A couple of days ago, citing bizarre government policies in India, Belgium, Malaysia, Romania, and Spain, I wrote about some “great moments in foreign government.”
Today, we’re going to give special attention to the United Kingdom.
I’m not claiming there’s an above-average level of government stupidity in the United Kingdom (though that’s distinctly possible). Instead, I suspect I simply get exposed to more stories from the U.K.
Whatever the reason, let’s start with this report from the Times.
Plastic stirrers and cotton buds are to be banned alongside straws… The move, expected to come into force as early as next year, is designed to curb “society’s addiction”
to throwaway products, the environment secretary writes… The UK uses 13.2 billion cotton buds a year, more than any other member of the EU, as well as 44.1 billion stirrers and 42 billion straws, according to the World Wide Fund for Nature. …Mr Gove initiated plans last month to require retailers to impose a deposit on plastic bottles and has extended the 5p tax on plastic bags to smaller shops. Moves for an industry levy aimed at reducing the use of products such as takeaway food cartons are also underway in the Treasury.
Apparently, the supposedly conservative government in the United Kingdom thinks this type of green virtue signalling is a way of wooing the tiny collection of misguided Tories who oppose Brexit.
Mr Gove is said to believe that the issue helps reconnect the Conservatives with former supporters angry over Brexit.
Switching topics, here’s a bizarre story from the BBC.
Chelsea Russell, 19, from Liverpool posted the lyric from Snap Dogg’s I’m Trippin’ to pay tribute to a boy who died in a road crash, a court heard. Russell argued it was not offensive… Prosecutors said her sentence was increased from a fine to a community order
“as it was a hate crime.” She was charged after Merseyside Police were anonymously sent a screenshot of her update. …The words Russell used on her account contained a racial label which some people find extremely offensive. …Prosecutor Angela Conlan said Russell’s defence also argued her profile “wasn’t public, but it had been proved in court that anyone could access it and “see the offensive language”. Russell was found guilty… She was given an eight-week community order, place on an eight-week curfew and told to pay costs of £500 and an £85 victim surcharge.
Given my utter lack of cultural awareness, I’ve never heard of Snap Dogg. I’m guessing he’s black, but I could be wrong.
In any event, this absurd story raises a couple of points.
- First, people should have the right to say offensive things.
- Second, it appears that there was no offensive intent.
- Third, this shouldn’t be an issue for government.
I’m sure that there’s still real racism in British society. I hope there is widespread scorn for people who practice that odious version of collectivism. I also support boycotts of private measures to punish unambiguous racists (the ideal goal is to have their minds changed by kindness).
Government should only step in when there’s a threat to life, liberty, or property.
Sadly, the British government is policing speech, perhaps even speech that should be considered totally benign.
Which is a good excuse to post this funny-yet-sad item from Libertarian Reddit.
Speaking of things that are funny and sad, here’s a Reason column on the latest development in the battle to leave Brits totally vulnerable to crime.
It turns out that when you pass laws disarming people in an attempt to prevent violence, criminals who habitually disregard all laws don’t make exceptions for the new rules. In London, crime still thrives despite the U.K.’s tight gun controls and the British political class is now desperately turning its attention to restricting knives.
…Firearms are strictly restricted in the U.K., including a near-total ban on handguns. Nevertheless, “[i]n the 12 months to October 2017, there were 2,500 offences involving guns: a 16 per cent increase on the previous year and a 44 per cent increase on 2014,”… Criminals, it seems, are not averse to committing crimes—including the illegal acquisition of tools that help them commit more crimes. Besides illegal guns, British criminals also use edged weapons… Having failed to disarm criminals with gun controls that they defy, British politicians are now turning their attention to implementing something new and different: knife control. Because criminals will be much more respectful of knife laws than of those targeted at firearms, I guess. …Poundland (the British equivalent of a dollar store) announced last week that it will no longer sell kitchen knives in any of its 850 stores. Similar stores are being slapped with fines for selling knives to minors. British politicians propose banning home delivery of knives and police promote street-corner bins for the surrender of knives.
