BAN SMUT, rage MEPs: Purpose of internet must be EXTERMINATED

MEPs are being urged to back a non-binding resolution that calls on the European Parliament to, in effect, ban pornography from the internet. A group of Euro politicos hope the web filth block will bring about a "genuine culture of equality" online. A motion was tabled this week by the EU's committee on women’s rights and …

[Piro]

What about gay porn? Women aren't being used there.. What about..

Amateur porn, where people are making some money or just enjoying showing off. No exploitation there.

Infact, all this is total garbage. It's just people do honest work for pay, like any other job. Arousal has nothing to do with it.

[Anonymous Coward]

Re: What about gay porn? Women aren't being used there.. What about..

seems the EU also banned 'common sense' in policy making - or maybe someone's got a bit of budget to burn up.

[Andrew Moore]

Re: What about gay porn? Women aren't being used there.. What about..

Governments worldwide banned common sense years ago. They found it got in the way of policy making, which, in turn, would have a detrimental effect on creating new and amusing taxes.

[TeeCee]

Re: What about gay porn? Women aren't being used there.. What about..

I have to say that when I saw this idiocy elsewhere, that sprang to mind.

Obviously whoever's behind this is a sexist bigot.

[Anonymous Coward]

Re: What about gay porn? Women aren't being used there.. What about..

What? Women can't be gay?

[Anonymous Coward]

Re: What about gay porn? Women aren't being used there.. What about..

"What? Women can't be gay?" - No, they're the L in LGBT

[Naughtyhorse]

Re: What about gay porn? Women aren't being used there.. What about..

What? Women can't be gay?

hmmm...

not to sure, i think i'll have to do some research on that....

brb

[Anonymous Coward]

Re: What about gay porn? Women aren't being used there.. What about..

It's based on the idea that all pornography is male abuse of women, all participants in porn need to be rescued, and all watchers of porn are evil, degenerate males just waiting to abuse more women. And children. Don't forget to think of the children, only not too much. Oh and anyone that watches porn is gearing up to rape someone.

Never mind that a lot of women like porn, never mind that a lot of porn is amateur, gay, whatever, produced by women etc etc, that never enters into the heads of the folks that want to ban it outright. Never mind that availability of porn has always negatively correlated with rape statistics. No, it's all male violence. And what's more it might give them ideas!

There was a similar initiative to crack down on prostitution a while back, lead by some or other womens rights group. Radio 4 had a 'sex worker' on who said 'please don't presume to speak for me', perhaps the same should apply here?

[JDX]

>>it's based on the idea that all pornography is male abuse of women

No it isn't. It's based on the idea that this is an accurate GENERALISATION. In the same way that saying "women earn less than men in the UK" doesn't precude some women earning more than most men.

So you have to decide if the generalisation is a load of BS or not.

[Anonymous Coward]

Re: >>it's based on the idea that all pornography is male abuse of women

"No it isn't. It's based on the idea that this is an accurate GENERALISATION. In the same way that saying "women earn less than men in the UK" doesn't precude some women earning more than most men."

OK, it's based on the idea that all porn *featuring women* is by definition male abuse of women. Not the majority, or the balance, or that most isn't but some really is exploitative so we ought to ban it all to be sure. Feminist opposition to porn really is rooted in the idea that porn featuring women, in and of itself, simply because it exists and regardless of how it came to exist, is male exploitation of women, gender violence and a precursor to rape.

I should add that not all feminists subscribe to this view, but look up Andrea Dworkin (for example)

[Anonymous Coward]

Re: >>it's based on the idea that all pornography is male abuse of women

I should add that not all feminists subscribe to this view, but look up Andrea Dworkin (for example)

Same AC here - I should also add that I consider myself a feminist in its most basic form - I believe women should have the same rights to self determination as men, that women and men should be treated equally under the law and by society in general, that discrimination in all its forms is wrong and that harassment and violence against women need to be stopped.

Hell, if someone said "a small but significant proportion of porn is basically rape, and we think that's enough to have a really good crackdown on the whole thing", I'd be very supportive. But what we get is just "porn is wrong, because we say so".

