Racial and Religious Hatred

I have been droning on and on for nearly a year now about my opposition to the government's "Racial and Religious Hatred" proposals, so you would think I would be over the moon this morning about the two defeats in Parliament last night.

In fact I am just confused. I went to a Platform event at the National Theatre last Friday, put on by PEN's "Free Expression is No Offence" campaign at which I am sure that Anthony Lester said that Charles Clarke has accepted the Lords' amendments, yet I am pretty sure that it was the Lords' amendments that last night's rebellions carried through.

I need to look at this in more detail, and won't have time to - what with earning a crust in the week and Wales at Twickenham this weekend - for a while.

Don't put out the bunting yet, I am far from certain that it was not merely a Phyrric victory.