[LINK] Gillard backs internet filter

[Stilgherrian]

On 08/07/2010, at 3:56 PM, Brendan Scott wrote:
>> So 15 years of the Internet supposedly improving people's ability to
>> think freely, develop democracy etc. and it looks like this sort of
>> rot could be passed by a parliament of a Western nation.
> 
> Largely I guess because: (a) those with political power have an interest in controlling others either via the State or via corporations; and (b) neither the Left nor the Right have a fundamental belief that individuals ought to be generally left to make their own choices.  The extreme on the left is national socialism and the extreme on the right is fascism.  There is no part of politics with an extremist wing which promotes unfettered freedom.  
> 
> Now that the cold war is over there is no political reason to promote individual liberty any more.  You ought to expect gradual and relentless encroachments on individual freedom - the last 20 years ought to be evidence enough.    

Isn't this over-thinking it?

The policy got up because a vocal section of the community that's very good at lobbying, namely the Australian [some-]Christian Lobby, called for it, and there was a party leader who took a pragmatic approach to winning an election.

Stil


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