[Anonymous Coward]

Re: >>it's based on the idea that all pornography is male abuse of women

"harassment and violence against women need to be stopped"

But harassment and violence against men is ok?

Good to hear you're just as sexist as the men you despise.

[bob 46]

Re: >>it's based on the idea that all pornography is male abuse of women

What? Troll / idiot. How did you turn:

"harassment and violence against women need to be stopped"

into

"harassment and violence against men is OK"

Just in case you missed it I'll say it again - you're an idiot

[Anonymous Coward]

Re: >>it's based on the idea that all pornography is male abuse of women

"But harassment and violence against men is ok?

Good to hear you're just as sexist as the men you despise."

Yes, because anyone that says violence and harassment of women is bad without explicitly mentioning violence against men is also bad must obviously be all for it.

How does it feel to be a total fucking moron? Is it a kind of empty bliss? I imagine it must be nice.

[Anonymous Coward]

Re: >>it's based on the idea that all pornography is male abuse of women

> Yes, because anyone that says violence and harassment of women is bad without explicitly mentioning violence against men is also bad must obviously be all for it.

The implication is there.

If the original author meant violence against people generally was bad, why make the explicit distinction at all?

[Anonymous Coward]

Re: >>it's based on the idea that all pornography is male abuse of women

"The implication is there.

If the original author meant violence against people generally was bad, why make the explicit distinction at all?"

Bullshit is it. By reading that into it you're playing exactly the same game as the the likes of Dworkin that the OP (me) disagrees so vehemently with. Leaping valiantly onto every last linguistic inflection in a desperate attempt to be offended by something.

It's tiresome, childish and stupid.

[Tim Worstal]

Re: What about gay porn? Women aren't being used there.. What about..

"Oh and anyone that watches porn is gearing up to rape someone."

Indeed some do think that's how it works. Which is a puzzle really: for as porn (largely on the internet) has increased in availability the sexual violence numbers have fallen quite dramatically. There's been quite a lot of research here (snigger) and the effect really can be seen. As broadband reaches a particular area, or penetration (snigger again) goes up, sexual violence falls.

It would appear that people who wank themselves stupid to "Garbanzas in Goop XIV" don't have the energy or desire to go rape someone.

But then this cause/effect thing has never really been taken seriously in any kind of politics.

[Anonymous Coward]

Re: What about gay porn? Women aren't being used there.. What about..

> Never mind that a lot of women like porn

Years ago I spent a while unemployed, back pre-Internet at home late 80s time. Back when porn was either mags or videos, mostly under the counter videos kept in a cardboard box.

For a while I took to shuffling down to the video rental shop in the village. One day I got talking to the bloke in the shop, he said most of the under the counter rentals were women, they'd take the video out in the morning and bring it back in the later afternoon.

So bored house wives there seemed to out number bored blokes.

[Thomas 4]

Re: What about gay porn? Women aren't being used there.. What about..

This is bullshit. I know a rather large number of women that enjoy grumble flick action and so do most of the transgender crowd I'm acquainted with. So saying that banning porn for reasons of gender equality is garbage.

Or...if this about there being a larger amount of porn aimed at men, lesbians and bi folks, then I'll happily plop a signature on any petitions to increase female and gay porn on the internet.

[Anonymous Coward]

On the bright side

My monthly bandwidth allowance will never get used up

[P_0]

New UKIP slogan: "Save our Smut!"

[Graham Dawson]

They'd win on a landslide...

[Fred Flintstone]

Well, at least some slide..

[Graham Dawson]

I was of course not accounting for Dear Nigel's ability to conjure defeat from whole cloth with a rhetorical flourish and then declare it a victory. UKIP might have got somewhere if not for his ego-driven need to own the entire thing.

[Vic]

> Dear Nigel's ability to conjure defeat from whole cloth

I turned on Radio 4 a few weeks back, and thought I'd tuned into one of their 6:30 satirical shows. Some clearly fictitious wannabe-pol spouting bile and vitriol.

It was Nigel Farrage doing his bit to lose the Eastleigh by-election...

Vic.

[Destroy All Monsters]

"genuine culture of equality"

I'm for that, as I'm into all sort of weird pr0nz. Dwarf sex, Handicap sex, Homo-on-Lesbian, People-on-Bike, Donkey-vs-Donkey, Lasagne Sex you name it! Let's be equal in there!!

