How to make the entire UK student population bankrupt in one easy move

[peredur_glyn]

Right, so to fan the flames of the apparent current crusade against anyone who drinks alcohol (after Ally Darling ups the tax on booze), plastic surgeon Peter Mahaffey has suggested that "public drunks" be fined by the police just for being drunk (rather than being drunk and disorderly). He suggests the fine be levied on those who are three times

Comments

[knirirr]

It's tantamount to arresting somebody because they have means to commit a crime, but no motive or intent

The police do that anyway under the offensive weapons act.
Not that I condone this or the ridiculous law you complain about here, I merely point out that these statists have no problem with this sort of thing.

[peredur_glyn]

True. I suppose an argument the statists you cite would make is that it is possible to accidentally stab somebody in the head with a sword, or perhaps have somebody steal it off you, whereas the slightly drunk pedestrian is less obviously connectible to a potential crime. But it's all rather silly, I admit.

[filius_lupi]

First, 3x the limit is barely 3 pints of beer

Nup, three pints would be 6 times the limit, which is 1 unit, .i. 1/2 a pint. 3x the limit is one and a half pints. Or, if it's stronger than gnats piss, potentially a single pint - for instance, were one drinking Old Rosie. It is nuts.

[peredur_glyn]

Oh yeah, I'd forgotten it had gone down.

What does the drink/drive limit have to do with potential violence anyway? It's related to quickness of reflex and awareness, not to how likely you are to beat your spouse. They'll make anyone a surgeon these days...

[egg_shaped_fred]

I think it's pretty ingenious, actually - if you were drunk enough for your insobriety to be noticed, you probably wouldn't remember being fined. Thus, PC Plod is able to line his pockets with more of our cash to spend on speed cameras and mini roundabouts while, at the same time, we wake up the next morning thinking 'crikey, I spent a lot last night, it must have been incredible'. Everybody wins!