Alan Clark, Anne Geraghty and Charles J Corrigan on fears that Scotland’s new hate crime law will stifle debate
Fifty years ago, as a young gay man, I left Scotland because I saw it as a particularly backward and bigoted country (Scotland’s hate crime law may be well intentioned, but the police should not stymie public debate, 1 April). In recent decades, I’ve been amazed by its transformation into being seemingly more progressive than the rest of the UK. How sadly ironic that, while still claiming to fly under those same liberal colours, the Scottish government has now enacted punitive legislation that undermines almost everything that has been achieved.
Simon Jenkins might be going a tad far in drawing a parallel with China under Chairman Mao, but the line between well-meant progressivism and authoritarianism is a fine one. With this dangerous new law, Scotland has now crossed that line and is heading backwards. I’ll be staying in England.
Alan Clark
London