[Vladimir Plouzhnikov]

Re: "genuine culture of equality"

"Donkey-vs-Donkey"

You should be careful, there may be mules out there...

[John Lilburne]

Re: "genuine culture of equality"

Its the asses you need to worry about.

[Michael Habel]

Re: "genuine culture of equality"

Homo-on-Lesbian sex Wait what MINDBLOWN!!!

[Naughtyhorse]

Re: "genuine culture of equality"

Rule 34 needs to be enshrined in law to protect us all!

[Anonymous Coward]

Purpose of internet must be removed

What did the lolcats do to upset the Gender EU equality fascists?

[John Brown (no body)]

Re: Purpose of internet must be removed

Yeah!! What he said. Everyone knows cats are female and dogs are male. Where's the loldogs pics?

<---- dity mac

[hplasm]

Really?

You can't make up stuff like this- unless the EU pay you to.

[Mick Sheppard]

Not all bad

If the porn was removed imagine the speed gains for the little traffic that's left...

[Velv]

Re: Not all bad

Except with all free time people would also have gained they'd probably start streaming more mainstream material. I guess it could be good for the likes of NetFlix and LoveFilm

[Anonymous Coward]

Re: Not all bad

On the downside, the porn industry would go underground and most of the woman involved would be Eastern European sex slaves. You win some you lose some.

[Tibbs]

Re: Not all bad

I think Perry Cox (of Scrubs Fame) said it best

If they removed all the porn off the internet there'd only be one website, and it would be called 'Bring back the porn.'

Paris because... well it's obvious, innit!

[Naughtyhorse]

Re: Not all bad

what traffic?

[Aqua Marina]

Re: Not all bad

I worked for an ISP about 8 years ago. One of the largest in the UK (NDA stops me saying who). After implementing packet inspection, we discovered that without porn, there would be no ISP industry. All other traffic paled into insignificance. Dunno if that's the case still.

[John Brown (no body)]

Re: Not all bad

Would an ISP with no porn be Virgin Media?

[IronSteve]

Re: Not all bad

"Would an ISP with no porn be Virgin Media?"

No, you can be on the business end of a facial and still remain a virgin ;)

[M Gale]

So, uhm...

...about the transvestite friend of mine who is making a pretty penny from adult cam sites. Going to remove that source of income, eh?

Charming.

[Intractable Potsherd]

Re: So, uhm...

Well, yes, of course, because by degrading her/himself, s/he is degrading EVERYONE ELSE!!! In fact, s/he is worse than the watchers, a traitor to wo/men!!! S/he must be punished to set an example to others who have wrong views.

(We still need a sarcasm icon.)

[Hooksie]

WTF

These are the same idiots who fine Microsoft for including a browser but allow Apple to do what they like. They are nothing short of talking arseholes.

If it wasn't for porn there wouldn't BE an internet. Why do you think we have smart phones with bigger screens, iPads, Flash player, online video etc, all innovations either designed BECAUSE of porn or designed with porn in mind. Porn PAID for the fledgling internet before it because commercialised for goodness sake. Can't see the germans agreeing anyway, they love a bit of titlation.

[MrXavia]

FOOOLS, it is porn that is driving the growth of the internet, it is getting bigger every day!

Without porn the tubes will become dry and un used....

[Boris the Cockroach]

Unfairness?

Porn is one of the few industries where women are paid more than the men......

Coat.. well its a dirty mac really

[Velv]

Re: Unfairness?

Dirty Mac? You Apple fanbois!!!

[Jonathan 29]

Re: Unfairness?

That is of course true, but salaries for all the professionals have been heavily squeezed by the amateurs, free sites and subsequent decline in DVD sales. You could easily see the Adult industry supporting a move to restrict and censor the non credit-card authenticated sites.

[Dodgy Geezer]

Where's the beef?

..A group of Euro politicos hope the web filth block will bring about a "genuine culture of equality" online.

A motion was tabled this week by the EU's committee on women’s rights and gender equality. A report titled Eliminating Gender Stereotypes in the EU urged all members of the European Parliament to support the draft resolution...

