more book bannings

First the US Government bans a load of books for no good reason, and now the British Government has the potential to do something similar...

Graphic artists condemn plans to ban erotic comics by Jerome Taylor
(from The Independent)

A coalition of graphic artists, publishers and MPs have condemned Government plans to introduce a new set of laws policing cartoons of children, arguing that the current broad wording of the legislation could lead to the banning of hundreds of mainstream comic books.

A couple of quotes from within the article. First, a spokesperson:

We do not oppose any legislation that protects children from abuse, we understand the need for it, but some parts of the Coroners Bill do need rewording and clarifying... This new legislation could be used for the wrong reason and if used incorrectly thousands of people could become criminals overnight. The Government refused to impose minimum tariffs on cheap alcohol because it was unfair to punish the majority for the crimes of a minority; yet this legislation does exactly the same.”

And author Neil Gaiman:

If you accept -- and I do -- that freedom of speech is important then you are going to have to defend the indefensible. That means you are going to be defending the right of people to read, or to write, or to say, what you don't say or like or want said. The Law is a huge blunt weapon that does not and will not make distinctions between what you find acceptable and what you don't. This is how the Law is made.

Let's hope common sense prevails. Though that has a poor track record...