Geert Wilders is in the UK, hmmm sensitive topic I feel...

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/8311059.stm
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2009/oct/16/geert-wilders-dutch-far-right
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/wilders-hails-his-arrival-in-uk-as-victory-for-free-speech-1804347.html

Geert Wilders is in the UK, hmmm sensitive topic I feel... but nonetheless one that needs commenting on.

This man claims that Islam is a threat to Western civilisation and so on and so forth. Now I don't want to get involved in a discussion about Islam itself because as far as I'm concerned there is a bigger point to be discussed that covers Islam and a whole lot more. That is freedom of speech.

Now last time I checked most people agreed that freedom of speech is a fundamental tenant of Western democracy. To be honest I believe more in freedom of speech than I do in most of the other elements of a democracy. If anything the other elements are there to ensure that freedom of speech exists.

Don't get me wrong it is not without its problems, you cannot have absolute freedom of speech otherwise you would be able to incite violence and various other crimes. You also have to consider things such as stirring up hatred against racial groups too, but then this should come under the category of stirring up violence.
But there is a balance to be achieved and this balance is fundamental to the Western way of life and without it this country would soon go to pot.

So why is it so important?
Simple, a ban on offence is a ban on criticism. This is why dictators love restricting speech, it is why communist countries love restrictions and but this is not why the governement likes making restictions.
The reason our governement likes restricting speech is not to prevent criticism of the government itself (not in this case anyway) but to prevent the criticism of those who have big mouths. The government doesn't want the Islam to be offended, because whenever they are they take to the streets with banners saying various unpleasant things.

But wait a minute, since when was that a legitimate to supress the expression of opinion?
Really now, since when?

If I decide to pick up some retarded opinion such as apes are in fact superior and must be made to reign in the UK, if I then built a following that would then protest in a very aggressive fashion everytime someone said something against 'ape-ism' it would then be retarded to think 'oh best not offend them, better prevent people saying anything against ape-ism and prevent people coming to the UK to talk about it.

The first thing I was taught regarding freedom of speech in my Human Rights lectures was that it is only offensive opinions that need to be protected in the first place, because if the opinion was not offensive no one would be complaining about it.

If you can't criticise then the whole playing field because un-leveled, can you imagine going to court after being accused of something you did not do, and then once in court you are told that you can defend yourself just as long as you don't criticise the credibility or the storey of the prosecutor. You'd be wondering what exactly you can do and in short, you'd be screwed.

People kicking up a fuss was never a reason to let them get their way or as Winston Churchill once said "An appeaser is one who feeds a crocodile, hoping it will eat him last." And this is exactly what the government is doing, I mean lets be honest anyone who has signs saying 'freedom go to hell' should be open to a bit of debate and that goes whether the person adheres to a religion, ideology, 'science' or anything else. I, like anyone have things that are important to me, things that I don't like other people making fun of or criticising (especially when the criticisim is from the point of ignorance, which it often is) but I think people should have the freedom to do those things even though it offends me because then I know when I have to say things that offend others (and I will) they will have to accept that I am free to do so just them same. I don't go out of my way to offend and I don't think people should generally, but that doesn't mean for one minute that offence should be prevented at the cost of genuine freedoms.

It is time of the UK to grow up in a way, instead of trying to keep everyone happy and stopping play everytime someone wants to sulk we should accept that we're all adults and that offence is going to happen whether we like it or not. If we don't every aspect of our lives will be controlled by those who tantrum the loudest and most inappropriately whenever something happens they don't like. In a line; freedom will go to hell.