Britain - The Official Thread

[Sphinx]

Nope. Not seeing it.

I'm not seeing how you can compare the two based on what's written in media reports. It's obvious the taxi driver case isn't as clear cut as one would need in forming a comparison.

The Snowdon case is a clear example of dealing with a 'dick' whom went out of his way to make a mockery of the law/courts. Play with fire and you're likely to get burnt. His preference of trial by jury found him guilty of all charges and he got what was coming to him. He was initially only charged with driving illegally on common/moorland, but he clearly decided that wasn't enough and therefore went on a crusade, upped the ante, and lost. I believe the idiom is 'throwing the book at him'

 

[Famine]

Then ignore the reports and look at the offences they were found guilty of.

The taxi driver was found guilty of driving without due care, because, despite someone actually dying, no evidence could be found that it was his fault.

The Fronteratosser was found guilty of dangerous driving, despite no evidence his driving was dangerous. To anyone. Including himself. And then of a second offence, despite no evidence he did it.


It's also worth a note that Fronteratosser seems to have been convicted of fraud in March 2012 after posing as an AA recovery driver in Gloucestershire and charging people to tow their cars off the M5...

 

[dhandeh]

He should be commended for getting a Frontera up a slight gradient.

 

[Moglet]

He should be commended for getting a Frontera up a slight gradient.

It actually looks sorta cool the way he's modified it IMO.

 

[Famine]

He does strike me as being one of those "Freeman on the Land" nobbers, it should be said...

 

[MatskiMonk]

Snow day? More like, any excuse for a day off day.

What we need to do is hire more people that are used to making the journey to work in the snow... may the Polish?

 

[Liquid]

Or put Cheshire to good use, mine some salt, sprinkle it on the roads and get working.

 

[MatskiMonk]

The roads round here are fine (well, they're not too bad), people just see snow and think "Day off", they don't even try. Lazy British work force

 

[Famine]

Or put Cheshire to good use, mine some salt, sprinkle it on the roads and get working.

The UK has the two largest salt mines in Europe - and the largest in the world - the second of which is practically underneath my feet, yet we run out of rock salt for the roads...

The roads round here are fine (well, they're not too bad), people just see snow and think "Day off", they don't even try. Lazy British work force

Oddly, I was recently explaining this to Jordan. With a highly service-led industry in the USA, he was expecting good service from a UK business. I had to point out that very little gets accomplished in many businesses in the afternoon in the UK (and since our afternoon is his morning, it means that if he gets up and e-mails them, nothing gets back until 24h later) because we're like Spain only without the good grace to admit we have a kip after lunch.

Our national motto should be " 🤬 it, that'll do".

 

[Liquid]

Yorkshire is full of salt too, huh? Did not know that.

Who would have thought that with all this salt and precedence for snow, we're somehow 'surprised' and caught out year after year. I really don't get how we are not more used to the snow.

 

[Submerged]

Because we never think ahead.

 

[Sphinx]

The taxi driver was found guilty of driving without due care, because, despite someone actually dying, no evidence could be found that it was his fault.

Agreed.

The Fronteratosser was found guilty of dangerous driving, despite no evidence his driving was dangerous. To anyone. Including himself. And then of a second offence, despite no evidence he did it.

The Jury thought differently. Perhaps they were shown his posted comments and uploaded videos on youtube.

 

[Famine]

That they did - but for the concept of driving a 4WD car up a fairly solid hiking path and what he described as not as challenging an ascent as you'd find on the public roads with no-one around to be considered dangerous begs the question of what would not be considered dangerous.

He is clearly a screaming lord, but he's not a dangerous driver. It's surely not too much to ask that people are convicted of the offences they commit rather than making up charges as the judiciary see fit because the defendent is a jobby.

 

[Sphinx]

That they did - but for the concept of driving a 4WD car up a fairly solid hiking path and what he described as not as challenging an ascent as you'd find on the public roads with no-one around to be considered dangerous begs the question of what would not be considered dangerous.

Using a winch is hardly a method normally used on a challenging public road.

He is clearly a screaming lord, but he's not a dangerous driver. It's surely not too much to ask that people are convicted of the offences they commit rather than making up charges as the judiciary see fit because the defendent is a jobby.

I would guess the dangerious driving charge may have come from the accusation of damaging/driving the rail track.

 

[Famine]

Neither of which there's evidence for (the winch one particularly - save for an idle boast on his Youtube channel about winching his way to the top). I'm not even sure how a railway track designed to take ten tons of funicular on metal wheels can be damaged by a 1.6 ton piece of Ellesmere on chunky, low pressure, off-road rubber either.

It smacks of making up charges (and evidence) as an excuse to put someone annoying away. Which they didn't need to do either - any indictable conviction for his actions, even vehicular trespass, would have reactivated the 40 week suspended he had for being a dick earlier in the year...

 

[Sphinx]

Neither of which there's evidence for (the winch one particularly - save for an idle boast on his Youtube channel about winching his way to the top).

