In an eloquent speech to Britain’s House of Commons on Monday, the increasingly popular Conservative member of Parliament Jacob Rees-Mogg sharply criticized the House of Lords for supporting legislation that would smash British media freedoms.
Pushed by a cretinous freak, “Mad” Max Mosley (whom I wrote about last week), the bill in question would impose responsibility for the costs of defamation lawsuits onto media outlets, even if the outlet in question successfully defends itself and establishes that everything it published is true. Considering that English defamation laws are already very deferential to plaintiffs, in contrast to American laws, the consequences of this new legislation coming down from the House of Lords would be catastrophic.
As Rees-Mogg noted, it would be the death of local newspapers who lack the big budgets and large legal teams with which others can defend themselves.
Rees-Mogg, who can perhaps be forgiven for confusing America’s first and second constitutional amendments as he spoke, also explained how the legislation would deter media reporting on matters of exigent public concern. As MPs of all parties looked on favorably, he offered the example of the Daily Mail’s reporting on racist murderers who killed a young black man, Stephen Lawrence, in 1993.
Rees-Mogg’s conclusion, stated in his trademark cut-glass accent, was best of all. Attacking a press regulator for continuing to accept “Mad” Max’s money, the member of Parliament for North East Somerset declared that he would never sit idle in face of authoritarian whims.
Mogg’s speech Monday offers still more proof that Jacob Rees-Mogg is a bit of a legend.
