davieG Posted 1 July 2010 Posted 1 July 2010 Nick Clegg is to ask the public to nominate laws and regulations they would like to see abolished. The deputy prime minister is launching a Your Freedom website, on which people will also be able to propose ways to reduce bureaucracy. In a speech later he will promise "raucous, unscripted debates", which will "throw up the best ideas". He will say these suggestions will be taken into account when the Freedom Bill is published in the autumn. Mr Clegg, who is overseeing the coalition government's political reform programme, promised in May to create the biggest shake-up of the country's democracy since the Great Reform Act of 1832From the BBC Proposals so far include fixed-term parliaments, an elected House of Lords and a referendum on changing the voting system. The Your Freedom website will ask three questions including, "which current laws would you like to remove or change because they restrict your civil liberties?" It will also ask which regulations people think should be removed or changed to make running businesses or organisations as simple as possible, and which offences people think should be removed or changed and why. In his speech, in London, Mr Clegg will say: "Real democracy is unspun - it is the raucous, unscripted debates that always throw up the best ideas. "So be demanding about your liberty, be insistent about your rights. This is about your freedom and this is your chance to have your say." Speaking on BBC Breakfast, Mr Clegg said ministers would ultimately decide which laws would go, but they were open to all suggestions. "The key thing about this is that, whilst ministers might be able to disagree with the suggestions, the suggestions will be out there. We won't be able to control it, we won't be able to control what the most popular ideas are, what the most numerous suggestions are," he said. "This could release... maybe even a sense of fun as people think of silly rules that need to be scrapped. "I've just discovered for instance, would you believe it, that there's still an old law in the statute book that says it's an offence if you don't report a grey squirrel in your own back garden. "There is lots and lots of old stuff on the statute books that we should get rid of for starters."
skinnydipper Posted 1 July 2010 Posted 1 July 2010 The world's strangest laws Did you know it's illegal in France to name a pig Napoleon? Or that in Ohio you're not allowed to get a fish drunk? Alex Wade celebrates the spirit of the silly season with a list of the world's most ridiculous laws Alex Wade div#related-article-links p a, div#related-article-links p a:visited {color:#06c;}25. It is illegal for a cab in the City of London to carry rabid dogs or corpses. 24. It is illegal to die in the Houses of Parliament. 23. It is an act of treason to place a postage stamp bearing the British monarch upside down. 22. In France, it is forbidden to call a pig Napoleon. function slideshowPopUp(url){pictureGalleryPopupPic(url);return false;} Let your employees use Facebook — it's less risky than you think Businesses should not allow legal risks to detract from the opportunities of web 2.0, says Mark Watts What Google can learn from history<A class=bbc_url title="External link" href="http://business.timesonline.co.uk/tol/business/law/article2251280.ece" rel="nofollow external"> Technology moves at a dizzying pace but the law catches up in the end, says Richard Kemp 21. Under the UK’s Tax Avoidance Schemes Regulations 2006, it is illegal not to tell the taxman anything you don’t want him to know, though you don’t have to tell him anything you don’t mind him knowing. 20. In Alabama, it is illegal for a driver to be blindfolded while driving a vehicle. 19. In Ohio, it is against state law to get a fish drunk. 18. Royal Navy ships that enter the Port of London must provide a barrel of rum to the Constable of the Tower of London. 17. In the UK, a pregnant woman can legally relieve herself anywhere she wants – even, if she so requests, in a policeman’s helmet. 16. In Lancashire, no person is permitted after being asked to stop by a constable on the seashore to incite a dog to bark. 15. In Miami, Florida, it is illegal to skateboard in a police station. 14. In Indonesia, the penalty for masturbation is decapitation. 13. In England, all men over the age of 14 must carry out two hours of longbow practice a day. 12. In London, Freemen are allowed to take a flock of sheep across London Bridge without being charged a toll; they are also allowed to drive geese down Cheapside. 11. In San Salvador, drunk drivers can be punished by death before a firing squad. 10. In the UK, a man who feels compelled to urinate in public can do so only if he aims for his rear wheel and keeps his right hand on his vehicle. 9. In Florida, unmarried women who parachute on Sundays can be jailed. 8. In Kentucky, it is illegal to carry a concealed weapon more than six-feet long. 7. In Chester, Welshmen are banned from entering the city before sunrise and from staying after sunset. 6. In the city of York, it is legal to murder a Scotsman within the ancient city walls, but only if he is carrying a bow and arrow. 5. In Boulder, Colorado, it is illegal to kill a bird within the city limits and also to “own” a pet – the town’s citizens, legally speaking, are merely “pet minders”. 4. In Vermont, women must obtain written permission from their husbands to wear false teeth. 3. In London, it is illegal to flag down a taxi if you have the plague. 2. In Bahrain, a male doctor may legally examine a woman’s genitals but is forbidden from looking directly at them during the examination; he may only see their reflection in a mirror. 1. The head of any dead whale found on the British coast is legally the property of the King; the tail, on the other hand, belongs to the Queen - in case she needs the bones for her corset. With thanks to: Donald Stewart at Faegre & Benson; John Barnett at Burges Salmon; Robert Crossley at Walker Morris; James Odds at Matthew Arnold & Baldwin; and Dan Kieran, author of I Fought The Law (Bantam Press). Who's glad they don't live in Indonesia (number 14) ?
