As alluded to in the Queen's Speecy UK Government plans to outlaw what it calls "extreme pornography" under the guise of protecting us from "violent offenders".

Following the death of Jane Longhurst caused by playing sexual asphyxiation games with Graham Coutts and his subsequent conviction for murder, the Government feels that by banning images showing this and other "extreme" behaviour, we will somehow be "protected".

Graham Coutts conviction for murder has now been quashed by the Court of Appeal as Unsafe, but the Government are pressing ahead with their plans because they claim that even though there is no proof that this material causes violence or harm (in fact the credible research on the subject shows quite the contrary), they believe there is some material that is "so abhorrent that it has no place in a civilised society" and, as such, it should be banned to "protect" people.

What this legislation will actually do is to make it a criminal offence, punishable by three years in jail, simply to possess any image which, in the subjective opinion of the viewer shows something which is "pornographic" and "likely to cause death or serious injury" even if the activities shown are legal and it is posed by consenting adults.

This has serious implications for civil liberties in this country because it sets a precedent allows the Government to decide what we can or cannot view "for our own good".

You can find more information at  http://www.backlash-uk.org.uk

There is also a petition on the Prime Minister's website at  http://petitions.pm.gov.uk/Violent-Porn/ and I urge everyone to sign up to it and also write to their MPs via  http://theyworkforyou.com/ to protest against the introduction of at Thought Crime into UK law.

Cheers,
Graham.