Sign the petition
http://www.petitiononline.com/1967a/petition.html
The Offensive Behaviour at Football Bill, or what became known as the Anti-Sectarian Bill, aimed to reduce offensive sectarian behaviour at football matches by allowing a charge that could see somebody imprisoned for up to five years for such behaviour or for offensive blogging online. Take a Liberty (Scotland) oppose this Bill that will potentially be passed later this year, and sent a letter of opposition to the Scottish Parliament expressing their concerns.
Articles written by signatories of the petition against the Offensive Behaviour at Football Bill.
Kevin Rooney No free speech for football fans
http://www.spiked-online.com/index.php/site/article/10627/
Stuart Waiton Anti Bigot Bigots
http://www.thefreesociety.org/Issues/Free-Speech/the-anti-bigot-bigots
Tom Miers Censorship enters the terraces
http://www.thefreesociety.org/Columnists/Tom-Miers/censorship-enters-the-terraces
Wednesday, 6 July 2011
Thursday, 23 June 2011
Sign The Petition Against The Offensive Behaviour In Football Bill
(and leave your email open for the organiser of the petition at the petition site if you want to be contacted about events that will be organised to stop this bill).
http://www.petitiononline.com/1967a/petition.html
Articles written by signatories of the petition against the Offensive Behaviour at Football Bill.
Kevin Rooney No free speech for football fans
http://www.spiked-online.com/index.php/site/article/10627/
Stuart Waiton Anti Bigot Bigots
http://www.thefreesociety.org/Issues/Free-Speech/the-anti-bigot-bigots
Tom Miers Censorship enters the terraces
http://www.thefreesociety.org/Columnists/Tom-Miers/censorship-enters-the-terraces
http://www.petitiononline.com/1967a/petition.html
Articles written by signatories of the petition against the Offensive Behaviour at Football Bill.
Kevin Rooney No free speech for football fans
http://www.spiked-online.com/index.php/site/article/10627/
Stuart Waiton Anti Bigot Bigots
http://www.thefreesociety.org/Issues/Free-Speech/the-anti-bigot-bigots
Tom Miers Censorship enters the terraces
http://www.thefreesociety.org/Columnists/Tom-Miers/censorship-enters-the-terraces
Saturday, 18 June 2011
Alex Salmond’s proposed new ‘anti-sectarian’ laws
Take a Liberty ( Scotland ) has launched a campaign against Alex Salmond’s proposed new ‘anti-sectarian’ laws. A statement and petition (see below) is being circulated around the UK to challenge what Stuart Waiton, from Take a Liberty (Scotland), believes is, ‘an almost unbelievably reactionary and authoritarian proposal’, being put forward by the Scottish government.
The statement reads,
We believe that introducing a law to imprison people for up to five years because of offensive sectarian chanting or online comments is extreme and illiberal.
Signatories so far include.
Stuart Baird, Scottish Secondary School Teacher, Rangers fan and Take a Liberty ( Scotland ) supporter.
Dr Carlton Brick, Sociology of Sport, West of Scotland University, co-author Key Concepts in Sports Studies.
Eamonn Butler MA PhD, Director Adam Smith Institute, author of Milton Friedman: A Concise Guide to the ideas and influence of the Free-Market Economist.
Dolan Cummings, cultural commentator and contributing author of It's Rangers for Me?
Stephen Field, author of Prison Law Index: The Definitive A-Z Index of Prison Law.
Dr Chris Gilligan, Senior Lecturer Sociology, University of the West of Scotland, editor, Northern Ireland Ten Years After the Agreement.
Dr Donncha Marron, Sociology Lecturer, Robert Gordon University and Take a Liberty ( Scotland ) supporter.
Tom Miers, Editor Free Society
Brian Monteith; former MSP, political columnist and writer.
Steven Purdie, Principle Teacher Humanities, Calderhead High School, Celtic fan and Take a Liberty ( Scotland ) supporter.
Kevin Rooney, teacher, writer and Celtic season ticket holder.
Jonathan Simon, Professor of Law, University of California, Berkeley, visiting professor of law, University of Edinburgh, and author of Governing through Crime.
Dr Craig Smith, Scottish based moral philosopher.
