Category: General

Nice try but no Kruger Rand

Some of you may remember my post of March 2nd in which I promised Sepp Blatter a Kruger Rand if our ‘rapid bus network’ was completed by Christmas. It was supposed to be ready for the World Cup!

My exact words were;-

We were promised a ‘rapid bus/rail network’ , ha ha ha ha, :) if the lanes are ready by Christmas I will personally send Uncle Sepp a Christmas card and a Kruger Rand!

Here’s Kempston Road (a vital main thoroughfare) this morning.

Disaster area

Continue reading “Nice try but no Kruger Rand”

Becoming a criminal

I was struck by the last sentence in this article.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/tvandradio/bbc/8219280/Online-viewers-prosecuted-for-not-paying-TV-licence.html

“Watching TV without a valid licence is a criminal offence punishable by a fine of up to £1,000.”

Given the invasive nature of TV licence inspectors and the ruthlessness with which they pursue their objectives, I imagine that quite a few, otherwise harmless citizens, find themselves with criminal records. In the event, albeit unlikely, that I were to be successfully prosecuted for not owning a television licence and thus categorized as a criminal, I think that I would be more, rather than less, inclined to commit further crimes. There is an old saying, ‘one may as well be hanged for a sheep as for a lamb’ and I think this is a perfect example of how the pettiness of self-serving law-makers  has the unintended but predictable result of creating more law-breakers. Having a criminal record creates all sorts of difficulties in a persons life including inhibiting one’s ability to travel,  denying one job opportunities, prohibiting one from becoming a company director and so forth. I do not want a criminal record, but were I to have one, it would no longer serve as a deterrent. Tax evasion, amongst a host of other crimes, would suddenly become a real consideration. By branding me a criminal, you turn me into one. That is of course if one assumes I have no moral inhibitions.