Agree.thirdcrank wrote: ↑19 Aug 2015, 8:39pm It would only be possible to measure the success of the law by identifying what it was trying to achieve. Let's go for "social control." Within a society still divided along class lines, the law is part of the portrayal of British = Best which seems to succeed pretty well in keeping the lid on.
Looking at whether it actually "works" at a more individual level is somewhat different. People who come into contact with the criminal law whether as defendants or complainants are often dissatisfied. It's my impression, and no more than that, that the people who live in places - mainly European countries - where they ditched the adversarial system are happier with the way things work.
One of the problems I was trying to explain further up is that the more the individual suspect is protected from the power of the law and ultimately the state, the more restrictions tend to be placed on everybody. Knives are IMO a pretty good example of this. Few of us want violent people being able to increase their potential to cause injury by arming themselves with knives etc but that's not so easy to deliver, so we end up with blanket bans on some of the most useful implements devised by mankind.
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PS I forgot to add this before in connection with the USA and guns How about:
A boy scout movement being necessary to the health of horses' hooves, the right of little boys to own penknives shall not be infringed.
Knives (big, sharp ones) are so easy to get- every kitchen store (and most domestic kitchens contain several). And humans are inventive; simple, useful things have always been made into weapons (slingshots, bolas- just strings and rocks).
I learned to use a decent sized knife, a bow-saw, 2-person saw, handaxe and felling axe in the Venture Scouts. Couldn't do that now I guess.
It's a "social control" thing and the passive acceptance of extremely over-draconian laws during COVID made the Powers That Be bold. As they admitted, they never thought they could get away with that here...... Trust in the governing class and those who enforce their laws is at rock bottom; the recent riot in Ely in Cardiff shows what a tinder keg we have in some places.
TPO