If you outlaw knives, only outlaws will have knives (in America, we apply that lesson to tanks).
And they’ll also have acid, as noted on Libertarian Reddit.
The cops don’t have the time and energy to concentrate on these real crimes.
Instead, they bust a girl for benignly quoting a bad word. Or they bust homeowners for harming robbers. Or harass employers who commit discrimination by advertising for “reliable” workers.
And apparently Brits also are on guard against the scourge of eggs in the hands of kids. And flour.
How embarrassing.
Today’s collection is even worse than the ones I shared in February and April.
P.S. And let’s not forget the U.K.’s creepy statism and ghoulish government-run healthcare.
[…] Though there are many reasons to question whether U.K. politicians can be trusted to adopt good […]
Not So Free
Haven’t you watched enough football to know the responder always gets flagged.
Especially, if its a Trump supporter.
From political correctness to insanity.
.
To add insult to injury, if you fight back against a criminal, YOU are the one who will go to jail..
many of the migrants re-settled in the UK have brought violent cultural traditions with them… it’s diversity… just not the sort the open borders cabal had in mind… the question is how are the brits going to make it “ok”? how are they going to control kitchen knives and corrosive substances when they are used to murder and disfigure their people…… how do they remain politically correct?
“ATTACKING A TODDLER IN WORCESTER”
Britons profess “shock” at a now-daily phenomenon.
July 24, 2018 Bruce Bawer
https://www.frontpagemag.com/fpm/270832/attacking-toddler-worcester-bruce-bawer
Next step: Rock control. If you’re caught with a rock in your backyard, you go to jail.
So will the UK government next go after music stores that sell Snap Dogg albums. I think Amazon UK is in trouble: https://www.amazon.co.uk/s/ref=nb_sb_noss/259-0787986-8621910?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=snap+dogg
Indeed. In three hundred years future Britons will be digging up their landfills and exclaiming in frustration:”Darn! This would have been perfect soil for our backyard organic tomatoes, …were it not for all them bloody straws!”
Won’t this give knives an aura of desireability? We will soon reach the stage of needing a licence before you can operate your kitchen equipment! But at least Britain doesn’t have Asset Forefeiture laws, or controls on how much hot water you can use…
Why not just outlaw crime? Tell criminals to stop it! As good as any other policy.
and then there is the Tommy Robinson affair…
“UK: Muslim threatens to murder Tommy Robinson and attack his wife with acid”
BY ROBERT SPENCER
https://www.jihadwatch.org/2018/07/uk-muslim-threatens-to-murder-tommy-robinson-and-attack-his-wife-with-acid
personal freedom and free speech are being curtailed in the UK under the umbrella of political correctness… and tolerance… the rule of law is being subverted with consequences yet to be determined… political intrigue abounds…
“Month of Islam and Multiculturalism in Britain: June 2018”
by Soeren Kern
https://www.gatestoneinstitute.org/12695/islam-multiculturalism-britain-june
I will smuggle into the UK and use my earbuds. I might even toss an egg to feel real wicked.
and do you know that the submarine invention is of Spanish origin? either N. Monturiol in 1851 or I. Peral in 1888, and now it happens that a humble decimal point drove to such big, ridicoulous, expensive -as usual- mistake.
Damned bureaucrats!
Hi David: Note that, to be fair, he says the UK is no probably worse than anywhere else in regard to government stupidity, but his current stories all emanate from there.
Enjoy (I guess) 🙂
Don.
P.S. I have still been hesitating about trying full-length golf, but am determined to go tomorrow around 11:30. It should be 102* or higher by that time, so I am sure there will be no one around to see my errant efforts.
From great empire to wheezing on a deathbed.
Since only criminals will be able to cut their meat, Brits will have to gnaw it off the bone.