I can't follow the 'equality' argument. Perhaps the females on the "EU Committee on Women’s Rights and Gender Equality" are complaining because they aren't asked to perform in these movies?

Er, ladies, there's probably a reason for that...

[kyza]

Re: Where's the beef?

And people wonder why more women don't go into IT.

Ladies and gentlemen, I give you exhibit 1 from Dodgy Geezer.

[Dodgy Geezer]

Re: Where's the beef?

"...Ladies and gentlemen, I give you exhibit 1 from Dodgy Geezer...

Thank you, folks, thank you! I'll be here all week....

[Francis Boyle]

Misogyny howto

step 1. Convince yourself that if a woman is a feminist it's because "she can't get laid".

step 2. Don't worry about steps 1 - 2379: they'll come naturally once you master step one.

[Velv]

So I know that in reality this proposal doesn't stand a whelks chance in a supernova, but...

We've seen how quickly Pirates got round blocking and filtering and have encrypted traffic - can you image how much more quickly porn would become encrypted and hidden?

And on a more serious and sinister note - can you image how much harder it would be to identify pedophile encrypted traffic from normal porn encrypted traffic!!!

[Anonymous Coward]

true...

you can't tell by the screaming alone.

That's what we need to give them: a means of escape.

[Anonymous Coward]

What really fucked me off about this is the fact that MEPs complained to their IT tech guys to block e-mails because citizens were mailing them.

It just goes to show democracy is just a filler for textbooks.

[Ted Treen]

Democracy...

...is a wonderful idea; and I'm all for it.

The establishment, however, will never permit it.

[Aaron Em]

Re: Democracy...

...is a terrible idea, for precisely the same reason as replacing professional systems and networks administrators with a council of the organization's most popular users is a terrible idea. It's also impossible, again for the same reason; it all sounds very nice and cheerful, but at the end of the day you need someone who knows how to get things done. The EU/US method of installing a permanent bureaucracy which actually runs the country, but still putting on elections so the punters can feel like they have a say, works better than genuine demarchy, but that's about all there is to say in its favor.

[Just a geek]

It is... extremely badly drafted and almost certainly too absurd to be taken seriously.

Sounds like a lot of legislation that then becomes law.

this is a crazy thing to focus on though, if they haven't defined what pornography is it'll hit girlie mags and the chippendales.

I'll also add that there are other places where sex is banned - certain religious establishments for example and it's worked oh so well for them hasn't it?

[Anonymous Coward]

This is why we can't have nice things

So this past few weeks the powers that be have :

Attacked drinking booze.

Attacked eating junk food.

Attacked drinking fizzy drinks.

Attacked eating bacon/sausages/etc.

Attacked electronic cigarettes

Attacked the fact that although we used less petrol we used more gas (and everyone that says "wear another jumper" should be smacked in the face, maybe "wear another, jumper, hat, gloves, mittens, three pairs of socks, balaclava, track suit bottoms and still feel fucking cold, just not be able to do anything")

The solutions in most of these have been taxes.

Today we attack porn!

Which they want to ban!

Jee I'm pleased we're all so loved and well looked after. It's almost as if we're in some kind of totalitarian puritan state but with the facade of media driven democracy.

[JimmyPage]

Er, *who* exactly, in the EU ?

The French ?

Germans ?

Italians ?

Dutch ?

Swedish ?

Danish ?

any of which would make the average UK sexshop look like a convent.

[Anonymous Coward]

Re: Er, *who* exactly, in the EU ?

I have an Italian girlfriend. She was quite shocked to learn what Ann Summers is. In Italy, there aren't many sex shops but those that are are greasy little back-alley things with neon lights and rubber suits in the window (and, having driven through Europe, I can attest that "sex-shop" is the most common thing you will see in the dark driving through any small town, no matter how picturesque or isolated). They have a terrible reputation and most people wouldn't be seen dead in them (my girlfriend is hardly a pope-dope, but even she had reservations about even acknowledging them).

By contrast, Italy is where I saw my first ever, confirmed, genuine prostitute, just standing in a small group on the side of the road in a tiny sleepy town while we drove through in the middle of the afternoon. My girlfriend's comment was "Oh, yes, they're always there. This whole area is called <some Italian equivalent of Shag Lane or whatever>". Didn't even raise an eyebrow.

