Tuesday 1 June 2010

Brian Haw's arrest

Dizzy has video footage here. Now, it's abundantly clear to me that Haw was never going to stand aside and let them search his tent*. Consequently, it was pretty inevitable that he was going to get done for obstruction of justice and, in my ever so humble opinion, that's perfectly acceptable.

The rule of law (the defence of which, is, to me, one of the only reasons for a government existing) is something that applies equally to all people, no matter what their motivation should be. That is why I was outraged that a bunch of climate change protesters should be acquitted from criminal damage charges because of their motivation.

In exactly the same way, I have no problem with Brian Haw being arrested for obstructing the police going about their lawful business, even if I agree with his viewpoint that the Iraq war was entirely unjustifiable.

If the police had locked him up indefinitely without cause and destroyed his tent, etc., etc., then I would have felt like his right to free speech was being removed and then I would have had an entirely different perspective on the case. But Brian Haw is up in front of the beak, the same way anybody else would have been if they had tried to stop the police executing a legal search warrant.

So, despite the rabid frothing of the purveyors of the Only True Libertarianism, I don't have the slightest problem with what has happened until now. And if Mr Haw is found guilty and punished and then allowed to return to his camp site, well then, a bunch of rabid frothers are going to look like cunts, aren't they?

*This all assumes of course that the police actually had valid and legal search permits, authorised by a judge, yada yada.

4 comments:

John Demetriou said...

*stifles yawn*

Your reactions to people who protest is the same each time. I detect a trend. Your knee jerk position on rights, where the people involved don't own the land, is plain for all to see.

Shame you don't come clean about your extreme anarcho-capitalist ways, though your graph says it all.

Your 'debating skill's grow wearisome by the day. And your level of spite and immaturity grows, likewise, by the day.

When will you grow up, Obby?

James said...

Jeez, didn't realise this was morality Obo, and there was me thinking it was wrong to do what was done to Brian Haw. So i looked up this Rule of Law thing and found out it's all about consistent moral principles. So now I will apply your idea of right consistently.

It would be ok, according to your logic, for me to come to your house and search the place, and then for me to tie you up and throw you in a fucking cage when you "obstruct" my lawful (in my imaginary legal system, just as valid as the British government) search of your premises.

Doesn't make much sense does it. Maybe you should start feeling like a tool right now, you know, for advocating the kidnap of a man who did nothing but resist immorality.

Kingbingo said...

Did that fucker work hard and earn the land he pitched his tent on, no.
If you work hard and buy your own land as far as I’m concerned as long as you’re not coercing anyone to do anything against their will on your land you should be able to do whatever you want.
He just pitched a tent the land I pay my taxes for, he then failed to do a day’s work for 3 years and I can only imagine for a good few years before either. I suspect he is living on handouts and benefits. Maybe I’m wrong. Maybe he earned a fortune back in the 80’s by setting up his own software firm and he is living on that.

But I doubt it, he is just a hippy fuck with his hand out.

James said...

@Kingbingo: Fail. If you "payed" (please do show me how one withdraws payment, otherwise it's not payment, it's stolen goods) with your taxes then he also payed with his. And if the two of you own the land, that still isn't a moral argument for the police force, it would be equally valid for any group to go in and attack people anywhere on public land.

He pitched his tent on unowned land, and whether you like that or not, you have to bemore open about what you're saying. They KIDNAPPED him and through him in a fucking cage, and you say it's ok because he's a "hippy" who doesn't live his life like you think he should. Any fucker can live without work for all I care, and I definetly don't pretend I have any say in the collecting of money for welfare, so it's output has nothing to do with me.

And it has nothing to do with you either tool.