Zingari Posted 1 July 2010 Posted 1 July 2010 the law of gravity should be repealed i don't want it abolished altogether but want it relaxing enough so that i can jump over buildings and stuff it think it's my right and for too long governments have held me down
Bellend Sebastian Posted 1 July 2010 Posted 1 July 2010 That stupid one that stops me from killing people. I think this repealing lark can go too far. I was reading this morning that apparently in the 19th Century you could be sent to Australia for 'going to France' and 'impersonating an Egyptian'. Which hand-wringing liberal got rid of these common sense laws, then? It's political correctness gone mad, gone mad, gone mad, gone mad
Alexikokopops Posted 1 July 2010 Posted 1 July 2010 17. In the UK, a pregnant woman can legally relieve herself anywhere she wants – even, if she so requests, in a policeman’s helmet. At Peterborough away we asked a policemen if it was true that a pregnant woman could piss in his helmet. His response was "Only if I can shit in her handbag".
Bellend Sebastian Posted 1 July 2010 Posted 1 July 2010 You can't say fairer than that. It's all about give and take
Shrenchel Posted 1 July 2010 Posted 1 July 2010 I think we can all admit female suffrage hasn't really worked out.
FoxyPV Posted 1 July 2010 Posted 1 July 2010 The one stopping me from punching people randomly in the street
Rocket-Ron Posted 1 July 2010 Posted 1 July 2010 The one stopping me from punching people randomly in the street There are some rough people in Belfast. This law might be there to help you?? I wouldn't mind having a smoke in a pub again
Trav Le Bleu Posted 1 July 2010 Posted 1 July 2010 The Corn Laws. These should be repealed as they are just silly!
Zingari Posted 1 July 2010 Posted 1 July 2010 The Corn Laws. These should be repealed as they are just silly! that would mean no more jokes on FT
ozleicester Posted 1 July 2010 Posted 1 July 2010 that would mean no more jokes on FT Go directly to Jail.
Fox You Forest Posted 1 July 2010 Posted 1 July 2010 At Peterborough away we asked a policemen if it was true that a pregnant woman could piss in his helmet. His response was "Only if I can shit in her handbag". :laugh:
Trav Le Bleu Posted 1 July 2010 Posted 1 July 2010 that would mean no more jokes on FT Especially from me.
ousefox Posted 1 July 2010 Posted 1 July 2010 At Peterborough away we asked a policemen if it was true that a pregnant woman could piss in his helmet. His response was "Only if I can shit in her handbag".
Tilley Posted 1 July 2010 Posted 1 July 2010 The law that stops you defending yourself when someone breaks into your home.
The Doctor Posted 2 July 2010 Posted 2 July 2010 24. It is illegal to die in the Houses of Parliament. 19. In Ohio, it is against state law to get a fish drunk. 8. In Kentucky, it is illegal to carry a concealed weapon more than six-feet long. how are they going to punish number 24? How can you get a fish drunk (and how would you know if it was)? If a weapon is more 6 feet long it's not really something you could successfully conceal is it?
Bellend Sebastian Posted 2 July 2010 Posted 2 July 2010 The law that stops you defending yourself when someone breaks into your home. There is no such law. You are perfectly entitled to use reasonable force
Alexikokopops Posted 2 July 2010 Posted 2 July 2010 how are they going to punish number 24? How can you get a fish drunk (and how would you know if it was)? If a weapon is more 6 feet long it's not really something you could successfully conceal is it? Congratulations. You have identified the reason why they are considered ridiculous laws.
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