Comments on: Two Welsh Assembly members want â€˜blasphemous’ poems stifled

By: damian.walker

damian.walker — Fri, 01 Jan 2010 14:51:52 +0000

The wedding feast was falling flat
And Mary said; “we can’t have that!”
So Jesus of Nazareth, King of the Jews
Facilitated drinking booze
By turning water into wine
That’s your belief – Not one of mine…

By: John

John — Thu, 04 Dec 2008 17:03:36 +0000

None of your contributors seems to care about offending or hurting people or being rude about their beliefs – I wonder why that is. The language they use sounds very bitter to me.

By: The Freethinker › Let’s trump Green’s petition

The Freethinker › Let’s trump Green’s petition — Wed, 26 Nov 2008 10:49:27 +0000

[...] a last-ditch attempt to gag poet Patrick Jones, Christian prodnose Stephen â€œBirdshitâ€ Green has launched a petition calling on the Welsh [...]

By: valdemar

valdemar — Fri, 21 Nov 2008 08:13:32 +0000

Hi Tim, sorry my comment was ambiguous! I meant that the nationalists should be backing free speech more loudly in this case. I’d looked up the AMs involved. I wasn’t surprised to find a Tory – the party of traditional liberties one minute and banning everything the next. I was disappointed (but not, frankly, surprised) to find that Trish Law’s background is Labour.

By: Tim Danaher

Tim Danaher — Thu, 20 Nov 2008 17:50:13 +0000

Valdemar –

I don’t see any Welsh nationalists calling for the readings to be banned. Trish Law is an independent (albeit of the dyed-in-the-wool old labour stripe) and Johnathan Morgan is a Tory.

Being a member of the Welsh Assembly doesn’t automatically make you a Welsh Nationalist.

By: Stuart W

Stuart W — Thu, 20 Nov 2008 17:02:02 +0000

Not to mention, Matt, the way Stephen Green whines about others being anti-free speech, even when they’re really not (such as gay men exercising their right to bin his leaflets unread) while Green himself is probably the most obsessive and sensitive would-be censor in the country.

By: Matt

Matt — Thu, 20 Nov 2008 15:26:43 +0000

So many people like Trish Law start a rant with, “While I uphold freedom of speech…” and then proceed to explain exactly why they believe that doesn’t apply here. Either there is freedom of speech or there isn’t: it’s not right to say one thing and practice another.

By: valdemar

valdemar — Thu, 20 Nov 2008 15:10:26 +0000

Interesting to see which parties and individuals at the Assembly support free speech – and which don’t. Welsh Nationalists were justifiably angry at the way their native language and culture was suppressed for generations. So are they in favour of free speech for others?

By: Stuart H.

Stuart H. — Thu, 20 Nov 2008 13:58:28 +0000

If politicians really want to stop offensive speech in the various UK parliaments, maybe they could start by banning compulsory prayers to start each morning session.
To parapharase Jones -’freedom of religion is a convenient shield to be used when under attack for being offensive.’

By: tony e

tony e — Thu, 20 Nov 2008 13:51:37 +0000

In the article ‘Birdshit’ is described as a ‘low grade christian terrorist’. Are we talking in the mode of ‘crap suicide bomber’ where every times he tries to say something incendiary it blows up in his face?