One of the few things I'm increasingly jealous of America for is their first amendment.

I've always respected the laws regarding free speech of 'libel, violence, obscenity'. I've always understood and agreed with these......I'm very suspicious of how May's 'hate speech' laws are...being used here.... by some to attempt to close down the views they don't like.

Companies that significantly stray away and create their own moralities away from the law deserve to suffer for that in the marketplace.

I guess we will see what happens in the next few years.

Edited by Stirlingsays (11 Aug 2017 11.28am)

'Who are you and how did you get in here? I'm a locksmith. And, I'm a locksmith.' (Leslie Nielsen)

I think people should be free to use platforms and services to express themselves as they see fit, without having to worry about their message being censored. Unless they want a gay marriage message written on a cake of course.

My previous message was tongue in cheek, but yes, people ought to formulate a view of what role companies hold in society, what responsibilities and so on. With this and the gay cake debacle both situations are attempts to censor expression and so rationally people should not be passionate about defending the freedoms of business in one instance and the individual in another.

We need to start trying to divorce the point scoring and 'teams' aspect of personal politics and encourage platforms that are more open. Governments only ever use this teams dynamic against the whole population anyway. They don't care whether protections, or rather restrictions, placed on the population are from the left or the right. They just care that they are able to more easily control people.

Personally I'm not averse to shops picking and choosing what service they offer their customers, or sites who they ban or restrict, but it would certainly benefit people to stay away from businesses that do overly or unreasonably police expression, whether that's something they want written on a cake, or a status update. That will encourage platforms that are open to all and damage censorship happy ones.

Edited by wordup (11 Aug 2017 1.00pm)

Unlike extreme left wingers on Facebook?

We have now sunk to a depth at which the restatement of the obvious is the first duty of intelligent men. [Orwell]

You know Kermy but you can't continue to compare apples and oranges and then point to a peach and then say it's an apple....Well, actually you as can, as it's free speech....I don't really care what BS you want to talk about.

And Kermy...there isn't an all year round alcoholic bender that's ever existed that would require me to have some of your brain cells.....If I had one of yours you'd be down to a single digit odd number.

Edited by Stirlingsays (11 Aug 2017 2.48pm)

'Who are you and how did you get in here? I'm a locksmith. And, I'm a locksmith.' (Leslie Nielsen)

Well in fairness I don't have to deal with them I'm sure they're just as bad.

"One Nation Under God, has turned into One Nation Under the Influence of One Drug"
[Link]