Comments on: More laws please, we’re British

By: Heather

Heather — Sat, 02 Feb 2008 12:55:57 +0000

There's a good piece by Marina Hyde in the guardian today, in which she talks about the stop and search proposals. guardian post She suggests the police might try stopping and searching MPs.

Naturally, the parliamentary community would complain of being victimised. MPs might find themselves six times more likely to be arrested than people from less fiddle-prone communities.

By: TW

TW — Fri, 01 Feb 2008 18:13:26 +0000

Thank you all for the excellent comments.

Ric – given the public opinion of “anti-social” behaviour you may well be risking your liberty if you ever came to the green and pleasant land. On the bright side, if you are remotely “reclusive” in Europe it seems you are now fair game for being labelled Maddie McCann’s abductor… (at least by the British press)

JO – good point. There is a threat to our liberties based on an irrational fear. What solutions are possible? Greater public education? Greater public understanding? Better science and logic classes at schools? Would they help? I have no idea. Is it not a case that simply highlighting the threat is in itself the solution? Are we being naive to assume people simply need to be made aware of the creeping police state to put an end to it? I certainly do not think “direct action” is the solution.

bomon – I sort of agree. The only issue I have is that by making the formal recording part of the process, both sides are given an automatic guarantee of its protection. Imagine the situation where Person X is stopped and questioned by the police but no record is made. At a later date Person X can claim they were mistreated and the officer refused to make a record, the police officer has nothing with which to defend himself from the allegation. Likewise, Police Officer Z may conduct un-neccessary, inappropriate stops but refuse to record them – when the “victim” complains the officer could simply deny it. While it is not perfect, making all incidents recordable begins the process of alleviating this.

By: bomon

bomon — Fri, 01 Feb 2008 15:53:51 +0000

In the case of stop only, and not stop and search forms, the police should only fill in the form if either party require it, otherwise it’s just a total waste of time…http://drsrj.blogspot.com/2008/01/data-collections.html

By: JO

JO — Fri, 01 Feb 2008 05:03:31 +0000

Good post.
But though you highlight the threat, you don’t offer any solutions.
I’d be interested to hear them.
JO

By: Ric

Ric — Thu, 31 Jan 2008 23:35:35 +0000

Well, I’m as antisocial as they come. I avoid people as much as possible. Bloody stupid lot, and getting stupider. Must be something in the hotted-up atmosphere. So if I go to Britain will you folk pass a law against me for being antisocial, and engaging in antisocial behavior? Years of misanthropy must have left a mark on me that the police can detect merely by looking at me walking down the street or driving at speed on the highway. I think I shall go spend an hour or two examining myself in the mirror to see if I can spot the mark of misanthropy. Perhaps a little makeup will cover it up and allow me to travel freely in Britain. I do find it comforting that the people of Britain are proving just as stupid and pathetic and weak as their descendants in the American Colonies. Hail Brittania! Hail Busherica!