As a defence, I seem to remember hearing a radio program a long time (15years plus) ago about the court action that resulted from the Sex Pistol's album 'Never mind the B*****ks'. I think the defence that was used was that B*****ks were a (medieval) priest hence not offensive at all. Does anyone else know?
And perhaps we could start a trend for T-shirts saying 'Priests to Blair' if my recollection is accurate, and we'd all know what they meant!?
Lesley
-----Original Message-----
From: email list for Radical Statistics [mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of Mike Brewer
Sent: 02 July 2006 14:20
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Re: More political motivation?
To make it more topical, perhaps the Radstats Troika could organise an experiment? Find 100 volunteers.
Give 20 volunteers T shirts that only say "the B word", 20 can wear ones saying "B******* to Blair", 20 can say "B******* to Bush", 20 can say
"B******* to Cameron", and 20 can say "B******* to you all". Send them all to public places. See how many get arrested (and how quickly).
Mike
> I'm sorry, folks, to once again be on the margins of topicality,
> though -- once again -- it illustrates a potential risk to all who
> make statements that might coceivably be politically distressing to
> some, which might include us. (And anyway it's Sunday).
>
> 1: For starters: In yesterday's (01/07/2006) Telegraph (printed
> edition; I can't today locate a URL for the story on-line):
>
> £80 fine for 'distressing' Blair shirts
>
> A clothing company director has been fined for displayng
> sports shirts bearing an anti-Tony Blair slogan.
>
> Tony Wright, 60, was one of two stallholders at the
> Royal Norfolk Show giver £80 fixed penalty notices after
> they created displays of clothing with "B*****ks to Blair"
> on them [my euphemisation -- I don't want to offend anyone].
>
> Police officers told Mr Wright that the shorts, which sold
> at up to £35, were distressing visitors to the show. He said:
> "No one came up to me and said they were distressed. I don't
> want to pay this. It is about freedom of speech. But getting
> fined worked. I had sold only two before the police came.
> Once word got around, people took pity on me and everyone
> wanted one. I ended up selling 375."
>
> However, in my Google search for a URL, I discovered that this is not
> the first time a similar thing has happened. And in similarly august
> environments. So:
>
> 2: Horse & Hound (22 September, 2005)
> http://www.horseandhound.co.uk/competitionnews/392/68779.html
>
> A girl was arrested for wearing her "B*****ks to Blair" T-shirt
> at the Midlands Game Fair last weekend. Charlotte Denis, 20, a
> gamekeeper from Gloucestershire, was stopped by police as she
> left the Countryside Alliance stand because of the "offensive"
> slogan.
> [...]
> A tearful Denis was driven to a mobile police unit. "I asked
> the officers how they could arrest someone for wearing a T-shirt
> and they told me it was because it would offend a 70-80-year-old
> woman," she said.
>
> After agreeing to wear a friend's coat, Denis was released without
> charge. But the incident ruined her day: "You don't expect to be
> treated like that at a country fair," she said.
>
> Denis bought her T-shirt at Badminton Horse Trials last year,
> as well as a matching badge she wears on her coat.
>
> 3: Telegraph 30/04/2006
> http://www.telegraph.co.uk/opinion/main.jhtml?xml=/opinion/2006/04/30/
> do3004.xml&sSheet=/opinion/2006/04/30/ixop.html
> [all one line -- also http://tinyurl.com/hj35t ]
>
> Wear an anti-Blair jacket... and you'll have your collar felt
> By Patience Wheatcroft
>
> [... -- but worth a read ]
> Yet there are still those who are bold enough to make clear in
> public their displeasure with this Government. One of them stood
> outside Earl's Court tube station last week wearing a jacket
> which proclaimed across its back "B*****ks to Blair".
>
> The woman wearing the jacket, Julia Gobert, was distributing
> leaflets in support of the Conservative candidates for Thursday's
> election [...]. But she was told to change her clothes.
>
> Two British Transport Police very politely informed her that
> she would be arrested unless she removed the jacket. Someone,
> presumably of a different political persuasion, had told the
> police that the slogan was offensive, and the police claimed
> that this left them with no alternative but to act.
> [...]
>
> 4: http://news.scotsman.com/topics.cfm?tid=78&id=944702004
>
> [But Clarissa Dickson Wright was not arrested for her eponymous
> confection of roe-deer "jimmies" -- perhaps no-one was offended?]
>
> 5: But enough of frivolity. In the solemnity of Parliament the
> dreaded phrase has been uttered (ay least 3 times) in the House
> of Commons by Mr. Edward Garnier (Harborough) (Con):
>
> http://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm200506/cmstand/
> deleg2/st051012/51012s01.htm
> [all one line -- also http://tinyurl.com/nm5xn ]
>
> Second Standing Committee on Delegated Legislation
> Wednesday 12 October 2005
> Serious Organised Crime and Police Act 2005
> (Designated Area) Order 2005
>
> Mr. Garnier: [...] It is already the law, Mr. Jones. It is
> already wrong--or could be wrong--for you to walk from
> Waterloo station across to the palace with "B*****ks to
> Blair" on your lapel.[...]
>
> [I fear Parliamentary privilege does not extend to citation...]
>
> and so on ...
> Best wishes to all,
> Ted.
>
> --------------------------------------------------------------------
> E-Mail: (Ted Harding) <[log in to unmask]>
> Fax-to-email: +44 (0)870 094 0861
> Date: 02-Jul-06 Time: 11:53:37
-
Mike Brewer
Programme Director, Direct Tax and Welfare
Institute for Fiscal Studies
7 Ridgmount Street, London, WC1E 7AE
Tel: +44 (0)20 7291 4800 Fax: +44 (0)20 7323 4780
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