Lingerie shop selling sex toys behind a screen to discerning customers? Shock. Prostitute offering her wares at 3pm on a Sunday afternoon in the middle of nowhere with "free samples" displayed to passing drivers? Not a problem.

Sexual advertisements and acceptability differ across the world, across countries, and across families. The UK does have a tendency to be more discrete and classy about it (well, as classy as you can get while selling certain items) which actually gives us a BIGGER market for it, whereas the continent tends to be more brash and open and putting people off.

I have a German friend who has the same problem - you order online or not at all, and hope to god nobody knows, whereas over here even 30 years ago people were having Ann Summers parties as a regular event with their friends.

But there's nowhere, absolutely nowhere in the world, where you can't get your jollies if you try. (Someone once tried to be a smart-ass and say "Vatican City", but that just made me laugh harder).

[Anonymous Coward]

Re: Er, *who* exactly, in the EU ?

Antarctica!! (though I wouldn't go looking through people's lockers at those research stations that get snowed in for 5-6 months at a time.)

Linux penguin is most fitting in this case.....

[El Presidente]

EU Headline generator:

EU Headline generator: Eliminating [insert ill considered fascist diktat] in the EU.

Didn't we win a war to be rid of this sort of interfering shite?

**Telling that this missive is from Team Register .. El Reg's version of Daily Mail Reporter. For use when nobody wants to put their name to an article. For obvious reasons.

[Yet Another Anonymous coward]

A sady day for Britains in europe

As our manufacturing dissapeared and our schools fell behind the academic standards of Uzbekistan at least we could be proud of the uniquely British export of "disgusted of Tunbridge Wells"

Although the americans could mass produce raving right wing religious nutters cheaper and in larger numbers - for pure idiocy you couldn;'t match the hand crafted quality of a classic British idiot.

Now it seems that even the faceless bureaucrats of Brussels are able to out-idiot us.

[Big_Boomer]

EUtards

Some EUtard has just cobbled this together as a "negotiating" tool. When they are trying to get through something that they really care about, they will offer to "scrap" this pile of garbage for some other concession. Time wasting on an epic scale, much like the rest of the Commission. I have no problems with the Common Market but some of the more recent European Government shite is really starting to alienate people all over the EU. We don't want a European Government, and we probably never will. I grew up abroad and speak several languages and even I am starting to think that UKIP may have a point or 2.

[TeeCee]

Obvious spelling mistake.

"....urged all members of the European Parliament to support the draft resolution."

There's no "r" in "daft".

[kyza]

Not to say that the report it comes from...

...isn't something that could have been generated by an equality department report generator bot in the same style as a 'Daily Mail headline generator.' or similar gadget.

It's a bit rubbish.

[jayeola]

What about Victorian furniture leg p0rn? All those tales and chairs. *shudder*

[frank ly]

Here's a bit of soft stuff. (I know some serious hardcore sites)

http://www.theantiqueshop.co.uk/antique_victorian_writing_desk.html

[TheTrouser]

Thumbs down from me

That would be two thumbs down - but my other hand is busy...

[Anonymous Coward]

Ban porn?

What next?

Giving women the right to vote?

[Naughtyhorse]

Re: Ban porn?

the vote is ok,

but at Mr Chumleigh-Warner wisely says

"Women! Know your limits!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SjxY9rZwNGU

[plrndl]

You can't eliminate gender stereotypes without eliminating gender. As soon as you define a word, you create a stereotype: that's what a definition is.

Since we pay these morons vast sums of salary+expenses, can't they at least pretend to do something useful?

[Avatar of They]

Ban Porn? All those unlimited download tariffs will be unused, BT will go bankrupt.

The EU commission has less staff that Leeds city council, it makes policy to be voted on. HOWEVER MEP's are only one arm of the EU governing body. The other is the national state appointed group. Those that people like Cameron have put there to vote for things.

BOTH have to agree for it to be law, so if you think it will get through, tell your MEP AND MP to explain that it is just daft and should be ignored.

