Everyone agrees it’s time to get rid of the word ‘insulting’ from the Public Order Act

 
‘(1) A person is guilty of an offence if he:
(a) uses threatening, abusive or insulting words or behaviour, or disorderly behaviour, or
(b) displays any writing, sign or other visible representation which is threatening, abusive or insulting.’



—Section 5, Public Order Act 1986

Do you ever growl at dogs? It’s something I’ve been known to do while out and about. I like dogs in general, but some breeds are given to facial expressions which annoy me. Labradors, for example, always seem to me complacent and self-righteous, especially the yellow ones. I sometimes growl at them in order to disturb their evident self-satisfaction, or yap quietly to see how they react. Alsatians, too, always seem a bit too bloody sure of themselves for my liking. And I can never look at a Weimaraner without getting the impression that it despises me for some reason; there is something about those milky eyes which betokens contempt.