Thursday, January 28, 2010

There are good laws and foolish laws

the thing to remember that the law is to protect the lowest common denominator, the young and the stupid.

Seatbelt laws save lives and prevent brain inuries - which saves us a lot of taxpayer money. Laws proscribing dangerous behaviour in motor vehicles (riding in the tray of a ute, riding in the back of a panel van, hanging out of the car/bus/train), are there to protect the foolish. Admittedly, there is the minority for whom law means nought. They're the ones who don't care if their drivers' license is taken away from them, it won't prevent them from driving.

They've banned the use of glasses in many pubs because of the increased incidence of glassings (the glass is shoved into someone's face). A good idea when the patrons of an establishment are out of control and the chances are that someone glassed will just be some bystander having a night out.

Well, here's a bit more foolishness... the ashtrays I can agree with (though WTF they're using ashtrays for I'll never fathom, in most pubs it's now illegal to smoke!), however the rest of this takes the cake! Check it out:

SHANE MCLEOD: Queensland is often referred to as the Sunshine State. The former premier Peter Beattie tried to change that to the "smart state"; but now many Queenslanders believe they're living in what's fast becoming Australia's "nanny state".

Last year, the Government banned glasses from some pubs and clubs to stop so-called "glassing" attacks.

Now the state's ambulance officers want licensed venues to stop using pool cues and glass ashtrays to reduce their risk of being assaulted.

In Brisbane, Nicole Butler reports.
Read it all here.

And the name of the general manager of the Chalk Hotel in inner Brisbane is a real ti, er, takes the cake!

Update:
Oh, and Shane, it's not "so-called" glassing. It is generally called glassing. It's well known as glassing, and someone who has it done to them has been glassed. It's not "so-called", okay?

7 comments:

cav said...

I've recently changed my views on laws to protect us from ourselves.

Lemme give you an example.

Not far from us is Macquarie Pass, a motorcycle rider's nirvana, or something like that. But there has been a few deaths there too.

Now consider this. If you rode up Macquarie Pass in your speedos and thongs and no helmet - would you ride the same way as you do with your stylish leathers and $2,000 helmet?

I think not.

Look at fences around swimming pools - they still don't seem to stop children from drowning. Maybe it's because the parents, rather than taking responsibility for their kids, were lulled into the security of a child proof fence that wasn't.

We must take personal responsibility, a bit hard for the stupid, but hey - that's life

Skeeter said...

I agree, cav.
The writing of myriad federal, state and local-government laws has virtually no effect on the numbers of deaths and injuries caused by ignorance and stupidity.
What it does do is add enormously to the size and costs of the bureaucracies needed to administer and police those laws.
IMO, that money would be better spent on reducing ignorance and stupidity.

I believe that if I build a house on slippery ground and it falls over, that is my fault and I should bear the consequences. I should not expect the community to pay for my stupidity.

Before all these laws were introduced, people knew that they would suffer the consequences of their own mistakes.
Now, under nanny-state rules, everyone seems to believe that they will be able to shift the blame to, and get reimbursed by, the gummin't.
And the gummin'ts, daunted by succesful law-suits against them, must pass more and more draconian regulations.

Carpe Jugulum said...

Evening troops;

Queensland, much like Victoria, has allowed the 'Nanny State' to proliferate, it is the persistent lack of individuals unable to take personal resonsibility for their actions that encourages this.

Instead of going 'i made a bad decision', it's 'the government should do something' line. I guess it boils down to - the choices you make have consequences, think before you act and stop expecting the government to solve every problem.

1735099 said...

What Skeeter says about law suits is correct. Simple solution - outlaw the ambulace-chasers (no-win no-fee lawyers).
Many of these so-called nanny laws exist because the regulating authority is trying to protect itself from litigation.
In Vung Tau recently I was watching the installation of a slippery marble-faced footpath along the esplanade - paid for be oil revenue. When I asked my Vietnamese guide about people falling over and being injured when it rained, he said - "No problem - no plaintiff lawyers in Vietnam".
BTW the pub issue is nothing new. When I worked in Mt Isa 20 years ago, a few of the rougher pubs featured chairs and tables bolted to the floor. This prevented them from being used as missiles when patrons became agitated.

Steve at the Pub said...

No pubs have yet been banned from using glass. Several premises (including Treasury Casino) have been required to "show cause" as to why they should not be banned from using glass drinking ..er.. "glasses". Stubbies are seemingly not included as "glass" for the purpose of this little foible of the Premier's.
Many of the premises in question launched a joint action against the State Government, objecting to the witch-hunt manner in which the Premier had gone after them.
The judge upheld the publican's objection.
The entire "no glass" matter is still pending.

There was no requirement for a premises to be a rough pub, merely for a POLICE REPORT to say that "glass" was "a factor" in an "incident" CONNECTED to that premises within the past year.

kae said...

Hi SATP
Thanks for that clarification.
If they ban glasses then they can use plastic - yeah, sure, yuk, but there is an alternative.
If they ban billiar cues what are they going to use, pool noodles?

Bruce said...

It is on a par with the bizarre situation on aircraft.

No pointy things, crappy plastic "cutlery" etc, and yet the booze trolley is chokkas with glass wine and spirits bottles.

Not to mention the newspapers, that, when tightly rolled make a fine aesophagus-busting tool.

Pathetic!!