A ‘free market in free speech’ is a nice sound bite, but nothing more. Like all rights, free speech comes with responsibilities. World Weary Detective hides behind a cloak of anonymity (as do you) and so obviously (and ironically) values his or her privacy. If someone were to expose World Weary Detective (or you), I’m sure s/he would object.

Yet you defend WWD’s right to breach others’ confidentiality.

WWD has blogged disparagingly on what s/he calls ‘Silly little Muslim boys’. If members of this gang wanted to give him a good kicking, it would be irresponsible to pass his name and address to them. We’re better off defining responsible behaviour, as the Met has attempted to do here, than attempting to teach people to think a certain way.

Some of the ‘essence of humanity’ (a propensity to violence, say) may not be very nice and is best repressed.

If it’s good information, it will stand. If it’s not, it won’t. Simple. A free market in free speech.

Those who seek to restrict free speech are a threat to the essence of humanity.

It would be nice if anyone could say whatever they wanted whenever they wanted to whomever they wanted, but that right to free speech needs to be balanced against a right to privacy and it would be even nicer if everyone exercised their rights responsibly (then we’d need no guidance).

In the event that WWD uncovered some scandal, he could do us all a great service by exposing it. But to do that via an anonymous blog would be ill-advised. He’d be best to seek the support of his trade union (who’d defend him against disciplinary action) first and to have credibility he’d need to reveal his identity.

Indeed there is nothing in the guidance WWD has shared with us to stop him blogging. He’s guilty, if not of lying, than of gross exaggeration. As the saying goes; never trust a copper (if he is a copper).

I bet you support Tony Blair and this Government don’t you.