'Have you paid for pornography?' poll discussion

The UK adult industry is being strangled by outdated laws that are simply bypassed by our European competitors. Forgetting the moral arguments for a moment:-

Hardcore !!!!!! is ONLY *legally* available from a licensed sex shop.
Mail-order from magazines/websites or any other electronic distribution mechanism is technically illegal and some of the biggest names in the adult industry (Interfact,ABS,Apollo,Net1on1,Scala etc to name a few) wont supply via mail order due to the risk of prosecution - well covered under the video recordings act, obscene publications act and distance selling regulations to name a few.

Our international competitors dont care - they mail-order in from Holland,Spain,Germany AND it doesnt have to be BBFC licensed, so no R18 required. That means that ANYONE can buy hardcore DVDs, unrestricted in their content from Euro and American suppliers direct. Thats a huge disadvantage for the UK industry, tax revenues, control etc. The BBFC never get to see the material, so cant control it. Only rarely do the police get their hands on - but it's a fraction of what gets through.

Allowing UK publishers/distributors and retailers to sell mail order (with controls of course) would generate in excess of £175mn a year in tax revenue for the UK - starting overnight. Instead, all that revenue is lost to overseas competitors.
I shant rant on about electronic disrtibution/internet/late night satellite shows - thats even worse in terms of the UK imbalance.
Time for a level playing field.