Well, it seems that the law, in the august personage of Perth sheriff Richard MacFarlane, considers it such a danger to public order that he feels obliged to lock away, effectively indefinitely (*), a man whose only crime is that he wishes to walk the length of the country the way his Maker (+) made him.
This seems completely crazy to me. I have no desire whatsoever to parade the highways naked, but if Stephen Gough wants to risk catching his death of cold, even in a British summer, then my attitude is - let him get on with it! What harm is he doing to anyone? Surely such extreme prudishness went out when our Sovereign Lady, Queen Victoria I, shuffled off this mortal coil more than a century ago? And she was, by all accounts, a bit of a 'raver' in Her youth, despite the seeming prudishness of Her later years.
(*) He was re-arrested within 30 seconds of his last release because he walked nude from the gate of the prison to Edinburgh Road, and shows no sign of 'recanting' or conforming to what the Sheriff requires - and why should he?
(+) If you believe in a 'Maker' and other 'sky fairy' concepts.
I agree completely. I cannot believe the hypocrisy of the sheriff who, after telling him what a drain on public funds sending him to prison is, promptly jailed him for a year.
ReplyDeleteAha - Goughy's at it again, is he? He had a girlfriend last time.
ReplyDeleteDid he? Doesn't he still, for all we know?
ReplyDeleteWhat interests me much more, to be honest, is how they cope with him in prison. Does he wear clothes there, or is he permitted to go naked - or indeed is he kept 'in solitary' so as not to upset staff or other prisoners? In any case, it's a waste of public money to keep him 'caged' ( to use a deplorable 'Daily Record'-style term) when he could be providing harmless amusement to citizens he comes across during his travels.
Sadly our society is not as 'matter of fact' or open as it could be or should be. Many people do feel quite uncomfortable when faced with issues of 'personal' health or nakedness.
ReplyDeleteWe should not forget the input of the advertising industry, which in some cases preys on people's insecurities and distorts body image;it is no wonder that many people cannot relate in a positve way to what they were born with.
As a family we are open about these matters and I am reasonably positive that they are getting better at tackling issues under 'personal and social development' schools.
This Sheriff obviously has nothing better to do with his time. What a waste of our money and of his freedom.
ReplyDeleteForgive this OT promotion but please support Man in a Shed’s “Silly Week” next week. Logos are available at his site.
ReplyDeleteAre you implying my posts are not silly enough already? - LOL. And I thought I was doing so well ;)
ReplyDeleteIf you cast your mind back, Ray Stevens got it pretty well right in the the Streak. 'Don't look Ethel' was the strap line.
ReplyDelete