The UK government plans to keep the ancient blasphemy law which supposedly protects the Christian faith. given the way the media and society in general treats the Christian religion, I am surprised that this has any bearing at all.

I don’t see a reason to keep it – it does potentially stifle religious debate, and Christianity doesn’t need protecting like this. Every religion has its enemies; let’s level the playing field in this country and let every faith stand for itself.

There have only been two convictions under the law; one in 1922 when John William Gott was sentenced to nine months’ hard labour for comparing Jesus with a circus clown, and the other in 1972 when Mary Whitehouse brought a successful private prosecution against Gay News over a poem it printed depicting Christ as a promiscuous homosexual. I’m not sure what this law hopes to achieve, even if it is acted upon.