Good news, folks. Yesterday, Royal Assent was given on a measure abolishing the illiberal affront to freedom of expression that is the offence of blasphemy and blasphemous libel. This is, of course, good news. I can now be as offensive as I bloody well like about Jesus, the Bible, God and the Church of England - which is how it should be. It's called freedom, and the alternative is on offer in Iran. So, for a start, let's go with James Kirkup's The Love That Dares To Speak Its Name, which is now legal.
In the parliamentary debate this week on blasphemy and incitement to homophobic hatred, there was some very reasonable remarks by Dr. Evan Harris, but what stood out for me was a remark by the Conservative Shadow Defence minister and MP for Aldershot, Gerald Howarth, in which he described himself as a simple sort of chap, and a member of the Church of England
. This is the opening salvo of anti-intellectualism, but the real kicker is this bit: I am afraid that I am not interested in the Joint Committee on Human Rights or the European Court of Human Rights; I am interested in my views and beliefs, which are profoundly held and shared by a lot of people in this country
. Who needs to bother with worrying about human rights, when the faith of a simple sort of chap solves the problem in a far easier manner?
Voters in the Aldershot area may wish to consider their vote carefully in the next General Election - after all their elected representative is, by his own admission, rather simple.
