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Pick One
Art Sammler
The latest brainchild from England's meddlesome Labour government is the "Single Equality Act" now being drafted. This is meant to combine several anti-discrimination provisions into one overarching law, forbidding every kind of discrimination in one swoop. Further, discrimination is to be prohibited not only in employment but in the "provision of goods and services". The story
made the papers when Saga Cruises, open only to those over 50, was informed that it would have to abandon its business model:
Saga has been told that the law would require it to offer all cruises, resort and touring holidays and numerous financial products to everyone irrespective of age, unless ministers make some services exempt.
Saga has warned ministers that the company will go under unless it can restrict its services to the over50s. Company insiders said that ministers seemed not to have considered the effect of the law until it was pointed out to them.
But don't worry -- there will still be room for
the right kind of discrimination:
The new Commission for Equalities and Human Rights chairman told MPs that his body should have sweeping powers to permit positive discrimination to prevent jobseekers from migrant communities being disadvantaged.
Freedom means nothing if it does not include the freedom not to do as other people might wish. Freedom means freedom to choose one's associates, and even sometimes to say mean things about people. This is what the nanny staters cannot stand: the idea that someone might use their freedom in a way different from their preferences. They will choose equality over freedom, every time.
Observations
"All are equal - but some are more equal than others." - George Orwell, Animal Farm (1945)
Funny how that one keeps coming back - to the nanny-staters, "all are equal", therefore the nanny-staters are "more equal" and get to impose their views on everyone else, and whichever groups they deem to need to be "more equal" get preferential treatment.
So does that mean a 30 year old gets to play little league baseball? Can a creepy 40 year old be a girl scout? The possibilities here are endless :)
I agree that the law is a bummer, though in the abstract we have laws that prevent one from choosing one's associates (anti-discrimination law). It's unfortunately necessary sometimes, but sweeping things like this are rarely a good idea. Particularly disturbing is that they apparently didn't even bother to think through the consequences.
Laws regarding "choosing one's associates" are always a tricky business.
If you want to have a cruise line that caters only to people over 50 (the example given), there's a possible reason for it.
Then again, there's the age-old problem of "segregation", which for a long while was explained as people exercising their "right to associate."
OJ Simpson was recently kicked out of a restaurant, whose owner didn't want to serve him. Had the owner gone to a random black person, lawsuits might have been filed. Since it was OJ, likely not.
Many restaurants and businesses have a sign relatively prominently displayed, saying "We reserve the right to refuse service." It's a hedge so that if you cause a disruption, they can ask you to leave, but it is always there.
But yeah, the law itself is rather unfortunate. Both in the fact that it's not considering reasonable vs unreasonable restrictions, and the fact that it leaves the hedge for racism disguised as "progressivism."
Ooh, even better.
Theoretically speaking, this would require banks to offer credit cards, loans, and mortgages to 3-year-olds.
And they couldn't stop them from getting drivers' licenses, either.
Alas, what will actually happen is that the government will grant "exceptions" as they see fit -- i.e., to those the ministers support, or who make it worth their while. Government of men, not of laws.
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