Scottish National Party seeks Bill to strip “friends of sex offenders” of their titles
The Scottish National Party is pushing a “Removal of Peerages Bill” that would strip people who are friends of people who were registered sex offenders of their noble title. In the UK, nobility is recognized with a title such as Duke, Earl, or Baron. After it was discovered that some people in British nobility remained friends with Jeffrey Epstein even after his conviction for solicitation of prostitution from a minor, the Party is trying to pass a bill that would punish people with removal of their titles.
Guilt by Association Has No Place in a Free Society! This bill should alarm anyone who values basic fairness and the rule of law. Punishing people for who they associate with, rather than for what they themselves have done, is a dangerous step backward for a democratic society.
We do not, and should not, punish parents for the crimes of their children, spouses for the crimes of their partners, or friends for the crimes of their friends. Responsibility in a free society is personal, not transferable. Friendships are often complex, longstanding, and rooted in history that predates any wrongdoing. If someone has been a lifelong friend to another person, are they expected to erase decades of shared history because that person committed a crime? And what if that friend has served their sentence, expressed remorse, and worked to rebuild their life? Are we now to demand that everyone cut them off forever?
We say we believe in rehabilitation. We say we believe people can change. But those words ring hollow if we create a culture where anyone who supports, mentors, or simply remains in contact with a rehabilitated person is themselves punished. How is someone supposed to reintegrate into society if the message is that no one is allowed to stand by them without risking their own livelihood, reputation, or status?
Support is not endorsement. Standing by a person does not mean excusing their actions. It can mean believing in accountability, growth, and redemption. In fact, strong social support is one of the most important factors in reducing re offending and helping people lead law-abiding lives. Policies that encourage total social isolation do not make society safer.
There is also a troubling slippery slope. What about friendships with political dissidents? A liberal democrat who was friends with a MAGA Republican? Once the state claims the power to punish citizens based on their associations, the line becomes alarmingly easy to move.
We can — and should — condemn crimes. We can demand accountability. We can insist on transparency and ethical conduct from those in public life. But we should not abandon the foundational idea that people are responsible for themselves, not for the sins of others. A system that demands permanent shunning is not a system of justice — it is a system of exile. And exile, by association, has no place in a free and fair society.
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This comes as no surprise. Germany is simply taking some pages from big daddy USAs how to be a tyrant playbook..The United States punishes not only the registered sex offender (RSO) but also their friends and family.
My first wife lost her job as a nurse simply because she was married to an RSO.
Does any of the facts not contradict the U.S. Supreme Court’s repeated claim that the sex offender registry is merely a non-punitive “Costco membership” (or similar analogy)—a civil regulatory measure rather than punishment?
Everyone including the supreme court toilet knows the reality..The reality is the registry is vindictive and highly punitive. It severely impacts:
The individual required to register,
Their spouse,
Their children,
Friends,
Family members,
Employers,
Employees,
Pastors, and anyone not listed associated with them. You become a leper pariah.
It is so volatile that it even harms neighbors and people who happen to share a similar name, even if they have no connection to the registered person!!
This is further evidence that the government prioritizes protecting its own corrupt interests over actually safeguarding anyone. Shocker right?
Should we really be shocked by the behavior when they are just following the good ole USA example? consider some of the USA government history gems that includes:
Dropping nuclear waste on its own citizens,
Injecting people with STDs without consent,
Forcing children to swallow radiation pills,
And exempting itself from disclosure when its officials are linked to sexual predators on Epstein Island?
The core argument is that sex offender registries impose broad, lasting collateral consequences far beyond any legitimate public safety purpose, extending punishment to innocent associates and reflecting deeper governmental hypocrisy. Yet some really can’t read the room..Some still think it will get better…
What does Germany have to do with the article? Did I miss something and Scottland swear allegience to Germany or vise versa.
While I agree with you on the fact that the registry is a punishment, It is imperative that we keep the facts straight and not run a false narrative of our own.
Germany ,Really? James, you are right. I went back in time recently (Winter 2025) in that country, and the EU! Passport Control stamped me in without a second glance, the same when leaving, regardless of our government’s statement on the first page of my passport. The time spent in Germany and the EU took me back over twenty years, reminding me of a country I use to live, but then I returned. I returned to secondary passport control, and second, maybe lower, class citizen in The United States. Germany does not deserve to be in this conversation.
So you are in favor of the proposed legislation, as suggested by your Epstein comment, but it’s hard to tell. You bring up a lot of topics.
So Prince Andrew should be stripped of his title and all of his royal family should be stripped of their titles as well?
Andrew WAS stripped of his title, wasn’t he?
Yes. He is the Andrew formerly known as Prince.
I’m sure that this idea sounded good in somebody’s head, but how Orwellian can you get?
Unfortunately, this is nothing more than an articulation of the popular mood prevalent across much of society at this time inregards to people on the registry. I have been on the registry since day one of its creation on October 1st 1997 and I can assure you that friends, family and employers have all been confronted and rejected simply because of their mere association with me. Even this very week, a friend I had not seen in years was passing through we decided to go for a nice hike together. He told me that friends of his back home work extremely upset that he was associating with me after he shared some of my art with them. They looked my name up on the internet and immediately hated me and spoke out on. These friends openly questioned his integrity of how he can be friends with someone like me. These are people that I have never met, live in a city hundreds of miles away and we’re not involved in any way with what happened back in 1997 but here they are freshly angered and on the warpath simply because I exist at all. I did not create this situation. The government has created this situation. The government is responsible for the mental instability these people are experiencing because of their exposure to triggering data. I have experienced this type of blowback on many many occasions and have come to the unfortunate conclusion that I might be in the post-friendship phase of my life. Don’t get me wrong I do have friends but as far as meeting new people is concerned or spending a lot of time hanging around or going to parties or any of that kind of thing the answer is absolutely not. The strong reactions that the registry elicits in some people says more about them than it does about me. I have atoned for my sins many years ago in ways that few people could ever imagine or endure. This hatred against us is spreading. If the United States Constitution really meant anything we wouldn’t be in this mess at all. We would have a rational and evidence-based system that protected everybody and insures Justice, safety and social stability. Instead, we have one huge hate fest to keep the average citizen off balance while the larger political arena careens into abject corruption and authoritarianism. It’s going to be a long year folks…….
If someone you consider your friend forsakes you because you have a criminal past then they are NOT your firiend, but an only a ‘fair weather’ associate.
People who do such things and break ties with someone over their past or the sway of others is not a loss on your or anyone’s part..
All that glitters is not gold.
A true friend accepts you flaws and all.