions to the campaign.
Backlash is an umbrella group formed to co-ordinate opposition to Home Office and Scottish Executive proposals to legislate against the possession of “extreme pornographic” material which, in practice, will largely mean sado-masochistic pornography. There are many reasons to oppose these moves. For example, the subjective nature of the definitions involved; the fact that the consultation document itself admits that there is no evidence that demonstrates a link between the type of material under discussion and unlawful activity; and that more resources will be turned away from fighting real crime.
However, the most important reason is surely the principled libertarian one that, as Herbert Spencer said, “Every man has freedom to do all that he wills, provided he infringes not the equal freedom of any other man.”
Laws exist that allow those who commit real crimes against others to be prosecuted. In the case of any “entertainment” material that involves real crimes—such as the “happy slapping” incidents captured on mobile phones that have recently featured in the media—then the perpetrators should be prosecuted for this crime. Any images that may have been created are incidental except as evidence.
In short, the creation and/or possession of real images created with the assistance of willing actors, or images created either from nothing on a computer or by the manipulation of existing images on a computer, should not be prohibited no matter how distasteful some might find them.
For what it is worth, for the record I am not personally involved in S&M activities although I am sufficiently worldly-wise to know is sometimes involved.
At the moment these proposals are at the consultation stage. The Libertarian Alliance has issued a press release on the subject—which is available from their website—utterly condemning any such proposals and the Campaign Against Censorship will be sending a formal submission in the very near future that will also condemn any moves towards increased censorship. The views of those attending a recent SIF Executive Committee meeting were also cool to the proposals since they are obviously contrary to the notion of “individual freedom”.
If and when the matter reaches the Commons I would urge you to oppose these proposals in much the same manner that I am sure that you oppose many of the provisions in the Race and Religious Hatred Bill and the Terrorism Bill (and not forgetting the Identity Cards Bill). All of these should be seen as a consistent pattern on the part of an authoritarian and censorious New Labour government and ought to be opposed accordingly.
In the meantime, if I don’t see you before I hope to see you at the SIF luncheon on the 24th November.
Yours sincerely,
etc.