Welcome to the Turn Off The Blue Light forum!

[Patricia]

Full details of the campaign to be announced here shortly.

[City Gent]

Full details of the campaign to be announced here shortly.

Just let us know what we can do to help Pat.


CG

[Morpheus]

Thanks Patricia and Managers and Mods for creating this separate section for the "Turn off the blue lights campaign".

It was getting lost in the General chat section.

Also thanks for bringing all the relevant threads here.

Let us know what you want us to do once you've decided on your strategy.

[Bruno69]

Ditto. I got a letter published in the metro so far, so if there's anywhere else u want me to unleash my literary genius, let me know :-)

[espresso]

any help i can give let me know
I will attend public debates about the issue that I feel we must hold

I would advise people to write a letter to the times and local wannabe TDs particular FG an Labour
Stating why the law in sweden/norway is flawed
We wont win the debate here on this site

[Doozer]

This thread is temporarly locked due to influx of spam
Will reopen when a mod or manager comes online

[thehighwayman]

Thread re-opened.

[Bruno69]

This is a copy of what was published in the metro herald.
I'm just posting it here to share ideas on we should be saying....


I am writing to say I fully support stopping all forms of sex trafficking and exploitation.
*
However, there is a healthy independent escort business operating in Ireland today which is largely free of these criminals.* To criminalise the people who avail of these services, most again being decent people, perhaps with different sexual mores to some, will drive this independent business underground, and once again into the arms of the pimps and organised criminals.
*
This will cause more harm than good in my opinion.* The state should use the legislation available to it to tackle the real criminals and if that is not strong enough, i would certainly support some new legislation that is.* However the current proposals are dangerous and require more creative thinking.
*
Yours sincerely,
*
An ordinary Joe Soap
*

[The Hobbyist]

This is a copy of what was published in the metro herald.
I'm just posting it here to share ideas on we should be saying....


I am writing to say I fully support stopping all forms of sex trafficking and exploitation.
*
However, there is a healthy independent escort business operating in Ireland today which is largely free of these criminals.* To criminalise the people who avail of these services, most again being decent people, perhaps with different sexual mores to some, will drive this independent business underground, and once again into the arms of the pimps and organised criminals.
*
This will cause more harm than good in my opinion.* The state should use the legislation available to it to tackle the real criminals and if that is not strong enough, i would certainly support some new legislation that is.* However the current proposals are dangerous and require more creative thinking.
*
Yours sincerely,
*
An ordinary Joe Soap
*

Folks,

I think everyone needs to get away from the language of "escorts providing services" and put more focus on "different sexual mores". Every adult should be free to engage in whatever activity they want with another (perhaps more than one) consenting adult. What takes place between consenting adults in the privacy of a bedroom, hotel room, etc is not a matter for the State or its citizens.

The battle with the "Turn off the Red Light" campaign is going to be about perception. I really think that the EI campaign should be about the State getting out of the business of regulating what consenting adults do in their bedrooms.

For example, there was a time that criminal conversation existed in tort law which allowed for a party to a marriage to seek compensation for said party's injury arising from adultery. This law was on the Irish statute books until 1976!!! Basically the law was this:

The tort of criminal conversation seeks damages for the act of sexual intercourse outside marriage, between the spouse and a third party. Each act of adultery can give rise to a separate claim for criminal conversation.

Prior to 1976, all the married men and women on this board could have been ordered to compensate a spouse who sued for damages due to adultery. Do we want to see a return to this sort of thing?

The danger is once the State starts to legislate in the area of whether one can pay for sexual activity, you may see a law that allows for a spouse to seek damages for the other spouse having had sex with an escort. You may see a law that names and shames those who pay for sexual activity. The possibilities are endless.

If you craft your arguments in this way; you will find that people start to think differently.

Regards.

[rover]

Just let us know what we can do to help Pat.


CG