You would think that in a country that claims to have free speech you could say pretty much whatever you want and make a joke if you wish.
I have seen plenty of comedians on TV talking about blowing up the Houses Of Parliament, suggesting that maybe Guy Fawkes wasn’t so bad and I am sure, unless my memory fails me, that I have seen news programmes with members of the public when invited to give their views on MP’s expenses saying that MP’s should be hung from the lamposts. I have certainly said that myself about some of the banks management.
So the point is we all say things we don’t mean either in jest or to make a point but it doesn’t mean we will carry out the threat. I’ll bet that in any social gathering someone, at some point will say something along the lines of we should shoot the lot of them, they all need hanging or we should blow the lot of them up.
So, when a 26 year old, on finding out that Robin Hood airport was closed due to snow he posted on Twitter that, “Crap! Robin Hood Airport is closed. You’ve got a week… otherwise I’m blowing the airport sky high!” it was pretty obvious to anyone but an imbecile that it was said in jest. The week referred to the fact that he was due to fly from that airport a week later.
Yes we live in times of uncertainty and there is an ever present threat, as there always has been right back to Guy Fawkes and before, though the availability of explosives does seem to be commonplace these days.
Anyway, apparently the MI5, MI6, all the government terrorist threat experts and the bomb squad use twitter to find out where all the threats are coming from. So, it comes as no surprise that as soon as they saw a joke posted they leapt into action. The result of which was that this man appeared in court last week charged with menacing or something similarly serious sounding.
Why didn’t they just charge him with speaking in a public forum? That seems to be the real crime he committed and in this day and age it seems we are not allowed to say anything we might think, or maybe we are not allowed to think. The thought police are very active and apparently spend their time on Twitter.
He was found guilty and released on bail awaiting sentencing which, it was pointed out, might well include a custodial sentence. Maybe all the prisons are empty and they are looking for ways to fill them up again but that wasn’t the situation last time I heard any figures. Rumor has it that our jails are filled to bursting.
You would think that when there are real crimes being committed every day and people live in fear of attack, hiding inside their homes every day, that the police really do have better things to do.
It’s yet another sad tale of society, or rather governance and regulation, gone mad and a sad day for justice and democracy.
It seems very odd that when everything appeared to be going pear-shaped in Iran after their election politicians here were applauding the freedom Twitter gave people to voice their opinions yet as soon as a British citizen says something the British authorities don’t like they come down on him like a ton of bricks.
Hypocrisy is best served by British politicians because they truly are the experts.
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