MP Gordon Henderson Doesn’t Believe in Censorship…But then launches into a banal diatribe against internet porn anyway

Read more UK Parliament Watch at MelonFarmers.co.uk

See article from kentnews.co.uk

Sittingbourne and Sheppey Tory MP Gordon Henderson said unrestricted access to the web and a lack of parental responsibility had created an everything is free mentality among a minority of young people. He is one of more than 60 members of a cross-party group involved in a Parliamentary inquiry into online child protection. He spouted: There’s a risk of children being groomed by strangers on the internet but it’s a relatively low risk because most young people have the nouse to not get sucked in. The danger of the internet is more insidious than that. It’s the slow seeping of access to porn images that then slowly erodes the moral fibre of young people, which in turn adds to the social problems we currently face. Much of what we saw with the rioting and looting was due to a breakdown in morality among young people. Easy access to the internet just reinforces the message that everything is free and you never have to work for anything. That’s got to change. There’s the possibility we overreact and I’m not a great believer in censorship or an internet clampdown. Most children are sensible enough to not put themselves in dangerous situations…BUT…there are others who are vulnerable and need protection. The inquiry has got to look more at parental responsibility and access to the internet rather than a censorship of the internet itself.

Nutter at the Helm…Claire Perry to head yet another Parliamentary inquiry child protection on the internet

Read more UK Parliament Watch at MelonFarmers.co.uk

See article from publicaffairs.linx.net

Parliament has announced a another inquiry into online child safety, to be headed by Conservative MP and anti-porn campaigner Claire Perry. She got noticed due to her impractical campaign to force ISPs to block porn unless people opt to receive it. According to a press release on Claire Perry’s constituency website, the inquiry will seek: 1) To understand better the extent to which children access on-line pornography and the potential for harm that this may cause 2) To determine what British Internet Service Providers have done to date to protect children online and the extent and possible impact of their future plans in this area 3) To determine what additional tools parents require to protect children from inappropriate content 4) To establish the arguments for and against network level filtering of content that would require an 18 rating in other forms of media 5) To recommend to Government the possible form of regulation required if ISPs fail to meet Recommendation no.5 from the Bailey Review. Public evidence sessions will take place in Committee Room 7, House of Commons between 14:00 and 16:00 on September 8th and October 18th. The inquiry will include approximately 60 MPs and gather feedback from ISPs as well as parents and many others [but probably not those who actually enjoy adult material on the internet]. A final report is expected in November 2011.