By Chris Davies, Liberal

Democrat MEP for the North-west SO much has been written about the General Election in recent weeks that I thought it time this column took a completely different tack.

Read no further if you are offended by any mention of sex.

Britain is becoming a more European nation, or at least it is so far as our laws on pornography are concerned. Apparently, it is now possible to buy pornographic videos legally in the UK, as it has been in the rest of Europe for years.

None of this is due to any act by the EU. It is happening because our own High Court has thrown out a number of recent attempts at censorship. The judges, it seems, have watched the films and decided that they may disgust, but they do not deprave or corrupt.

The result is that over the past year or so the British Board of Film Classification has passed 250 hard-core titles for sale in licensed sex shops. Even so, our laws remain the strictest in Europe. For example, the actions shown must not be of a kind that would cause harm if they were copied by the less agile. It makes the mind boggle!

Pornography gives rise to strong views. Some feminists argue that it leads to degradation of both women and men. Others disagree and say that censorship only encourages an illegal trade that makes the exploitation of those involved more likely. It is a dilemma, but I believe that no one has the right to impose their moral views on others. So long as activities involve only consenting adults, then individuals should have the right to do what they want, even if others find it offensive.

Britain too often appears as a country of hypocrisy and double standards. The tabloid newspapers use sex to boost their circulation, but are the first to condemn those who stray from the conventional. The rest of Europe does not seem to have our hang-ups, or be so ready to pass moral judgements. Our European neighbours seem more ready to accept life as it is. Depending on your point of view, Britain is either sinking to their level, or growing up.

LAST WORD:

The Liberal Democrats won 52 seats in the election and now have more MPs than at any time since the 1920s. So why am I not pleased?

My party won 17 per cent of the votes in the North-west of England, but only elected four per cent of the MPs. Tony Blair has a huge majority in Parliament, although Labour won just 42 per cent of votes.

The shame is that, in this country, we do not have votes of equal value. No wonder that many people in Europe raise their eyebrows in amazement whenever the British talk about democracy.