have we lost our freedom all together?

[machighlander]

i dont believe some of the posts in here and how this thread is touching on becoming a personal vendetta and a platform for the pro and anti PC brigade. grow up folks and reply to the original post in context, either that or take the s**t talk elsewhere. if ye dont like what is posted, then dont reply, simple.

cheers.

 

[Guest]

If it is the season of goodwill, then you have never experienced a true British Xmas. What with the 'rellies' fighting over who got what, and the turkey probably being uncooked because someone forgot to put in in the oven on time, and then of course the fight for the Sales. It is probably the Season of Ungoodwill, and until the population forgets about material things, it will never change.

Of course we all join in and play the game, because we have to. But the pleasure of seeing a small child get a present, that maybe did not cost the earth, and the delight, makes it all worth while. However, when people stop thinking Xmas is merely an opportunity to buy garbage at reduced prices, then maybe we will get to the Season of Goodwill.

One answer is to remove all television and the mind destroying garbage that they produce, and yet the great unwashed masses love it. Get people back to actually talking to each other instead of gabbling into mobile phones, or stuffing their faces with crisps as they watch some idiot behaving like an absolute idiot. Of course 90% of them would then not know what to say, and .....get bored.

As for the Plods, they have only themselves to blame for the opinion held by most of the law abiding populace. If they stopped trying to tick boxes, for bonuses of course, and returned to doing what they were hired for, then they would stop being objects of ridicule. It used to be the case that you could approach a PC for even a chat, nowadays you are so concerned that you may be deemed suspicious, and maybe arrested for some trifling matter that nobody bothers. About a year or so ago, I was at the airport and our 6 am flight was suddenly cancelled. No warning, no information. Of course we were all a bit unhappy and wanted to know what was going to happen. On approaching the check in desk we found that the checkin staff were behind 2 Plods all carrying sub machine guns and the Plods were advising everyone that no questions, or concerns were allowed. Guns were displayed prominently. For goodness sake all the passengers wanted to know was when we would likely fly out, not lynch the staff, but the Plods knew better. Bet they all went home and laughed with their wives how they managed to scare a bunch of idiotic passengers. By the way we eventually did fly out at 9 pm, after watching all the subsequent flights take off on time and had to stay in hotels in Amsterdam., and no, it was not BA for once.

So, my opinion of the Plods is that I trust them just as far as my lawyer tells me.

 

[LMH]

Well, well. I can't believe you are so anti police SL. Here's just two examples of dealings with the police (which according to you could have got me arrested maybe).

1. Whilst on a pro hunting demonstration outside the Houses of Parliament, I was walking back to my coach and on my walk back, I saw two police officers (both holding sub machine guns). As I approached (carrying my placard and wearing an anti Blair T Shirt), they asked me 'are you pro hunting then?' To which I replied 'yes'. 'Where have you travelled from?' was their next question. I told them and we had a 15 minute chat about hunting. There was no malice or anything, no fears of my being arrested. And why should there have been?

2. This year at Appleby Horse Fair (along with 40,000 gypsies), I was standing by the river with my dog (which as you know is a SBT). I don't know how it happened but two male police officers starting talking to me, they made a fuss of my dog. An American tourist came up and stroked my dog. She asked me 'that's a pitbull right?' to which I replied 'No, its a SBT, pitbulls, or pit bull types are illegal in this country'.

Now according to you, I could have been marched down to the police station for 1. being a protester and 2. for potentially owing an illegal breed of dog.

QUOTE:It used to be the case that you could approach a PC for even a chat, nowadays you are so concerned that you may be deemed suspicious, and maybe arrested for some trifling matter that nobody bothers.UNQUOTE

SL, lighten up, you must have had a bad experience with the plods because otherwise, I can't understand why you are so suspicious of them.

Lisa

oh. and Merry Christmas and if you've got snow, please send some down here.

 

[Entwood]

Well .. as this thread seems to have turned into a "debate the police" thread, rather than a "why was she stopped" thread ....

How many of you actually bothered to look at the link I published in the second post ???

Perhaps if you did, this petty squabbling would be put into pespective .... petty.

 

[LMH]

Well .. as this thread seems to have turned into a "debate the police" thread, rather than a "why was she stopped" thread ....

How many of you actually bothered to look at the link I published in the second post ???

Perhaps if you did, this petty squabbling would be put into pespective .... petty.

I don't think there's any squabbling going on, I think at the moment a healthy debate is ongoing.

I've looked at it. It's a pity they can't show something like that over here but at 5 minutes it's too long for the public to hold interest I'm afraid.

Lisa

 

[LMH]

don't think there's any squabbling going on, I think at the moment a healthy debate is ongoing.

I've looked at it. It's a pity they can't show something like that over here but at 5 minutes it's too long for the public to hold interest I'm afraid.