Don't just go blaming MEP's on this. Scum like Cameron / Brown / Clegg and Blair have all voted through shite that we blame MEP's for, they have to have done because it is a two parliament cyst-em in Europe, just like the UK, France, US, Russia etc.

And the votes for prisoners was a court of human rights thing, started by Churchill, don't let Cameron confuse you into thinking it was hoisted onto us by Europe, he would have had to vote for it as part of the national administration.

We are not all Daily Mail readers here you know.

[Steve 138]

Re: Ban Porn? All those unlimited download tariffs will be unused, BT will go bankrupt.

Oh dear, far too serious!

[Anonymous Coward]

Actually, it isn't about banning porn...

...it's about removing sexual stereotypes in the mainstream media, so in effect banning page 3 in The Sun and much of what is in the Daily Star.

Still barking mad of course, but a little less so than the article title might suggest...

[OpenIndiana]

These weasels are blocking emails from the very people they claim to represent.

Sign the petition - http://cms.fightforthefuture.org/eucensored/

[GoonrGrrl]

OhMaGERDZ, they're trying to take our porn!!

Listen up, silly boys.

Of *course* they are never going to eradicate internet porn. That's not the point.

The point, if you were thinking with your brains rather than with something else, is this: to take the LEGITIMATE money out of it.

If you make porn "illegal" (meaning *technically* illegal), you can prevent some Little Dick with an IQ to match whose mad programming skillz never got beyond HTML2 from personally profiteering off the exploitation of 51% of the world's population using GOOGLE ADWORDS. With the legitimate Corpizens (TM USA) gone, either Little Dick and all his friends have to acquire enough skillz to purchase and actually run an offshore server, OR they get to give their credit card info to the Russian Mafia.

Works for me.

[Anonymous Coward]

Re: OhMaGERDZ, they're trying to take our porn!!

Could you explain how porn is exploitation of 51% of the world's population?

How do you feel about porn made by women?

[Aaron Em]

Re: OhMaGERDZ, they're trying to take our porn!!

I'll save our feminist interlocutor some effort here.

1: No, because it's not the product of reason but rather of religious belief. Might as well ask a Catholic to explain how the Trinity works; you may get a lot of words in response, but the net intellectual content will be null in both cases.

Your second question I can't authoritatively answer, but my experience of Internet feminism suggests the possibilities range from "it's empowering, unlike the filth produced by men" to "women who make porn are internally colonized by the patriarchy and thus have no weight as a counterexample". Take your pick, I suppose; intellectual content in all cases is the same as No. 1, in that there's no way to arrive at any such conclusion from a set of axioms not chosen in advance to produce the desired result.

Accusations of "mansplaining" in 3, 2, 1...

[gromm]

Re: OhMaGERDZ, they're trying to take our porn!!

"Could you explain how porn is exploitation of 51% of the world's population?"

Dear god man, have you even *seen* a porn site lately? They're *clearly* out to exploit the insecurities unique to the XY chromosome with bald-faced scams!

[Vladimir Plouzhnikov]

Re: OhMaGERDZ, they're trying to take our porn!!

"The point, if you were thinking with your brains rather than with something else, is this: to take the LEGITIMATE money out of it."

Dear Grrl,

It's about time for you to also use your brain rather than something else (err, uterus?). Taking legitimate money out of it means putting illegitimate money in. With illegitimate moneys comes what? Exploitation, with no recourse to law.

Best regards

[Irongut]

Re: OhMaGERDZ, they're trying to take our porn!!

While she's using that brain she could look up the correct spelling of girl. It's quite simple really.

[Aaron Em]

Re: OhMaGERDZ, they're trying to take our porn!!

Well, hey, who are you to judge someone for putting the requirements of ideology ahead of the needs of individual people? It's not like history offers any examples of that ordering of priorities going horribly wrong, or anything.

[ShadowedOne]

Re: OhMaGERDZ, they're trying to take our porn!!

"Listen up, silly boys."

"The point, if you were thinking with your brains rather than with something else.."

Sexist much?

[Aaron Em]

Re: OhMaGERDZ, they're trying to take our porn!!

Only men can be sexist. Didn't you get the memo? Sexism requires power, and only men have

power, so only men can be sexist...says an ideology that's supposedly pro-women. But, hey, saying that makes no sense is sexist.

