TonyAgana said:
I joined this forum and was very pleased to find that the freedom of speech act was very much apparent but there are just a couple of sticking points
To be a pedant, there is no such thing as Freedom of Speech, and certainly no Freedom of Speech Act.
Freedom of Expression is Article 10 of the European Convention on Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms, directly applicable in UK law thanks to the Human Rights Act 1998.
Everyone has the right to freedom of expression. This right shall include freedom to hold opinions and to receive and impart information and ideas without interference by public authority and regardless of frontiers.
This however, is quantified by the following, which is a restricting force, rather than a rights giving one...
The exercise of these freedoms, since it carries with it duties and responsibilities, may be subject to such formalities, conditions, restrictions or penalties as are prescribed by law and are necessary in a democratic society, in the interests of national security, territorial integrity or public safety, for the prevention of disorder or crime, for the protection of health or morals, for the protection of the reputation or rights of others, for preventing the disclosure of information received in confidence, or for maintaining the authority and impartiality of the judiciary.
One may argue therefore, that freedom of expression may always be restricted. Take the case of the Muslim cleric Abu Hamza for example. His case hinged on the right to say what he wanted under the Freedom of Expression, he was jailed for seven years for what he said.
And so to Freedom of Expression on this forum.
We allow it because we chose to. Sharpy has never been censored to my knowledge, nor warned for expressing his views. He is totally free to express whatever he wants. But you must understand that Foxy is free to reply.
Sometimes, one has to ignore the "Administrator" tag under his name, as, in this thread, he is replying as an ordinary member of the forum. Sharpy and everyone else is free to say what they want within the bounds of English law (we'll get to that later) but if they expect their arguments not to be disagreed with, then they've come to the wrong place. If his views don't coincide with those of the majority of the forum, then it's his choice whether he sticks around or not. Personally, I hope he does because, despite his sometimes abrasive ways of expressing his opinions, he does have some interesting things to say.
Back to the forum in general. We reserve the right to edit posts because we have to. At the end of the day, if anything libelous is said by anyone, the buck stops with Foxy as site owner and his mate Timmy as hoster. We have never had to do this yet but some sites operate differently.
Some sites don't allow swearing to appeal to the target demographic - we have no problem with it. Some sites restrict membership - the more the merrier here. If any content is a bit dodgy, we move it to the Pig and Truffle so that only registered members can see it. I've never refused anyone the password to the Pig and Truffle if ever anyone wants it.
At the end of the day, Sharpy can say what he wants, but everyone else can say what they want in return. If someone feels things are getting too personal, drop me a PM and I'll step in to calm things down if necessary but whatever freedom exists on this board, extends to all.
As you were....