Press Freedom

[poliphilo]

Tapping phones is against the law. If you do it you risk being sent to jail. And it's a law that's being applied. Only this week there have been arrests at Trinity Mirror.

So why do we need more regulation of the Press? Our Press is regulated very nicely, thank you.

In fact over-regulated. Our libel laws are a disgrace. They allow those with access to expensive lawyers (including foreigners) to shut down discussion of anything they don't want discussed. Currently they're stopping us from talking openly about elite paedophile rings. We're allowed to chew the bones of dead abusers like Jimmy Savile and Cyril Smith but can't go anywhere near the live ones.

Thank God for the Internet. 

Comments

[resonant.livejournal.com]

Can you clarify for non-UK readers?

[cmcmck.livejournal.com]

'K I'll essay! :o)

To start, I'm a trans woman (long transitoned and post surgery back in the seventies) and people in my position gained a raft of rights under something called the Gender Recognition Act in 2004-5 including right to be recognised in correct gender, right to a correct birth certificate right to marry, same protections as all women under relevant legislation and so forth.

The more recent Equality Act was supposed to clear up aspects of law about rights to privacy and basic human rights and unfortunately, a new government rushed it in to make themselves look good (Tories have a bad reputation on civil rights) and it actually inadvertantly removed rights from one minority- us! This included the right to be protected from press intrusion and they have been having a field day since (not that they didn't before!)

Hope this makes sense?

[resonant.livejournal.com]

Oh dear.

Our Tories are generally incompetent and evil, but they at least honour the concept of protecting basic human rights. Admittedly they weren't that way earlier, but today every political party with a seat in Parliament (and 12 of the 18 total political parties) officially supports LGBT rights. Not all party members agree (some Tories are still racist, transphobic idiots), but they're recognized as idiots by party leaders.

Having said that, the bill to make trans rights an explicit part of our legislation is still slogging through Parliament.


http://news.nationalpost.com/2012/09/22/warriors-for-gay-rights-the-conservatives-have-become-unlikely-lgbt-supporters/

http://www.huffingtonpost.ca/2012/11/27/tories-lgbt-rights-bill-_n_2200583.html

[resonant.livejournal.com]

Oh, just to clarify - I'm from Canada.

[cmcmck.livejournal.com]

:o)

A lot of friends of mine on here are and some are also trans so I'm sort of aware of the legislation!

Don't know why I know so many Canadians. :o)

[resonant.livejournal.com]

I spoke too soon! Our trans rights bill just was passed by the House of Commons, with support from Tory cabinet ministers being key to its success!

*dances*

http://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/story/2013/03/20/pol-transgender-rights-bill-approved.html