The threat of a Scottish Winter

Well, there is a first time for everything and this is the first time that Calton can say that he wholeheartedly agrees with Patrick Harvie MSP. The Green Party Co-Convenor talks a lot of sense when he says that "If the will exists in Scotland to see the Leveson proposals implemented, it should not be beyond our ability to ensure that professional, commercial media organisations are properly regulated, but individual citizens are not caught up in the same system." Amen to that. As regular readers will know, free speech is very dear to Calton's heart and so, while he condemns the excesses of the press which led to Leveson, he does not believe that the type of legislation being proposed by the McCluskey Report is either desirable or practical. Of particular concern is the way in which McCluskey attempts to bring all 'news-related publishers' under the same umbrella, regardless of whether they are a not-for-profit, personal blog, such as this one, or part of Murdoch's empire. Although the Report acknowledges, in para 43, that individual blogs would not necessarily have to contribute to funding the new Regulatory Body, the threat is there and would be sufficient to close down many blogs, including this one, if enacted. That would indeed bring about, not just a Scottish Autumn, but a full-on Scottish Winter.

The real threat to free speech

Calton finds it very hard to take David Cameron seriously when he talks about being "wary of legislation that has potential to infringe free speech and a free press" in the wake of the publication of the Leveson Report. The reason? Because, at the same time as the Prime Minister is refusing to legislate the press, he is going full steam ahead with legislation on same-sex marriage which will undoubtedly be a far bigger threat to free speech, if enacted, than anything recommended by Leveson. No wonder Conservatives are deserting to UKIP in their droves. Meanwhile, the party which most espouses same-sex marriage and EU membership was soundly thrashed in the recent by-elections and replaced by a party which supports keeping marriage heterosexual and leaving the EU. In other words, the politically-correct Libdems were cuffed by the straight-talking, gloriously politically-incorrect UKIP because, basically, the electorate do not like being told what to think. In that sense, Cameron has judged the public mood better than Clegg when it comes to responding to Leveson. We all deplore the excesses of the press but do we want it controlled by politicians? Calton thinks not.

Lies, damned lies and the Leveson Inquiry

Who to believe? That is the question. Whether to go for Gordon 'no more boom and bust' Brown or the opposing side, Rupert Murdoch and Rebekah Brooks. The phrase 'Hobson's choice' springs to Calton's mind. He would certainly like to award full marks to the person at the Leveson Inquiry who asked the great Broon why he and his wife had remained on good terms with Brooks if Brown's assertion that the Sun had published details about their son's medical condition without their permission was correct. That seems to be straining forgiveness (and duty) too far in Calton's opinion. One thing is clear - there are some issues Leveson is never going to get to the bottom of.