Bully for who?

Any supporter of the proposed new Hate Crime Bill

or anyone wavering about it really should track down The Simpsons season 26, episode 21, “Bull-e”. If you have the Disney+, it can be found there.

In summary, Marge gets fed up with her son Bart being bullied at school and proposes to the Springfield Town Council that it should pass an Anti-bullying Law. This it does unanimously. What happens then is the fulfilment of the law of

unintended consequences as Police Chief Wiggum proceeds to arrest anyone who could even remotely be considered to be carrying out an act of bullying, including his own deputy whose crime is to put his name on his lunch box so Wiggum wouldn’t steal it, so bullying the Chief (in his view).

There are other odd examples, but anyone could report anyone for saying or doing anything to them that they don’t like. Sound familiar? Apart from the comedic aspects, this show highlights the salutary and prescient message (it first aired in 2015) that trying to control people’s behaviour through the law doesn’t always work.

I’m certain the Hate Crime Bill will also have unintended consequences if passed into law.

WILLIAM HAMILTON Lanark Road, Edinburgh