Dr Stuart Waiton, FRSA, Sociology and Criminology Lecturer, University of Abertay Dundee , Co-founder of Take a Liberty ( Scotland ).
Graham Walker Professor of Political History, Queen’s University of Belfast .
SIGN THE PETITION AT http://www.petitiononline.com/1967a/petition.html
The statement reads,
We believe that introducing a law to imprison people for up to five years because of offensive sectarian chanting or online comments is extreme and illiberal.
Signatories so far include.
Stuart Baird, Scottish Secondary School Teacher, Rangers fan and Take a Liberty ( Scotland ) supporter.
Dr Carlton Brick, Sociology of Sport, West of Scotland University, co-author Key Concepts in Sports Studies.
Eamonn Butler MA PhD, Director Adam Smith Institute, author of Milton Friedman: A Concise Guide to the ideas and influence of the Free-Market Economist.
Dolan Cummings, cultural commentator and contributing author of It's Rangers for Me?
Stephen Field, author of Prison Law Index: The Definitive A-Z Index of Prison Law.
Dr Chris Gilligan, Senior Lecturer Sociology, University of the West of Scotland, editor, Northern Ireland Ten Years After the Agreement.
Dr Donncha Marron, Sociology Lecturer, Robert Gordon University and Take a Liberty ( Scotland ) supporter.
Tom Miers, Editor Free Society
Brian Monteith; former MSP, political columnist and writer.
Steven Purdie, Principle Teacher Humanities, Calderhead High School, Celtic fan and Take a Liberty ( Scotland ) supporter.
Kevin Rooney, teacher, writer and Celtic season ticket holder.
Jonathan Simon, Professor of Law, University of California, Berkeley, visiting professor of law, University of Edinburgh, and author of Governing through Crime.
Dr Craig Smith, Scottish based moral philosopher.
Dr Stuart Waiton, FRSA, Sociology and Criminology Lecturer, University of Abertay Dundee , Co-founder of Take a Liberty ( Scotland ).
Graham Walker Professor of Political History, Queen’s University of Belfast .
SIGN THE PETITION AT http://www.petitiononline.com/1967a/petition.html
Thursday, 26 May 2011
Oppose the ‘anti-sectarian’ authoritarians
‘No one should be subjected to intolerance, prejudice or violence in 21st Century Scotland’. So reads the Scottish Executive website discussing Banning Orders, introduced in 2006, orders that can ban abusive or bigoted fans from attending any football game anywhere in the world for up to ten years. Ironically, as the authoritarian discussion about how to rid Scotland of sectarianism rumbles on it appears that the Scottish Government are illustrating their own far more worrying form of intolerance, prejudice and violence.
Tolerance, it appears, today means not tolerating views that we don’t like. Not too long ago this was called authoritarianism. Now there is talk of making sectarian conduct at football matches a specific criminal offence punishable by five years in jail, with similar powers to target bigotry on the internet. Not too long ago challenging bigotry and sectarianism was seen as a political challenge, today, like many other things, it has become something to be policed out of existence. But then even this is to take the reactionary approach of the SNP and today’s pundits too seriously. Any serious analysis of sectarianism in Scotland would have to conclude that it is largely a fiction. In fact if we take Rangers and Celtic out of the equation - where is this sectarianism? We can no doubt find some stupid kids fighting and call it sectarianism, but previously sectarianism was a powerful force in society, something that meant people would be denied jobs, houses, would never inter-marry, or associate with the ‘other’ side. Today none of this holds true. Celtic and Rangers fans may shout IRA or Fenian this and that, but they then troop off home to their Protestant wife or Catholic mates. Today ‘sectarianism’ is a 90 minute game and the main reason we are aware of it at all is because politicians and pundits are grandstanding, attempting to look tough and purposeful by doing their ‘thing’, which today means being ‘outraged’, standing up for the ‘offended’ and introducing all sorts of draconian law and forms of policing.
Strangely, this whole furore has erupted largely because of a few extreme acts – the sending of a bomb to Neil Lennon (for which there are already laws to send these idiots down), the scuffle between him and Ally McCoist (which actually wasn’t extreme at all but was portrayed as such), and the ridiculous assault (another criminal act) on Lennon at Hearts.
