Originally Posted by Chris

I think the first thing we need to affirm is the rights to free speech and freedom of political association. Both of those rights will result in unruly and partisan behaviour in our Press but on the other hand the practice of those rights by our Press have contributed in no small part to what we have here in the UK, arguably the most stable, long-lasting democracy in Europe, if not the world.

The truly horrifying thing in all this is the enthusiasm with which some people are prepared to clamour for official regulation of free speech. The moment that occurs, speech is no longer free.

It cannot be repeated often enough: the behaviour which led to the Leveson Inquiry was almost entirely already illegal. The failure ultimately was one of law enforcement, not lack of laws to enforce.

On the civil side, we already have some of the toughest libel laws in the world. The only thing missing there is the ability of the less well off to finance a libel action. There may be scope for some reform there, but let's face it, most of the people complaining at Leveson were certainly not short of the resources required to take on even the biggest of our newspapers had they wished to.

Our national newspaper editors all know what the law is and they know what the PCC code of conduct is. What is required is law enforcement by coppers who are prepared to pursue hacks rather than take backhanders from them, and voluntary regulation that both works and is seen to be working.