Cycling UK Forum

Was having an enjoyable evening tonight with my Dad in his Care Home, which was then wrecked by some low life scum who decided to steal my BMW motorbike from right outside the building.

The police turned up (they were nice) and gave me the crime number, but I have resigned myself to not seeing it again and probably losing about £500 in the process of claiming on my insurance. I doubt very much whether the police will get anywhere near catching the scum as they are probably too busy filling in forms or having compulsory equal opps, diversity and other 'job related' training !

If there is one positive out of this, it is the fact that next time I cycle up to see my Dad I will be making sure my bike is well and trully locked away somewhere secure. Funnily enough I was thinking of selling my motorbike next year anyway, as since I started cycling to work 18 months ago I have got the got the cycling bug big time and am hoping for a nice new shiny shiny tourer/commuter in the New Year.

This will probably push me over the edge to do just that

PS, Having spent time working and living in the Arab world perhaps they have got it right......catch the thief and chop off their hands

I don't think chopping off limbs does anything constructive. besides, the low life will probably go and draw disability benefit.
I think it would be much more constructive to give the miscreant an orange boiler suit with their crime prominently displayed on it for all to see.... Then set them to work in view of the public gaze doing all sorts of public works e.g. roadsweeping, maintaining public buildings, helping the disadvantaged (under supervision, of course). Oh yes, they have to sit and listen to the victims of crimes and take part in visits to schools to talk in social education classes about their crime.
When I announce my campaign for office, I will also endorse the setting up of stocks in each town centre.

gremlin wrote:Having spent time working and living in the Arab world perhaps they have got it right......catch the thief and chop off their hands

i don't agree. anyhow, it's easy to say, but i doubt you could do the chopping
seriously, could you honestly mutilate another human being just 'cos they knicked your motorbike?

either way, i hope the insurance pay up a generous offer

I have to agree with Alan D on this.

Last year while riding in California wearing only cycling attire due to the heat I came across a prison road gang being supervised by a bunch of very scary looking officers with shotguns. It was in the high 90's, the prisoners were in full boiler suits and heavy boots and were clearing the roadside of foliage with huge petrol strimmers.

I cannot imagine how uncomfortable they must have been, there was no shade and they only being allowed to stop for water.

I spoke to one of the policemen and he told me they were there clearing the brush to stop wildfires spreading so they were doing something useful and being made to suffer for their various misdeeds at the same time.

Sometimes I just love the yanks

In answer to the question about mutilating people. I could, but have been told by the mental health people I should not .

At the moment in this country there is anonymity for those committing crime. So the modern form of the stocks would be good. Somewhere they can be seen but not hurt.
However if you want them to suffer real pain in public. I volunteer to apply the treatment.

Alan D wrote:I don't think chopping off limbs does anything constructive. besides, the low life will probably go and draw disability benefit.
I think it would be much more constructive to give the miscreant an orange boiler suit with their crime prominently displayed on it for all to see.... Then set them to work in view of the public gaze doing all sorts of public works e.g. roadsweeping, maintaining public buildings, helping the disadvantaged (under supervision, of course). Oh yes, they have to sit and listen to the victims of crimes and take part in visits to schools to talk in social education classes about their crime........

+1
I too hope you get what the bikes worth from the insurance company

Alan D wrote:I don't think chopping off limbs does anything constructive. besides, the low life will probably go and draw disability benefit.
I think it would be much more constructive to give the miscreant an orange boiler suit with their crime prominently displayed on it for all to see.... Then set them to work in view of the public gaze doing all sorts of public works e.g. roadsweeping, maintaining public buildings, helping the disadvantaged (under supervision, of course).

But, but, how will we tell the difference between them and the long term unemployed? Ah, silly me, not thinking clearly, as the DM tells us, they are the same thing anyway.

Edwards wrote:At the moment in this country there is anonymity for those committing crime.