It's also documented/charted in one of his video's

I'm not even sure how a railway track designed to take ten tons of funicular on metal wheels can be damaged by a 1.6 ton piece of Ellesmere on chunky, low pressure, off-road rubber either.

For this it'll be best to ask the rail company whom made the damage complaint. Unless they're also in on it with the police, CPS, heritage, courts and Jury.

It smacks of making up charges (and evidence) as an excuse to put someone annoying away. Which they didn't need to do either - any indictable conviction for his actions, even vehicular trespass, would have reactivated the 40 week suspended he had for being a dick earlier in the year...

As I said before, they threw the book at him, no doubt, but I don't believe they were trumped up charges, they charged him with whatever they felt would hold up in court, and they did. The guy had ample opportunity to defend himself in front of the Jury, but failing to appear, as he did, wouldn't of helped his defence, much.

 

[MatskiMonk]

Mod/Admin arguments are so diplomatic, I'm not even sure if Sphinx and Famine are agreeing with each or disagreeing with each other.

 

[dhandeh]

Mod/Admin arguments are so diplomatic, I'm not even sure if Sphinx and Famine are agreeing with each or disagreeing with each other.

If you go back to the initial exchange, they are still at the same point! No wonder they have so many posts! You want both to win!

 

[Famine]

It's also documented/charted in one of his video's

I'll have to check that - but again, winching is completely normal in off-roading and the winch on the car is designed for the task. Dangerous? To whom?

For this it'll be best to ask the rail company whom made the damage complaint. Unless they're also in on it with the police, CPS, heritage, courts and Jury.

There's little need to invoke conspiracy. Replace track at own expense or at scapegoat's expense?

As I said before, they threw the book at him, no doubt, but I don't believe they were trumped up charges, they charged him with whatever they felt would hold up in court, and they did.

I'd like "Dangerous Driving" as an offence to be used against those who drive dangerously, not those who drive foolishly or commit vehicular trespass. The problem with using unsuitable offences is that each attempt dilutes the offence and sets precedent for the offence's misuse.

The question for dangerous driving is "Was there endangerment?". The answer in this case is "No." - there's potential for it if he actually managed to damage the funicular tracks somehow, but at best that's criminal damage, not dangerous driving. If we can find people guilty of dangerous driving without endangerment, with what do we charge people who endanger others with their driving?

The guy had ample opportunity to defend himself in front of the Jury, but failing to appear, as he did, wouldn't of helped his defence, much.

Indeed, he is an all-round jobby.

 

[Lizard]

So what is everyone's view on the news this morning? A referendum on Europe if the Conservatives win the next election and that A levels are going back to the one exam after two years system.

 

[TyrrellRacing]

So what is everyone's view on the news this morning? A referendum on Europe if the Conservatives win the next election and that A levels are going back to the one exam after two years system.

I'm not really sure why they're being changed; there has been no call for change and this decision has been expectedly met with widespread negativity. Totally unnecessary.

Brian Lightman of the Association of School and College Leaders
"This is a classic case of fixing something that isn't broken."

As for Europe, it's pretty clear what Cameron's doing there.

 

[Sureboss]

So what is everyone's view on the news this morning? A referendum on Europe if the Conservatives win the next election and that A levels are going back to the one exam after two years system.

Because politicians are known to stick to their promises.

 

[Lizard]

Because politicians are known to stick to their promises.

Even if he does keep the promise I feel the Europe referendum thing is a desperate attempt to win votes.

 

[Famine]

As opposed to all those other things politicians do simply because they're the right thing to do?

 

[Emptyone]

As opposed to all those other things politicians do simply because they're the right thing to do?

cynic

Even if he does keep the promise I feel the Europe referendum thing is a desperate attempt to win votes.

It's an attempt both to appease those within his party, and disenchanted Conservative voters who are apparently fleeing to UKIP, plus those who believe in Britain, and nationalism, with all that brings.

 

[Lizard]

I'm not really sure why they're being changed; there has been no call for change and this decision has been expectedly met with widespread negativity. Totally unnecessary.

That I agree with. I am glad I am in my final year of A levels now.

I don't get the argument that it will promote a deeper understanding of the subject. It is like what one of my teachers at college said. "The exams when I did them may have been at the end of 2 years but the exams themselves were easier and didn't really require quite as much detail in answers as the modern exams do."* So by that everyone is going to have a worse understanding of the subject yet still get an A.

* Not exact quote but same point.

 

[kikie]

Is Britain going to leave the EU?

 

[Tired Tyres]

Probably not, but we might be able to leave Europe if we can figure out how to row the island further away.

It's just the prat in 10 Downing street trying to isolate UKIP in an attempt to get reelected.

 

[Keef]

To try and shoehorn countries into a centralized political union would be a great mistake and Britain would not be a part of it

How often does he say sensible things like this? And does he actually believe it?

 

[axletramp]

Who knows?