Sunday 14 March 2010

Smoky-drinky update.

The stolen child's foster parents seem to be good ones. They've even taken him on a hundred-mile round trip to visit his granny. The SS have hinted that the little lad might be returned to his parents within a few weeks. I don't know what conditions they've imposed but since they've moved to a different town, they'll have a different SS official dealing with them. That might be all it took.

I have made some headway with a couple of 'We vote SNP because we always have' types (these are not academic gatherings). They are now considering not voting for any party that hates them simply because they like a smoke and a drink. Voting for someone whose stated aim is the destruction of everything you enjoy is not a good idea.

That thought is spreading slowly. Too slowly.

Someone came up with the 'you cannot touch a criminal' line that is being indoctrinated into the population gradually. There are still quite a few who remember the 'citizen's arrest' and are now wondering what happened to that.

I took along some F2C leaflets. Too much reading and too small print for the whisky-soaked but I left them there.

A few, at least, are starting to think. There's not much time left though. May 6th is looming.

9 comments:

Anonymous said...

Not sure about that "you can't touch a criminal". To most of my contemporaries, that now means "if you are attacked, you must ensure the criminal(s) are dead, and be careful not to leave any DNA".

Perhaps this is a deliberate ploy by the govt to prevent criminals from using up prison spaces?

Gareth said...

"Someone came up with the 'you cannot touch a criminal' line that is being indoctrinated into the population gradually. There are still quite a few who remember the 'citizen's arrest' and are now wondering what happened to that."

Ask the Police.

Although they say the law is complex it doesn't appear to be. If you behave reasonably in detaining a perp, a suspected perp or someone who may be about to become a perp (or hurt themselves), you should be okay.

What is reasonable is the key* - Did you stay calm? Did you call the Police at the first available opportunity? Even if you got the wrong person, were your suspicions fair given the circumstances? That sort of thing.

The Police and CPS will be mindful to put you through the wringer for 6 months though. Can't have the public making them look silly now can we.


* It is not what the Police thinks is reasonable but what the Courts see as reasonable and I'm inclined to think the Courts are marginally more in tune with the public than the Police. The Police want people always looking to a uniform for help.

Peter said...

Thought you might mind this dreadful and biased survey interesting.

http://www.londondrinkdebate.co.uk/survey/

Peter

Anonymous said...

Just spent an afternoon at the in-laws with some remarkable success on the “don’t vote for any of the big three” tag. Most hadn’t thought about things that way (i.e. a way of breaking the monopoly and only having to put up with a year or two of chaos for the privilege) but were certainly very open to the idea, the mother-in-law was still rather wedded to the “I’m going to have to vote Tory to get rid of this lot” but I think she’ll come round after thinking about it a bit, one brother-in-law was of the “they all lie through their teeth, so I’m not voting, full stop” persuasion, and I don’t think he saw the point at all, so no success there, but one sister-in-law announced that she hadn’t in the past 20 years ever voted for any of the big three (good girl!) and would continue voting for any small parties fielding a candidate because she had so little faith in any of the big ones. So maybe, slowly – very slowly – people are catching on. We can but hope.

Leg-iron said...

Anon - that 'you can't let them leave alive' attitude is widespread. I mean, it's not as if the burglar is likely to have told anyone where he was going.

So widespread is it that I have to wonder if there aren't a few shallow graves out there in the woods already.

Leg-iron said...

Gareth - what the courts seem to see as reasonable is simply how much money they can get out of you. They've become revenue collection points.

Anon #2 - People don't see where the laws come from. They think the pubs are ejecting smokers and the councils are making the anti-terror laws. Keep pointing out to people that evidence of how our elected representatives see us, and maybe it will spread.

Leg-iron said...

Peter - I couldn't do the survey. It only goes up to 8 units a day.

Looks like one of those 'third hand smoke' surveys. Along the lines of 'Do you agree that third hand smoke is real?', said in a tone that implies you'd be an idiot to say 'no'.

How long before CAMRA find themselves branded 'extreme right-wing'?

banned said...

Best wishes in dealing with the Social Stasi for the return of your friends son.

Leg-iron said...

I've never yet heard of one being sent home. Although this case does seem like a particularly spiteful SS official, who they are now clear of.

The SS would never admit to a mistake or a spiteful act by one of their own. They'll make it look like 'normal process'.

Of course, if the child doesn't come back after they've been promised, well things could get lively.

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