Why You Should Join the NCROPA

Individual freedom is being daily eroded in this country and in no area more insidiously than that concerned with freedom of expression. The highly- organised, vociferous pro-censorship factions, in their role as self-appointed "guardians of the nation's morals", have for far too long succeeded in forcing their minority opinions on the much more liberal-minded majority, often using highly emotive, dishonest propaganda to spread their repressive, bigoted doctrines. More recently, they have been joined in a n "unholy alliance" by feminist extremists who, just as dictatorially, wish to force their demands for more censorship on everyone else. Parliament has hitherto paid heed to these two dangerous factions out of all proportion to the numbers they represent or the soundness of their logic, and in consequence has done absolutely nothing to bring our censorship laws up to date and in line with those of almost all other Western World countries. Instead, in many areas, we have reverted to the viciously restrictive standards of the past - or even worse.

Every year, hundreds of thousands of harmless books and magazines are being seized by the authorities and destroyed. Thousands more videos and films are also being impounded and confiscated. More and more people are being prosecuted, fined or imprisoned for committing these victimless "crimes". Thousands of valuable and costly police and customs man hours are being wasted on these ludicrous and futile exercises. Often they are carried out by some police chiefs with a fanatical zeal more appropriate to a mediaeval with- hunt. While we may regard their order of priorities with outrage, when real crime is at an all-time hight, and when many women and old people are too frightened to go out into the streets at night, and when most police forces are still claiming to be seriously under strength,, we can remember that they can only enforce laws which are in existence. The NCROPA is campaigning to ensure that in future such laws do not exist and are not at their disposal.

It is an indisputable fact that we now have more censorship in this country than in nearly every other of the so-called free Western World, and lately more even than in East European states, most of which have now satisfactorily dispensed with censorship as we know it. This is not the difficult task some politicians would have us believe. But it is they who will in the end be responsible for deciding this issue and righting this grave wrong. They must be persuaded to do so, and to do so now, so that the trade barriers really can come down within Europe and the 1992 Single Market can become the intended reality. Moreover, they must be persuaded to accept and implement our proposals. These proposals are eminently sensible, patently realistic, provide safeguards for everyone, and are, above all, harmless - and just!

By joining this campaign, you will be doing something positive to help achieve this end and to make this country not simply "more permissive", but more tolerant, more rational, more honest - and more civilised. It is time for all who support the desperately important cause of individual liberty and freedom of expression to stand up and be counted.

This page was created on the 5th December 1998, and last altered on the 6th December 1998