Britain needs its own First Ammendment

The whole Terry Jones saga is another timely reminder that Britain needs its own first ammendment. Whilst British Liberals were quick to condemn Americans for their "Islamaphobia" (how does a Pastor with a few dozen followers represent Americans?), they seemed unable to appreciate that unlike Britain, the US authorities were powerless to prevent the Pastor from carrying out his threat.

Unless someone can prove that you're placing someone in physical danger, the first ammendment gives you the freedom to express yourself in pretty much any way you want. That's why Americans are free to burn US flags (despite repeated attempts to ban the practice). And there's nothing to prevent a Muslim American from burning a pile of New testaments. Provided they belong to you, that's your right. In the US, people have the right to be offensive and make "hate speeches". That's why Louis Farrakhan has the right to call Judaism a "gutter religion" and Westboro Church has the right to say that "God hates gays".

Americans will go to bizzare lengths to defend their "freedom of expression". A few years back, a senator was caught carrying out a lewd act in an airport lavatory and his lawyers tried to claim his behaviour was protected by the first ammendment.

When it comes to freedom of expression, the US is Liberal in a way that Britain could never be. In the UK, we regard being "Liberal" as banning people from saying anything that could be construed as islamaphobic, homophobic, or offensive to a minority group (provided they're not Jews). But if you're a true Liberal, the right to be offensive (and sometimes hateful) is something you should be protecting. What kind of totalitarian society are we living in when the State decides what can and can't be said?