These events have magically been tied into the hundreds of thousands of everyday Old Firm fans who shout and sing at football matches. Here we find the prejudice of the Scottish elite about football fans, with their own comments filled with bile and hatred about this imaginary sectarian force in society, backed up with serious violence in the form of imprisonment for up to 5 years for singing a song that someone somewhere finds offensive.
No one should be subjected to intolerance, prejudice or violence in 21st Century Scotland, except that is for Celtic and Rangers fans. This is the real shame on Scotland.
Tolerance, it appears, today means not tolerating views that we don’t like. Not too long ago this was called authoritarianism. Now there is talk of making sectarian conduct at football matches a specific criminal offence punishable by five years in jail, with similar powers to target bigotry on the internet. Not too long ago challenging bigotry and sectarianism was seen as a political challenge, today, like many other things, it has become something to be policed out of existence. But then even this is to take the reactionary approach of the SNP and today’s pundits too seriously. Any serious analysis of sectarianism in Scotland would have to conclude that it is largely a fiction. In fact if we take Rangers and Celtic out of the equation - where is this sectarianism? We can no doubt find some stupid kids fighting and call it sectarianism, but previously sectarianism was a powerful force in society, something that meant people would be denied jobs, houses, would never inter-marry, or associate with the ‘other’ side. Today none of this holds true. Celtic and Rangers fans may shout IRA or Fenian this and that, but they then troop off home to their Protestant wife or Catholic mates. Today ‘sectarianism’ is a 90 minute game and the main reason we are aware of it at all is because politicians and pundits are grandstanding, attempting to look tough and purposeful by doing their ‘thing’, which today means being ‘outraged’, standing up for the ‘offended’ and introducing all sorts of draconian law and forms of policing.
Strangely, this whole furore has erupted largely because of a few extreme acts – the sending of a bomb to Neil Lennon (for which there are already laws to send these idiots down), the scuffle between him and Ally McCoist (which actually wasn’t extreme at all but was portrayed as such), and the ridiculous assault (another criminal act) on Lennon at Hearts.
These events have magically been tied into the hundreds of thousands of everyday Old Firm fans who shout and sing at football matches. Here we find the prejudice of the Scottish elite about football fans, with their own comments filled with bile and hatred about this imaginary sectarian force in society, backed up with serious violence in the form of imprisonment for up to 5 years for singing a song that someone somewhere finds offensive.
No one should be subjected to intolerance, prejudice or violence in 21st Century Scotland, except that is for Celtic and Rangers fans. This is the real shame on Scotland.
John Stuart Mill
The below article, 'The great liberal John Stuart Mill could have told the Scottish Government that its approach to drink is wrong headed and highly likely to fail', appeared in The Scotsman on Tuesday 24th May 2011.
Monday, 23 May 2011
Sign the petition
The below petition is now online at:
http://www.petitiononline.com/TALS/petition.html
To: Scottish Executive
We the undersigned believe that any action taken by the Scottish government to increase the price of alcohol is illiberal and patronising and should be opposed. Using extreme examples of violence or alcoholism to justify increasing the price of alcohol for everyone is irrational and ends up treating all adults, and especially poorer people whose drinks are generally targeted, as children.
http://www.petitiononline.com/TALS/petition.html
To: Scottish Executive
We the undersigned believe that any action taken by the Scottish government to increase the price of alcohol is illiberal and patronising and should be opposed. Using extreme examples of violence or alcoholism to justify increasing the price of alcohol for everyone is irrational and ends up treating all adults, and especially poorer people whose drinks are generally targeted, as children.
Sunday, 15 May 2011
Alcohol Alchemy: Opposing the increased price of booze in Scotland
Take a Liberty ( Scotland ) opposes any increase in the price of alcohol in shops and supermarkets. We believe that any action taken by the government to increase the price of alcohol is illiberal and patronising and should be opposed. Using extreme examples of violence or alcoholism to justify increasing the price of alcohol for everyone is irrational and ends up treating all adults, and especially poorer people whose drinks are generally targeted, as children. Blaming an inanimate object or drug for social problems is infantile and is illustrative less of a political elite with a sense of purpose than one that lacks depth or a serious belief in developing society or the individuals in it. Increasing the price of booze and assuming this will change society is a form of alchemy. Worse than this it degrades the public and undermines further the idea that people must be free to make decisions and take responsibility for themselves.
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