Lisa

 

[Chris_374413356]

Thank you all for replying to this very emotive thread and in a way I agree with you all.

When my wife was stopped, only 400 yards from home, firstly, she was shocked that she was stopped and immediately thought she must have done something wrong and when she was asked to take a breath test she was even more shocked. She arrived home quite shaken and not best pleased.

I can understand you saying, if you haven't done anything what's the problem, but at the time that doesn't seem relevant.

 

[Steve L]

Personally I have no time what so ever for any person young or old who believes that they can drive a vehicle while over the drink drive limit.

The problem that the police suffer with today is that not only have we got budding alcoholics on the roads but also pill popping flue remedy chomping druggies too.

I amazes me just how many people drive while feeling under the weather with colds etc.

So it isn't suprising that the inter plods do spot checks. But they realy don't help their cause by uping the anti at christmas and being almost invisable for the remaining 11 months of the year. Also attitude has a part to play as well. Why not try explaining them selves rather than comming across balshy.

I was stopped in mid wales at sennybridge at 3am one new years day morning, following a party at the wife's brothers. Now a simple PNC check revealed the car was registered at Leominster 50+ miles away. Car being driven with wife totally bladdered in passenger seat and two children asleep in the back, plus two dogs in the boot. Naturally I had been on the caffine all night as I was driving. When the cop approaches I simply asked that he respect that we had two kids asleep in the back and there were dogs in the car. What did he do? Immediately shine his powerfull torch into the back passenger area, startling the dogs who woke the kids and started what must of looked like a riot. Now as we were parked under a street light it wa seasy to see who was in the car!!

So as you can imagine, I was less than impressed !!

See, commonsense policing didn't exist even in 1988, so why do we expect any better today?

Steve L.

 

[chris_374398963]

I agree with the police on this one but next year the law changes when you will only to have one pint and you are over the limit

 

[xtrailman]

From a couple of the posts above, the tunnel vision, certainly explains why plod have such trouble enforcing the law.

Looking down your nose at others, who prefer a different life style, only shows yourself in a poor light.

nit picking at plod for going though the motions, required to perform his duty, certainly makes one aware, that there are some strange people around.

If we were all the same, what a boring world we would live in.

It would be like an eternal summer, day after day of just the same?

 

[ProfJohnL]

Drinking and driving to any level is mugs game.

In my younger days I worked as a porter at a hospital with and A+E department. The twisted bodies and ruined lives that I witnessed frequently following a drink related incident was very thought provoking, and since then I have always been very moderate in how much I drink, and very careful not drive whilst under the influence.

What has become clear to me is that whilst there may be a legal limit to the amount of alcohol you can have before being officially drunk in charge of a motor vehicle, there is a wide variance to how much a person is impaired by a given amount of alcohol.

The worrying concern is that many drinkers think they can consume the legal amount and still be fit to drive, but the very fact they have consumed alcohol impairs their ability to make a good assessment of their ability.

Steve L in his last opening paragraph says "Personally I have no time what so ever for any person young or old who believes that they can drive a vehicle while over the drink drive limit." But does that mean he has no problem with people drinking to just below the limit?

The only safe way to avoid being impaired by alcohol and other dimming substances is not to use them at all.

I for one would support a total ban on drinking when driving.

It would help if the owners of licences premises would show some sense in the charges they make for soft drinks.

How can a pub justify a charged of

 

[Dustydog]

I really cannot see the need to drink and drive at all.

I'm with John L on drive and no drink.

Would you want to fly in a plane with a pilot who had had a few drinks?? No thankyou.

Back to Chris's OP. Let's hope the police can continue their campaign against drink & drive and remove as many of the morons as possible from our roads.

Cheers

Dustydog

 

[Parksy]

As John mentioned pubs charge rip off prices for soft drinks but one way to avoid paying sky high prices is to order soda water and cordial.

Most licensed premises don't charge for soda water so a shot of blackcurrant or orange cordial is all that you normally pay for.

Soda and cordial makes a reasonably passable non alcoholic beverage

 

[Lord Braykewynde]

There should be zero tolerance regarding drink/driving and random breath tests should be carried out throughout the year, no alcohol whatsoever. By the random breath tests it might stop those who think it's alright to get blathered and then drive first thing in the morning. For those who continue to stick their fingers up to those who abide by the law and use mobile phones while driving it should be a minimum

 

[landypete]

Dear chris i wonder if your good lady wife had felt the same if she had been delayd by a RTA involving a drunk driver in my work as h.g.v driver i have seen many RTAs that have been fatal and i have been involved in one when a drunk driver went into to the back of my wagon at over 50mph on the a38 derby and fire servies had to cut the car up to get him out so i have every respect for the police stop checks if it can stop another waste of life

 

[Phillipcharnwoodforest]

well, I've read this twice now and I still can't find any argument that some one can put forward for not allowing random stop and breath test. Many years ago when I was still in the motor trade I worked for a company who carried out vehicle recovery, including heavy recovery and I of course had to take my turn on the rotor to carry this out. The amount of injuries and some times even fatalities that I saw was very unpleasant so for the emergency services it was awfull.

