Making the news today....

[Mark J]

 

10 minutes ago, kevinjohnsonmbe said:

 

 

That is the cohort I was being critical of - but you absolutely knew that already treacle...  

 

I'm (probably / almost) as concerned as you probably are with the potential for new restrictions on the right to protest but I'm not constrained by thinking it is only 'unjust' for the type of protest that I might be sympathetic too - it has to apply equally to all regardless of how personally disinterested one might be in the subject of the protest.

Thanks for clearing that up honey,

It's good that people from across the political spectrum agree that the new 'Police' bill is a cause for alarm.

Edited March 21, 2021 by Mark J

[agg221]

4 hours ago, Mick Dempsey said:

Just because you don’t like holidays doesn’t mean others don’t. 
I think reckless gamble is over dramatizing it a bit.

 

I think if you’re vaccinated and it’s a low risk country then it should be ok.

I hope so.

 

Unlike many on this forum, my job is desk-based, so I have had no choice but to work from home for the past year. I therefore have no interest in taking time off work to sit and look at the same four walls.

 

I have school age children and my wife is a teacher, so I am tied to school holidays.

 

Last year, I took two weeks off in total (and that mostly includes weekends and Bank Holidays too, and does include working straight through Christmas). It reached the point last summer where I didn't care where we went, what we did or how much it cost - I just needed to stop and actually enjoy something. My wife booked something on the Wednesday, we flew on the Saturday and I found out where we were were going when we got to the airport. We went to Rhodes for a fortnight - sun, warm sea, good food, no work whatsoever.

 

Europe may be just entering another lockdown - we haven't even come out of one. For all practical purposes relating to deriving any pleasure from life (unless what you want out of life is to sit and watch the television or walk around a shopping centre), lockdown continues until at least mid-May, so at least five months which is significantly longer than the first one. Timing is about the same as last year on mainland Europe for going in to lockdown, but there are fewer vulnerable people (sadly) and some vaccination has happened so it would seem reasonable that it will open up again on the same timeframe as last year and a summer break may be possible. Otherwise it looks like I will be taking even fewer days off than last year.

 

Alec

[kevinjohnsonmbe]

1 hour ago, Mark J said:

 

Thanks for clearing that up honey,

It's good that people from across the political spectrum agree that the new 'Police' bill is a cause for alarm.

You know I’m no fan of centrally imposed government Mark. 
 

The prospective new measures are (or should be) a cause for alarm to (what I think is) the vast majority of those with any inclination towards lawful protest. 
 

The trouble is, things evolve and those with a mind to push the boundaries of lawfulness will do just that. 
 

Take XR MO for example. At the point where one person’s right to lawful protest prevents another person from going about their lawful business we find ourselves with a situation where those that seek to exercise their rights impinge upon the rights of others - you see the dichotomy I’m sure. 
 

We’re probably closer to being on the same page than might immediately be apparent 👍🏻

[openspaceman]

2 hours ago, kevinjohnsonmbe said:

I'm (probably / almost) as concerned as you probably are with the potential for new restrictions on the right to protest but I'm not constrained by thinking it is only 'unjust' for the type of protest that I might be sympathetic too - it has to apply equally to all regardless of how personally disinterested one might be in the subject of the protest.

Interesting synchronicity, the current policing bill going through parliament is ambiguously  worded, ostensibly it's to allow the police to deal with illegal travellers' parking up but the interpretation could be far more wide ranging. Trespass has been a civil offence  for a long time and I think this act will make much innocent trespassing a criminal offence, such as detouring around an obstruction on a right of way or unblocking a footpath.

 

Open letter to the Home Secretary and Secretary of State for Justice

FRIENDSOFTHEEARTH.UK

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Read the open letter calling for the Home Secretary and Secretary of State for Justice to urge the government to...

 

I admit being a bit sceptical about whether travellers should have freedom to litter the countryside but...

[Mark J]

52 minutes ago, kevinjohnsonmbe said:

You know I’m no fan of centrally imposed government Mark. 
 

The prospective new measures are (or should be) a cause for alarm to (what I think is) the vast majority of those with any inclination towards lawful protest. 
 

The trouble is, things evolve and those with a mind to push the boundaries of lawfulness will do just that. 
 

Take XR MO for example. At the point where one person’s right to lawful protest prevents another person from going about their lawful business we find ourselves with a situation where those that seek to exercise their rights impinge upon the rights of others - you see the dichotomy I’m sure. 
 

We’re probably closer to being on the same page than might immediately be apparent 👍🏻

Therein lies the rub. If protesting against silly things like HS2 prevents the contactors going about their lawful business, then the fuzz are free to go in mob-handed, whether they want to or not.
Which is worrying.

Edited March 21, 2021 by Mark J

[kevinjohnsonmbe]

46 minutes ago, Mark J said:

Therein lies the rub. If protesting against silly things like HS2 prevents the contactors going about their lawful business, then the fuzz are free to go in mob-handed, whether they want to or not.
Which is worrying.

Well, yes. HS2, Sheffield street trees, Newbury bypass, Greenham Common, Faslane ‘peace’ camp....

 

Trouble is, if it is a lawful activity it is lawful because our government and laws have made it so. 
 

Whatever the passion of the protest cause - and the apathy of the masses - ‘protest’, when it becomes obstruction, is unlawful. 
 

On a very small scale, I’ve had exactly that kind of (attempted) obstruction on a site clearance. It was all perfectly kosher but a neighbour objected and got in the way.
 

Funnily enough he delighted in telling me he used to be a magistrate. 
 

I delighted even more in telling him if he didn’t foxtrot oscar I’d have absolutely no hesitation in removing him from the private property work site (for his own safety) and inviting the Rozzers to attend and re-brief him 😂

[Mark J]

6 minutes ago, kevinjohnsonmbe said:

Well, yes. HS2, Sheffield street trees, Newbury bypass, Greenham Common, Faslane ‘peace’ camp....

 

Trouble is, if it is a lawful activity it is lawful because our government and laws have made it so. 
 

Whatever the passion of the protest cause - and the apathy of the masses - ‘protest’, when it becomes obstruction, is unlawful. 
 

On a very small scale, I’ve had exactly that kind of (attempted) obstruction on a site clearance. It was all perfectly kosher but a neighbour objected and got in the way.
 

Funnily enough he delighted in telling me he used to be a magistrate. 
 

I delighted even more in telling him if he didn’t foxtrot oscar I’d have absolutely no hesitation in removing him from the private property work site (for his own safety) and inviting the Rozzers to attend and re-brief him 😂

Aye, the change to trespass is a big concern.

It's a tricky situation. 

Magistrates are generally wankers.

 

[nepia]

There have been several offences of criminal trespass for many years but confined to very specific circumstances

 

Criminal Law Act 1977

WWW.LEGISLATION.GOV.UK

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An Act to amend the law of England and Wales with respect to criminal conspiracy; to make new provision in that law, in...

 

[Stubby]

1 hour ago, Mark J said:

Magistrates are generally wankers.

 

I remember playing squash against one in a club tournament once . I had driven him to the back of the court  on the backhand side he just managed to scramble one out that hit the front wall and sat up in front of me , stood on the T . I stroked it into the forehand corner about a fag paper above the tin and it rolled out of the nick . He called a let , still stood in the backhand corner . Wanker .

[monkeybusiness]

Suffolk: 83 suspected stolen dogs recovered in police raid

WWW.GOOGLE.CO.UK

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Police are now trying to find the owners a year after dog thefts spiralled in the first lockdown.

There is no way anybody on that site could have been ‘unaware’ of 83 stolen dogs. Thieving scum.