[Phil O'Sophical]

"it is still important for the European Parliament not to undermine its own credibility with such proposals."

Only a member of that parliament could think they have any credibility left anyway.

[JDX]

Well there's a surprise

IT workers outraged at idea of banning porn :)

[Boris the Cockroach]

Re: Well there's a surprise

Yeah, with pr0n banned, how else are we going to blackmail our PHBs into giving us the pay rates we so richly deserve for keeping the vital IT services up and running

"Oh dear, I just checked your laptop and it appears you've been surfing www.sheep-in-bondage.com, now add £500 to my bonus and we'll forget this happened"

[Don Jefe]

Ready!

I've got my carton of smokes, frying some bacon, and drinking my bourbon getting ready to fire up some porn on my giant TV.

[Anonymous Coward]

Very bad economic/global idea

A lack of pr0n would mean peopleguys would have to find real actual girls to have sex with, which ultimately would lead to more babies being born - this planet is already too full, let the pr0n flow free for the good of humanity!!

[Anonymous Coward]

I consider myself somewhat young (mid twenties) and I download a lot of Japanese porn.

Banning that would only leave me with one real option, British wo- girls. (And we know what they're like...)

And if I'm left with that alternative, I'd rather turn gay.

[Anonymous Coward]

I can see why Britain is thinking of leaving the EU.

With overweening bureaucrats, huge budgets that just seem to disappear down ratholes, Franco-German attempts at domination, and more red tape than any Whitehall mandarin could envision, the whole concept appears to be a beached whale.

Everytime I look at the mess our Federal Government creates here in the US, I remind myself it could be infinitely worse!

[J.G.Harston]

Define "porn" - and why just go after online porn? Hey, wait, get your hands off my "Archaeology of the Roman Empire"!

[Lars]

flagrant disregard for human rights

Anybody at Team Register who wants to elaborate on that.

[Anonymous Coward]

Down with this sort of thing!

[Anonymous Coward]

I think this is a great idea!

And anyone who disagrees clearly supports child pornography. :|

[gromm]

"It's highly unlikely, however, that the draft resolution will be adopted by the European Parliament given its flagrant disregard for human rights."

Oh, and here I thought that such a resolution would be adopted *because* of the European Parliament's flagrant disregard for human rights. Things like freedom of speech and such.

[Flakey]

So a group of (mostly female) EU bureaucrats comes up with a plan to ban internet porn on the day thats designated International Womens Day. What a coincidence.

[Deadly Headshot]

Email Blocks...

There's a far more worrying aspect not mentioned here - the European Parliament started automatically blocking emails from concerned constituents about this issue after MEPs complained that they were receiving lots... So they basically block democracy when it gets in their way and railroad things through while condeming other countries for being "non-democratic". Can't have it both ways guys...

[Anonymous Coward]

Re: Email Blocks...

Actually it was...

[Anonymous Coward]

Politicians need to watch out

If they ban porn then that will cause problems for the Brit politicians in Westminster, I believe a report came out recently under the freedom of information that indicated that there was a fair amount of porn watched by them when they where supposed to be working.

What will they do with their time if they cannot watch porn, do some actual work, I think not, they would probably have an exemption for them so that they can monitor this horrible, demeaning smut on our behalf.

[The Nameless Mist]

In the words of a certain bald headed starship captain.

"With the first link, the chain is forged. The first speech censured, the first thought forbidden, the first freedom denied, chains us all irrevocably."

[Luke McCarthy]

Credibility

I wasn't aware that the European Parliament had any to lose.

[Bernard M. Orwell]

Negotiations..

Ok Grrls/Wimmin, I am prepared to negotiate. Here are my counter-demands:

* Burn all copies of "50 shades".

* Delete all copies of "Twilight". (it's not really porn, but it offends and degrades).

* Close Ann Summers and arrest the owners as "purveyours of malfeasance and pornography".

* Ban all male strippers.

* Ban all adverts that depict men as stupid or sex-objects.

* Stop talking about babies or asking for them. Which is the same physiological/psychological drive as that which drives men to "look at other women" (often in the guise of pr0n).