What about the other experience that I have with people who are driving after drinking, my son was at the time only 4 years old and was walking with my wife on the footpath holding her hand. A car came out of the pub car park about 100 yards behind them and vierd onto the path and hit my son throwing him in the air and sending him up along the path. He was as you can imagine hurt his left leg badly, fortunatly that was just about his only injury. He was in hospital for 16 weeks, about 20 miles away from home and only me that could drive at the time so not a great deal of day time visits for him.

The driver was breath tested and was way over the drink drive limit.

Now tell me that it's wrong for the police to carry out random tests even all year round, 'coz if you do then it just shows the regard you have for other people and there safety.

Matter finished.

 

[emmerson2]

Parksy, whilst I abhor drink-driving in any form, if you visit a pub, then the landlord is entitled to make money from your visit. To sit in his bar, with a drink on which he makes nothing, is expecting rather a lot.

I agree that IN SOME PUBS, soft drinks are extortionately priced, but the gaffer has to pay his overheads somehow.The drink-drive laws have cut into the poor guys profits, as people who perhaps would have drunk three pints, now only drink one, but occupy his premises for the same length of time.

As LB and others have said, cut the limit to zero, then we all know exactly how much we can drink before driving.

I shall drive down to our nearest pub tonight, have perhaps three or four pints,and walk home, but the car will stay there till tomorrow. It's a mile walk home on a road with no lights, but better that than no licence at best, or no life at worst.

 

[SteveW77]

I shall drive down to our nearest pub tonight, have perhaps three or four pints,and walk home, but the car will stay there till tomorrow. It's a mile walk home on a road with no lights, but better that than no licence at best, or no life at worst.

Try that where I live and I can almost gaurantee that the car won't be there in the morning.

While taxis charge

 

[landypete]

I totaly stand by you with wotyou say phillip. if you like a drink at night at home or at the pub just DONT DRIVE

 

[Parksy]

I'm lucky enough to have several pubs within walking distance although my favourite one is a short bus ride away so rest assured Emmerson, the landlords in our area make good profits ;0)

My mates o/h doesn't drink alcohol at all and on the rare occasions that we go in her car we all have a drink but she has the soda water/ cordial.

The landlord doesn't make much money on her drinks but then without her the same landlord wouldn't enjoy his profit on our drinks because we'd just walk to the nearest pub.

 

[emmerson2]

I shall drive down to our nearest pub tonight, have perhaps three or four pints,and walk home, but the car will stay there till tomorrow. It's a mile walk home on a road with no lights, but better that than no licence at best, or no life at worst.

Try that where I live and I can almost gaurantee that the car won't be there in the morning.

While taxis charge

 

[DarrylFlynn]

Watched this thread with some interest now.

Recently retired after 32 years as a Police Officer, 20 of which were on Traffic and 10 years of this 20 were on the Fatal and Serious Accident investigation Unit.

Seen it all.Knocked parents out of bed at 2am, and done the Formal ID at the mortuary on more occasions than i want to remember or would wish on anyone else.

Dont feel annoyed at being stopped , put it down to experience and hope that the exercise removes some drunken bum from the road before they kill someone.

As for Mobile Phones well i think that people caught using them whilst driving should receive a statutory 1 year ban.

Just my insight from an unfortunately, all too enlightened view point.

A VERY sincere Happy Christmas everyone. Darryl

 

[machighlander]

Hi Darryl,

thanks for eventually replying to this post, must make yer blood boil at some of the comments made.

You sir are one of the unsung heroes, always getting the flak from those you protect, good for you that you can now enjoy life away from the daily routine of carnage and heartbreak, takes someone special to do that.

i lost a biker friend through some **** chatting on his mobile, **** got found not guilty.

as for the drink driving purge at this time of year, bring it on at all times, lets get these **** off the roads.

 

[Chris_374413356]

Question for Darryl, what would have happened if my (sober) wife had refused to give her age and refused to blow in to the machine?

 

[ProfJohnL]

Hello Parksey

I live not to far from you, and I am intrigued to now where you can get a cordial and soda and only pay for the cordial.

At one local establishment I was asked by the bar attendant if there was enough lemonade in my wife's Martini and lemonade. I suggested they might top the glass to half full with lemonade (as my wife likes it) and was promptly charged and extra 90p for two extra squirts of lemonade! and that was at a pub!

I really abhor the profiteering that publicans make on soft drinks. You and I can go to almost any supermarket and get 2 litres of lemonade for about 50p. These pubs buy it by the barrel load and get for under 20p per litre!