In my area they have a review of the weekly proceedings in the magistrates court in the local paper, printing names, the road that people live on, the crime and the sentence. Dunno, if it does much to deter crime but I reckon it's playing merry hell with house prices!

< Warning -Off-topic rant >

. . . . . meanwhile the UK Treasury, Bank of England, Regulators, Politicians, Economists continue to pay themselves astonishingly large amounts of money ( mostly your and mine ) whilst having connived in and or constructed the largest financial disaster since . . . . . The Great Depression ? 2nd WW ?

Economists - what are they for ?? Not a science. A belief system perhaps ? Collectively they failed us all, in a spectacular way. Why does society permit payment to these parasites ? Same for the others (above).

The only just result is that the bombastic, self-deluding, idiot Gordon Brown and his spendthrift government were kicked out at the last election.

I find myself extraordinarily disillusioned with my country and its system and "leaders". I thought that honesty, integrity and prudence were the cherished values of the British.

I hope that these values may return one day. . . . . </rant>

If I can follow the top mod off topic, I see that the Celtic tiger is well and truly going belly up. UK banks have 'exposure' to something like £140 billion of Irish debt, so the chancellor has offered to lend them another £60 billion or so, presumably to help them pay the first lot back. Where on earth is he finding a spare £60 billion? The Bank of England has come to an agreement with John Waddingtons who are transferring production from Monopoly money to, err, Monopoly money.

Where on earth is he finding a spare £60 billion?

Well, you know all of these cuts that they've been making lately..........

Si wrote:...Well, you know all of these cuts that they've been making lately..........

The in expression seems to be 'haircut.' This apparently means that people who thought their money was safe will lose some, but the big players who knew they were gambling will be OK (too big to be allowed to fail.)

Si wrote:In my area they have a review of the weekly proceedings in the magistrates court in the local paper, printing names, the road that people live on, the crime and the sentence. Dunno, if it does much to deter crime but I reckon it's playing merry hell with house prices!

I'll bet theres no photos of the offenders though,so everyone will know who they are!

Graham wrote:< Warning -Off-topic rant >

. . . . . meanwhile the UK Treasury, Bank of England, Regulators, Politicians, Economists continue to pay themselves astonishingly large amounts of money ( mostly your and mine ) whilst having connived in and or constructed the largest financial disaster since . . . . . The Great Depression ? 2nd WW ?

Economists - what are they for ?? Not a science. A belief system perhaps ? Collectively they failed us all, in a spectacular way. Why does society permit payment to these parasites ? Same for the others (above).

Agreed!

The only just result is that the bombastic, self-deluding, idiot Gordon Brown and his spendthrift government were kicked out at the last election.

Only to be replaced by the bombastic self deluded Tory party and the other bunch of liars.

I find myself extraordinarily disillusioned with my country and its system and "leaders".

.
Oh you are disillusioned

I thought that honesty, integrity and prudence were the cherished values of the British

They are the values of the majority of the people (though that majority is getting smaller by the hour)but we are slowly but surely becoming a dog eat dog nation,with no values.

I hope that these values may return one day. . . . . </rant>

And there goes another flock of pigs flying past!

reohn2 wrote:... And there goes another flock of pigs flying past!

With the Dambusters' March being hummed in the background:

Graham wrote:< Warning -Off-topic rant >

. . . . . meanwhile the UK Treasury, Bank of England, Regulators, Politicians, Economists continue to pay themselves astonishingly large amounts of money ( mostly your and mine ) whilst having connived in and or constructed the largest financial disaster since . . . . . The Great Depression ? 2nd WW ?

Economists - what are they for ?? Not a science. A belief system perhaps ? Collectively they failed us all, in a spectacular way. Why does society permit payment to these parasites ? Same for the others (above).

reohn2 wrote:Agreed!

R2, this about sums it up, capatilism has had it's day. marx predicted that it would eventually fail, and here we are, printing money as if it'll help prop up a bankrupt political system

we're living in exciting times, i hope