The Association of Chief Police Officers has now unanimously outlawed its members from joining the Liberal Democrat party and says the will be sacked if they do so. All this because the Liberal Democrat have said they will lower policemans wages and give prisoners the vote. No this isn`t true instead the Association has banned its members from joining the BNP. And who cares? Apparently no one. All this week I`ve heard no one raise so much as a titter that this is wrong apart from the BNP of course. Well I`m opposed to it and heres why. It just not very democratic. Alright its not go one strike take up arms anti democratic. But its still not very democratic. People should be allowed to join any political party they want. Even if its racist even if it agrees with terrorism. A democracy is all about admitting that your not always right and might not even be right about anything even about racism being wrong. Its about giving people the right to think (and I think say) whatever they want in the knowledge they theres might just be the tiniest chance they are right. People shouldn`t be able to do whatever they want because doing stuff can hurts other people but thinking (and I beleive saying and writing) things doesn`t hurt anyone. And in order for you to have the "right" to think whatever you want you should extend this right to everyone else aswell. In a democracy everyone beliefs should be equally valid. And what is joining a political party if its not just the natural extentsion of your belief system. It doesn`t hurt anyone, it isn`t a physical act, its just an expression of your beliefs. The fact that you should lose your job just because of what you beleive in is terrible. How would you like it? Its just the principle of it.
Now on to the practical side. The police officers no doubt want to be doing something about the biggest evil in the world and get it out of their ranks. My friend said to me that they can`t claim to be treating all races equally if you can just point to a police man and say "But hes in the BNP". However this just doesn`t defeat the principle that people shouldn`t be persecuted for what they believe. And anyway if policeman are in the BNP won`t they just quit it to save their jobs. People often say that they`d rather know who the racists are so they can keep watch on them and to a certain extent I agree with this. If you know a policemans in the BNP you can put him on the beat with a firm anti racist and at the first sign he breaks your code of practise kick him out.
This all follows on from Blunketts laws forbidding people from inciting racial and religious hatred. Aparently most people seem to agree that freedom of speech is alright up untill the point where people start inciting a crime and these laws come under that precept. Well I`m not so sure. When your inciting a crime your not actually doing it all your doing is encouraging somebody else to do it. That doesn`t strike me as wrong. There the stupid ones for following your orders. And anyway since when has hatred been a crime. I hate a lot of people. I don`t do anything about it though. There nothing wrong with hatred. In fact a lot of the time its an emotion that you have little control over. What you do have control over is your actions. And if you follow through on these actions you should be punished. However if you ask me all these laws do is stop people preaching their beliefs of racism or whatever. In fact you may even be able to lock up a catholic priest for saying that protestants don`t go to heaven or that Catholics shouldn`t marry protestants. Again its just persecution of someone because of their beliefs.
Of course this doesn`t mean I don`t agree with the law against inciting religious hatred. I think it should be used extensively and extremely harshly in NI. We should use it to lock up as many Nationalsit politicians as possible and some unionists. Lock `em away for as long as possible. I believe in democracy and free speech and all but not as a deontological belief. Sometimes even democracy should be suspended.
I love to hear your comments even if its just to say you read my article because sometimes I feel like I`m talking to a brick wall. I`d write more if I know people are actually reading and enjoying it. Cheers.