Critical Mass and the law on Radio 4 this Tuesday

[ncutler]

There is a report in today's Guardian: The Law Lords have rejected the Metropolitan Police argument that Critical Mass is illegal.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/2008/nov/26/critical-mass-london-police

Nick

[orbiter]

Excellent! The Lords are good for something then.

yes, but it probably only got through because most of them were either asleep or absent.

Cynic! It was, of course, a well-considered judgment by a panel of five wide-awake Law Lords, not the whole house.

[7_lives_left]

It will be massive, wonder how the police will react?

With good humour hopefully.

I wonder if they will go past Westminster. I would llke to give the Law Lords a wave to say thank you

[Speshact]

Past Westminster and all around the (about to be abolished) Western Congestion Charge Zone I'd imagine!

[thirdcrank]

It's all gone quiet over there.....

[Simon L6]

I didn't go - it was a foul evening.

[thirdcrank]

It is suggested that rain is the best policeman

[meic]

Back in Barry during its crime wave days, the burglars used to hit on very rainy nights, the Police said it made fingerprinting almost impossible.
Cynics said "Any excuse for doing nothing."

[thirdcrank]

A long way from CM but 'marks' (fingerprints left at scenes of crime) are highlighted with aluminium powder which clogs if it's damp. Unless something can be dried out, it won't work.

The cynic in me says the normal way to avoid being identified by fingerprints is to wear gloves - also very useful for keeping warm on a cold rainy night, whether burgling or cycling

[7_lives_left]

I went on the November ride. There was a smaller number of riders than previous months, though I have only attended on 4 occasions so I am perhaps not in the best position to judge.

We went though a brightly lit shopping area first..

We did go once (twice ?) around the bit of green just outside the houses of parliament.. Some riders stopped to talk to the protestor who has been camped there for years.

We went down the Mall, but not as far as Buckingham Palace, turned left info some back roads, getting quite lost, then suddenly we found ourselves out side New Scotland Yard, complete with the iconic spinning triangular prism thing. I never realised that it was sited in such a small road. I was in the front bunch of riders and there was a policeman standing on the pavement at the entrance filming our arrival with a video camera. I kept riding past but the bulk of the riders decided to stop for several minutes. Oh dear...

Then we headed back to Marble Arch, riding underneath it, then a very large round about with a lot of heavy traffic on it. A car and a taxi tried to push through the group of riders, quite aggressively (I saw them coming and tried to get out of the way but other riders just ignored them and held their ground). Then there was a bit of a stand off. The taxi driver and possibly the occupants of the car got out of their vehicle. No one was moving anywhere. A police car turned up. Still no one moving anywhere. After about 10 - 15 miniutes of this, I got bored and decided to head home.

Highlight of the evening for me: an Australia guy decided to quite the same time as me. He needed directions for Tottenham Court Road. I haven't a clue about the layout of London as locals will be able to tell from the route description above, but I was able to point him down Oxford street and tell him to turn left at Center Point. (Center Point is a giant 1970's build skyscraper which conveniently has it's name written in 30 foot red neon lights at the very top).

[Dee Jay]

The CM ride through Exeter city centre was attracting a lot of attention today.