In a closely reasoned piece at the Library of Law and Liberty Dalrymple carefully slays each of the six justifications offered by a London court for disallowing a bus ad declaring post-homosexual pride, after having allowed one that expressed homosexual pride.
This is surely a very sinister ruling, one that implies that liberalism has moved very far from that expressed in, say, John Stuart Mill’s On Liberty. It has sought, and appears on the verge of achieving, a kind of dictatorship, not of the boot-in-the-face variety (though it may yet come to that), but of a subtler kind, the kind that yells ‘Be tolerant, you swine, or shut up!’ As to what you must be tolerant of, it will decide.
This is clearly an unjust and absurd ruling over an issue that should never have come before a court. As Dr Dalrymple suggests, the judge may have been intimidated by the current sentimental social climate. However, I doubt that the original ad. would have actually produced any positive results amongst those opposed to Stonewall’s opinion, with the ad’s perceived aggressive and rude holier than thou attitude. On further reflection, it is not clear to whom the contained imperative is addressed. Suppose the ad. said “Some people are unhappy. Get over it!” Does it imply that those who are unhappy should get over their unhappiness and become happy, or does it imply that everyone else should accept that some are and will remain unhappy. Conversely, what if it had said ” Some people are happy. Get over it!” Substitute a variety of different conditions of existence ( rich, poor, lazy, active, dishonest, unhealthy, religious, opinionated, fearful) and the meaning can change.
It would be interesting to know what Boris’s and the Judge’s opinions would have been if the Core Issues Trust slogan had been “The majority of people are heterosexual. Get over it!”