I really don't to get deflected onto the "cake bakers" debate again. It's been done to death! I could see both sides of the argument, and understood that the bakers were deliberately targetted to get a reaction. Nevertheless, I do believe that the underlying principle at stake, namely that if you offer a service for reward, then you leave any personal beliefs on the doorstep, was incorrectly assessed by the Court, who took the view that they could be used as a justification for refusal.

I disagreed. If there was no monitory transaction involved, then the judgement was correct but as soon as it became commercial, personal opinions get put aside.

For the avoidance of doubt any comments in response to a previous post are directed to its ideas and not at any, or all, posters personally.

As stated homosexuality was illegal for centuries, so under WE persecution is what he wants for anyone breaking the law. So the WE of those times would be fully on board with persecuting homosexuals.

It's a fallacious argument to suggest people think it's ok to just break the law, no one said that.

However, it's also ridiculous to regard the law as something that rises above any consideration and must be obeyed independent of circumstance.

There is context, there are bad laws and bad regimes and there is the human right to decide which of those apply. There are many laws on the books that aren't applied in practice for many reasons.

Torba is rightly protected under the first amendment. WE can squirm all he likes but my advice is to stop visiting his site. He also represents millions of people who regard silicon valley as anti free speech.

I find WE's views on quite a few subjects abhorrent. However, I wouldn't agree that he should be persecuted for them or pushed underground.

WE doesn't seem to realise that his views and indeed social liberalism within society are only in the ascendency now because they were allowed to rise in the past....during far more conservative environments.

Essentially an environment where political ideas you don't like aren't allowed to compete with your own is wholly anti western.

Edited by Stirlingsays (24 Sep 2021 11.58am)

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

In cases like the cake and turban issue, the people involved aren't necessarily breaking the law. It's more that their are conflicting laws, or laws which are drafted in a way that could be misinterpreted, then they are tested in court.

Polygamy in this country is possibly impossible from a legal perspective as second marriage cannot be legally binding.

Not the issue. Plenty of campaigns have been run by people deciding to break the law to draw attention to an unfairness, and have won. Indeed, many welcomed prosecutions as they provided the oxygen of publicity they needed they get acceptance within society, and the law changed.

Torba doesn't appear to think like that. He wants to create a totally separate economy, and presumably the legal system needed to support it. He doesn't want to work within the system.

For those interested, try reading this opinion piece. There is a lot more going on here than a simple claim of seeking "free speech":-

[Link]

For the avoidance of doubt any comments in response to a previous post are directed to its ideas and not at any, or all, posters personally.

Spending weeks trawling back to be able to find comments which resemble those I am accused of making, and then setting them in context, is not something I have either the time, or inclination to do. There would though have been a context, and without it, they are meaningless.

This site is disproportionately much further to the right than the views held by the average British person. Whether you regard that as "far" right will always depend on how far along the spectrum you are yourself.

For the avoidance of doubt any comments in response to a previous post are directed to its ideas and not at any, or all, posters personally.

The number of users on the site also appear to be dwindling, as a handful of far right posters keep turning everything into an issue about ethnicities, imigration and how hard done by they are.

Now it's predictably time for the PA supporter trying to claim he's not far right...