Prepare another lamp post….

Posted on January 30, 2008 by Harry Haddock

‘In the James Callaghan Memorial lecture, Dr Williams challenged the argument that free speech must always prevail, saying that society had to protect the sensibilities of people who were not in a position to defend themselves.

“It is one thing to deny a sacred point of reference for one’s own moral or social policies; it is another to refuse to entertain - or imagine - what it might be for someone else to experience the world differently,” he said.

“And behind this is the nagging problem of what happens to a culture in which, systematically, nothing is sacred.’

You are a bastard of the highest order. I will not deny myself and others free speech in order that you can worship a sky fairy, others can worship kiddy fiddlers, or Tom Cruse can worship aliens.

Lots of people think your religions are at best shit, and at worst fucking evil. Many others think that you and your kind are twats for putting on various styles of frocks and mumbling nonsense to a non-existent entity every so often. I may or may not think this; it isn’t relevant.

What is relevant is that I have every right to say such things, irrespective of your sensibilities, just as I have a right to call Gordon Brown a one eyed evil cunt irrespective of how that makes his wife feel.

So yes, free speech must always prevail. Now piss off.

Filed under: idiots

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10 Responses to “Prepare another lamp post….”

  1. Phil A, on January 30th, 2008 at 3:58 pm Said:

    Re: “It is…..to refuse to entertain - or imagine - what it might be for someone else to experience the world differently,”

    I could express this much more strongly, but Williams is misguided if he imagines we refuse to entertain what it might be like for someone else to experience the world differently.

    I can do that just fine - and whilst I will generally refrain from being too impolite it will not stop me from pointing out that the world he is experiencing is planet Williams and not planet Earth.

    The same goes for anyone else who bases their behaviour on their own colourful internal mental world - especially any who’s behaviour gets out of kilter with reality.

  2. Alan Douglas, on January 30th, 2008 at 4:11 pm Said:

    I doubt that Tom Cruise does worship aliens, it is amazing how these strange enemy-added “facts” about Scientology keep being repeated by those who could easily find out for themselves. Harry, I’m shocked !

    I don’t recall worshipping anything in my 42 years ….

    Alan Douglas

  3. Harry Haddock, on January 30th, 2008 at 4:17 pm Said:

    and I also doubt people actually worship sky faries or kiddy fiddlers. The post is about free speech, geddit?

  4. Simon Clark, on January 30th, 2008 at 6:56 pm Said:

    “And behind this is the nagging problem of what happens to a culture in which, systematically, nothing is sacred.”

    Here we have a man telling us free speech must not be sacred because we need things to be sacred in society. Here we have a simpleton or a crazy man.

  5. Jonny Newton, on January 30th, 2008 at 9:13 pm Said:

    The Archbishop calls for law to recognize certain groups as worthy of protection as they don’t have access to mainstream “discourse”.

    So if you say something like “Christians are a load of *****s” it would be protected as free speech,

    whereas if you said “Scientologists are a load of *****s” it would be against the law.

    Silly.

  6. Robert the Biker, on January 31st, 2008 at 12:24 pm Said:

    Does anyone doubt, even slightly, that this is supposed to shut us up about the evil head chopping cunts of islame.
    Oh, by the way, that is ALL of them, not just the anti-islamic ones Jaqui.

  7. Longrider » Rowan Williams - Apologist for Evil, on January 31st, 2008 at 9:01 pm Said:

    [...] don’t have much to add to DK’s and Harry Haddock’s evisceration of Rowan Williams’ appalling comments on free speech. Williams’ [...]

  8. Bloggertarian Round-Up « Thoughts on Freedom, on February 2nd, 2008 at 11:00 pm Said:

    [...] 2. Dr. Williams, the Archbishop of Canterbury, argues that religion must be beyond criticism. Harry Haddock’s reply is a peach. [...]

  9. Mat Marshall, on February 5th, 2008 at 3:57 am Said:

    Beautiful. Absolutely beautiful.

  10. It’s that man… again « Nation of Shopkeepers, on April 25th, 2008 at 1:31 pm Said:

    [...] that man… again Posted on April 25, 2008 by Harry Haddock Not content with demanding an end to free speech, the Archbishop now believes that the Church should tell us how to run the economy, what is [...]

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