Check out Grumpy's IBin Laughin Humour Page

To read past columns visit The Grumpy Files

Free Speech a Winner

Well, well, well … it looks like the gods of free speech have smiled a little at last and have sensibly rejected a court bid to ban a controversial film by even-more controversial author David Irving.

Irving's movie, The Search for Truth in History, was scheduled to be shown at the Melbourne Underground Film Festival but was subject to a court action seeking it being banned.

The Jewish Community Council of Victoria sought the ban so it could bring a complaint to the Equal Opportunities Commission that the movie was racial vilification.

The move was rejected by the judge, who said that while the material may offend, it did not vilify Jews.

The Search for Truth in History is a 1993 speech by Irving pointing out his views made after he was refused entry to Australia.

Now Irving's pronounced and, it has to be said, at times extremely silly ideas on history include his view that the Jewish Holocaust in World War II did not happen.

Such a suggestion - that the methodical slaughter of some six million Jews did not occur - is not only ludicrous, but utterly obscene.

However, as a democracy we must uphold the right of people to hear all sorts of information and make their own judgements.

In Irving's case the ridiculousness of his attack on the Holocaust is so plain that on that point alone he mortally wounds his credibility.

We don't need to ban controversial things because free-thinking Australians are more than capable of deciding matters for themselves.

Grumpy Old Coot has a warped view of life, check him out

If there is something that has really got up your nose, let Grumpy Old Coot know at grumpy@webwombat.com