Bloody hell! Couple detained by police vindicated.
Now, I don’t agree with their views about homosexuality, but I do agree with their right to express their views.
To the nincompoops at Wyre Borough Council, have you nothing better to do?
Bollocks! That title should be ‘questioned’, not ‘detained’.
Good grief. That’s utterly bizarre behaviour on the part of the council and the police. Is anti-gay rights stuff illegal there, or something? 
This article refers to what the couple said as “gay hate speech.”
I don’t agree with their views either, but – at what point does it change from freedom of speech, expressing what they believe in accordance with their faith, to “hate speech”?
I’m sure Denis Lemon will be glad to hear it.
Hmmm…
Better rethink that, Auntie, otherwise it’ll look like a Daily Mail article.
Doesn’t look like the council did much wrong. The police, however, fucked up, and have paid out accordingly.
According to the BBC: “The couple had asked for Christian literature to be displayed alongside gay rights’ literature”
Displayed where? Town Hall? The local fish and chips stand? Every home in the district?
Quoting a related BBC story:
“Mr Roberts added: “Morality is the foundation of democracy and when you do away with morality, your democracy goes down the Suwannee and you end up with immorality and then anarchy.””
What does Stephen Foster have to do with this? Or are metaphors using British waterways not forceful enough??
So if you do away with morality, immorality ensues? Who’d have thought?
It’s just those other stages which raise a few minor queries.
Uh? What’s wrong with that formulation (honest question)? The BBC article does slightly imply that their “right” to have the council publish shitty “Christian” hate speech was upheld, which it wasn’t, but I don’t see what’s wrong with the sentence you quoted.
Well, the police were sent round at the behest of the council, and while of course it’s their responsibility not to respond to crackpot “warnings”, if the council phones up and asks the cops to put the scare on somebody, then even if the police have no obligation to obey, I want the council censured for that. If your council calls the cops on you for expressing your viewpoint, no matter how dickheaded it may be, then something is seriously wrong before you even consider the police’s response.
I wonder if Joe Roberts knows he’s married to Ian McKellen.
The BBC’s wording implies that Christian literature and gay rights literature are mutually-incompatible.
Free speech, my ass. This was about the money, for their cause, plain and simple.
Um… but their cause is free speech, right?
Their cause to me seems to be making money for their pet group, “The Christian Institute”. They were (at least) perceived to be slighted. They took this oppurtunity to make some money for their agenda. 10,000 pounds worth…
But everybody active in causes makes money for their “agenda”. Gays. Christians. Everybody. They use the money to do things like publish and distribute what they want to say.
This makes it right? Usually they rely on like-minded donors for funds. In this case they saw a legal chink in the armor and took advantage of it. They can talk all the flowery free speech they want, this was nothing more than a convenient (and publicity-minded) money grab.
Umm… how would you like it if someone at your local Town Hall disagreed with a view you’d expressed and sent the police round to ‘discuss’ it with you?
You’re saying they predicted that their actions would lead to a council knee-jerk twitch reaction, and that the local cops would pop round to their house to do a little “Are you two hate speakers?” questioning?
No. I’m saying they found themselves in a position that they could take advantage of, and did. I’m saying that their backers, a group they were involved with, no matter how heavily… saw a chance to make some money. Nothing more, nothing less. Had nothing to do with any grand ideals like free speech.
I wouldn’t like it at all! But I wouldn’t sue the m-er f-ers and then donate the money to the fucking Christian Institute.
Seriously, I doubt the couple were very much involved at all. I’m thinking this christian group goaded them into sueing, for the price of the settlement. “We all must do our part.” :rolleyes: