26 November 2010
Diplomats, bishops, bombers, and fruit bats. Geoffrey Pullum over at Language Log has a summary of some recent cases in the UK involving, at least tangentially in the case of the fruit bats, free speech. Many Americans might be surprised to learn that the UK has nothing like the First Amendment, and while one generally has the freedom to say whatever one likes in Britain, the right to free speech is not backed by the same type of constitutional guarantees that it is in the States. (Speaking of which, I really ought to find out what the legal rights in Canada are; not that I’m worried about anything I might say.) But in each of these British cases, the resolution appears to be the right one, albeit after some overreaction. Although, I do think the diplomat needs to find another line of work, and the fruit-bat scientist might also, depending on the details of the case—judging sexual harassment from a distance is nigh impossible, so I really can’t say.
