David Flood
"Matthew M. Huntbach" <mmh@dcs.qmw.ac.uk>wrote in message news:a8epig$ho3$2@beta.qmul.ac.uk...

Matthew M. Huntbach
Chris (webmaster@netpub.net) wrote:

Chris
"David Flood" <NOSPAMmaoltuile@utvinternet.ie>wrote in message

David Flood
news:<a8a5lk$qoig1$1@ID-121201.news.dfncis.de>...

On a related note, I believe that 'The Guardian' is taking a test case against a UK law (dating from the mid-nineteenth century) making it an offence to advocate a republic.

Chris
I think you are reading slightly too much into the whole "treason" thing. Even in England we're talking more about "selling government secrets to other countries" treason, rather than: "Saying the Royal family sucks" treason. British people can say anything they want about the royal family.

Matthew M. Huntbach
A staple filler of newspaper columns and chat shows is to find archaic laws that are still on the statute book though no-one these days takes them seriously. The USA is a particularly ripe source of such things, seeing as each state makes its laws, so there's a lot to choose from.

The UK (or English - it predates the union with Scotland) Treason law is this sort of law. In theory, it's a serious matter to advocate the end of the monarchy. In practice, the state never takes legal action

David Flood
against

Matthew M. Huntbach
the many people who do.

David Flood
And yet it's still on the statute books.

If (God forbid) a far-right government ever came to power - the present Tories supported by the BNP, for example - then it's not too much of a stretch to imagine such laws possibly being implemented with earnestness in NI, for example, if the political will existed.

cheers, David