From: the_todal@icloud.com 
  
 On 30/08/2025 01:13, JNugent wrote: 
 > On 29/08/2025 12:48 PM, billy bookcase wrote: 
 >> "JNugent"  wrote in message 
 >> news:mhdcqtF4horU1@mid.individual.net... 
 >>> On 28/08/2025 02:30 PM, billy bookcase wrote: 
 >>>> "JNugent"  wrote in message 
 >>>> news:mh843pF7u7bU1@mid.individual.net... 
 >>>>> On 26/08/2025 19:01, billy bookcase wrote: 
 >>>>>> "JNugent"  wrote in message 
 >>>>>> news:mh0cg6Ft44aU2@mid.individual.net... 
 >>>>>>> 
 >>>>>>> When did it become a crime (in [England] and Wales, if not the 
 >>>>>>> whole UK) to express one's opinion? 
 >>>>>>> 
 >>>>>> 
 >>>>>> How would any date after 1066, suit ? 
 >>>>>> 
 >>>>>> quote: 
 >>>>>> 
 >>>>>> Defamatory libel was originally an offence under the common law of 
 >>>>>> England. It was established in England and Wales and in Northern 
 >>>>>> Ireland. 
 >>>>>> It was or is a form of criminal libel, a term with which it is 
 >>>>>> synonymous.[1] 
 >>>>>> 
 >>>>>> The common law offence of defamatory libel was abolished[2] for 
 >>>>>> England 
 >>>>>> and Wales and Northern Ireland on 12 January 2010. 
 >>>>>> Section 4 of the Libel Act 1843 which created an aggravated statutory 
 >>>>>> offence was also repealed. 
 >>>>>> 
 >>>>>> :unquote 
 >>>>>> 
 >>>>>> https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Defamatory_libel 
 >>>>>> 
 >>>>>> One famous case being of course, Goldsmith v Pressdram Ltd [1977] 
 >>>>> 
 >>>>> You are aware that it is a defence against an action to publish 
 >>>>> one's honestly-held 
 >>>>> opinion, laws on defamation notwithstanding? 
 >>>> 
 >>>> It is only a defence, if that opinion is based on fact(s), such that 
 >>>> any honest 
 >>>> person might form a similar opinion, based on those same fact(s) 
 >>>> 
 >>>> Otherwise it would fail. 
 >>> 
 >>> That's OK then. 
 >> 
 >> You asked (and for the umpteenth time, it would appear) 
 >> 
 >> "When did it become a crime (in [England] and Wales, if not the 
 >> whole UK) to express one's opinion?" 
 >> 
 >> And I gave you the answer. At any time after 1066. 
 > 
 > That is not an answer to the question I asked. 
 > 
 > You are confusing yourself as between libel / defamation and hoenset 
 > exporession of an honestly-held opinion - or, indeed, any opinion. 
 > 
 > So I'll slightly rephrase my question. 
 > 
 > Is it illegal to express an opinion (an *opinion*, mind)? 
  
 That's a very simplistic question.  And it depends on the nature of the 
 opinion and the context. 
  
 So, if you say "in my opinion [politician] has committed fraud" he can 
 sue you for defamation and might win. 
  
 If you say "in my opinion the wogs should all be shipped home to 
 Jamaica" and do so in a public place, you might be prosecuted. 
  
 If you say "in my opinion I should be able to declare that we should 
 burn down the hotels which house asylum-seekers" then you might be 
 prosecuted. 
  
 There isn't a specific statute in the nature of "Unlawful Opinions Act". 
  
  
 > 
 > If so, which enactment made it illegal, and when? 
 > 
 > [suipped many paragraphs of irrelevant material] 
 > 
  
 --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05 
  * Origin: you cannot sedate... all the things you hate (1:229/2)