Porn, porn, porn.

Porn used to be so hard to come by in this country.
Pre internet films, books and magazines were often smuggled into the country and some were legally sold in special interest clubs and stores. This is still the case when it come to what is called hard core porn. Which basically boils down to if there is a female genital image
or an image of an erect penis.

It’s funny that the powers that be will say oh we aren’t banning a film it’s just not certified for sale as it hasn’t been classified. Playboy was banned here for 35 years and only went back on sale in 15 Dec 1995 and that was the start of more ‘adult’ publications. A lot of the censorship is the soft kind were things just are not available, that they were not brought into the country as there didn’t seem to be a market for it.

There were always dodgy ads in the back of some of the ‘adult’ publications but you never really knew what you were buying or who from, or else it was a trip to one of those tiny, ill lit, seedy shops which had heavy curtains and you needed to ring the door bell to be let in and try and browse what limited goods they had, all the while you were scrutinised by some guy who was either looking at you or flicking through a magazine at the till.

Hardly a comfortable way to to shopping for ‘personal’ items or those which reflects your personal tastes or interests.

The internet changed that dramatically.

It started when images could be easily uploaded and embedded.
You no longer needed to buy a magazine and then video, both pay sites and free ones with amateurs with now porntube and redtube patterning themsevles after youtube. Shopping became so much easier as well, with online shopping offering discretion and guarantees.

I would say that many of the leaps forward in regards to sex and sexuality in this country have been due to the access which the internet offers us.

And at the moment that is under attack due to the pressure being put on Irish I.S.P. by the music industry lobbyists to suspend service to any one accused of downloading music torrents.