Striking the Balance

[Ian G Batten]

On Tue, 29 Oct 2002, Brian Morrison wrote:
> equally relevant. It is perfectly possible that I wish to hide the fact
> that I possess something that is illegal to possess but it is equally
> possible that I wish to hide something like a particular legal sexual
> proclivity because a significant proportion of people are bigoted about
> such things and will ridicule me for activities they have no right to

Exactly.  Or, less emotively, I believe a common reason for people
refusing to give evidence is that stating they saw something in place X
would reveal they were in place X, which would in turn reveal they were
having an affair.  The argument has to be extended to the idea that
anyone who tells a lie gets what's coming to them, which would be an
appalling prospect.  After all, since adultery is OK by prime ministers
and heirs to the throne (which, in the latter case, must have involved
the active co-operation of personal protection officers) it's hard to
see why the rest of us should be held to a higher standard.

ian