Tuesday 15th March 2005

Detector Sales Up

Radar Detectors to be banned - some motorists rush to purchase

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Government has voted to ban radar detectors that can detect mobile hidden speed cameras and laser guns. The new law will come in to effect next year, once the House of Lords gives final approval.

According to carparts-direct.co.uk, weekly sales of the devices have risen by over 300% in recent weeks with motorists trying to beat the ban and the availability of the units.

At this time it is legal for a motorist to buy and use a radar detector to spot mobile speed cameras - when the new law comes into force, only GPS trap locators, that cannot detect mobile speed traps, will remain legal.

David Jamieson, the Minister for road safety showed his lack of understanding of the issues during the debate. Amongst his contributions were: "They (the motorists) would be able to detect the presence of the mobile cameras. That sounds like a recipe for helping those boy racers."

A Mori Poll recently found that a radar detector user is 28% less likely to have an accident than a non-user and most road accidents involve a motorist under 25 years old who are generally non-users of radar devices.

Last year around two million speeding tickets were issued - this year the figure is expected to reach three million. Nearly 11 million speeding tickets have been given since speed cameras were introduced in 1992. A third of motorists had points on their licence at the last count, and 286,186 motorists have lost their driving licences, most due to penalty points. The number of deaths on our roads hasn't decreased despite this.

Radar detectors are already banned in most other European countries.

Link: www.carparts-direct.co.uk

[wadsy]

I am getting increasingly pissed off with the ever increasing ways in which the muppets in power seek to control us.
It's indicative of the nanny/police state that is evolving. No wonder many people leave our country. Do others feel the same way or am I just developing into an old git at the age of 35!!? How can we fight against these controlling measures?

[Mon Ami Mate]

wadsy said:

I am getting increasingly pissed off with the ever increasing ways in which the muppets in power seek to control us. It's indicative of the nanny/police state that is evolving. No wonder many people leave our country. Do others feel the same way or am I just developing into an old git at the age of 35!!? How can we fight against these controlling measures?

Vote Conservative.

[puggit]

wadsy said:

I am getting increasingly pissed off with the ever increasing ways in which the muppets in power seek to control us. It's indicative of the nanny/police state that is evolving. No wonder many people leave our country. Do others feel the same way or am I just developing into an old git at the age of 35!!? How can we fight against these controlling measures?

You're not an old git - you're a 'boy racer'

[wadsy]

Maybe, but at least I beleive I concentrate on my driving. Unlike many who bimble along with thumb up bum and brain in neutral!!

[ed22]

Think this is bad? wait till they bring in the GPS device that physically limits you from speeding................

Welcome to Post-Lentil Britain.

Vote for the other idiots. at least they're just old-fashioned corrupt and greedy and will leave you to your own devices more than this lot!

New Labour- New Nannying Laws
3 new laws per day since 1997

[havoc]

You know, having a corrupt and greedy government might be preferable...they'll be too busy filling their wallets to worry about legislation!!!

[summit7]

Wadsy you are not the only one pissed off, we all know that the vast majority of cameras are placed to 'catch' drivers ie just inside speed limits, on a steep downhill, just around a bend etc. I have nothing against cameras outside schools, in true accident black spots with LOTS OF VISIBLE SIGNAGE so that all road users slow down for the true blackspot but this just isn't the case. At least you have all said what to do but I fear another 5 years of insulting behaviour is to come from our next government yet. Anyway use you eyes and keep your licence clean!

[rallysanf]

I had heard this was around the corner. However I have also heard a rumor that 'Road Angel' is the one device not be banned, as it is a block spot device, hence reduces accidents in bad areas! Anyone else heard this?

Perhaps the government should spend as much time passing legislation to actually lock up criminals, instead of letting them out.

[Themoss]

wadsy said:

It's indicative of the nanny/police state that is evolving. No wonder many people leave our country.

You live in the most pathetic, most free, politically correct country on the planet. Exactly where else would you go and live?

[autismuk]

havoc said:

You know, having a corrupt and greedy government might be preferable...they'll be too busy filling their wallets to worry about legislation!!!

We've already got a corrupt and greedy government. They just pretend to be the people's friend.

[streaky]

havoc said:

You know, having a corrupt and greedy government might be preferable...they'll be too busy filling their wallets to worry about legislation!!!

Two points. Firstly, what makes you think that is not the situation now? Secondly, accepting that such is already the case, most MPs don't actually worry about "legislation" ... they just pass whatever is dumped in their laps with precious little consideration. Only the Lords - the House that B'liar tried to pack with his cronies - is doing its job.

For example:

In the w/c 7 March 2005, a handful of MPs attending "European Standing Committee A" to discuss various crucial new laws governing the fishing industry had been presented only hours before with 900 pages of documents.

Labour colleagues of Fisheries Minister, Ben Bradshaw remained silent until they dutifully gave this mountain of unread paper their approval - no questions of the Minister and it is doubtful whether they had read the papers (900 pages in a couple of days remember) and certainly highly unlikely that they understood them.

Now, here's the kicker: probably few of those MPs realised that those regulations had already been approved in Brussels and have been law for three months!

Essentially, they had been wasting their time!

And not on the first occasion - nor the last, I suspect! On 23 Feb, something very similar happened:

A handful of MPs met in "European Standing Committee A" to "scrutinise" 448 pages of incredibly complex proposals on the funding of the Common Agricultural Policy which they had been given only the day before.

It soon became clear that neither the MPs nor the minister - Alun Michael - had the slightest idea what all these tortuous pages on "ring-fencing the EARFD" and the "national envelope" were about. Mr Michael was unable to answer the questions put to him by Owen Paterson (Con) and Andrew George (Lib Dem). Yet again the Labour MPs said nothing and dutifully nodded the motion through.

Thus does the Mother of Parliaments give its approval to great tranches of EU legislation, without understanding a word of what it was agreeing to.

This is now how we are governed. Your MP is essentialy irrelevant!

Oh, and BTW, did anyone else notice that whilst B'liar used the Parliament Act to pass the Hunting Bill, there was no mention of it being used to pass the Prevention of Terrorism Bill. It's very clear where New Labour sees the real threat to security in the UK!

Streaky

[jesusbuiltmycar]

[quote=ed22
New Labour- New Nannying Laws
3 new laws per day since 1997
[/quote]

Is that true?? I knew the blairs were guilty of using there position to "feather their own nests" but I didn't beleive it was as bad as that...

[einion yrth]

streaky said:

Oh, and BTW, did anyone else notice that whilst B'liar used the Parliament Act to pass the Hunting Bill, there was no mention of it being used to pass the Prevention of Terrorism Bill.

I was under the impression that a Bill had to have been thrown out, and reintroduced several times before the parliament act became applicable. Plus the PoT Bill was (and to some extent still is) a fing awful piece of legislation, that should never have been passed in any form, watered down as it is, it is barely tolerable.

[carleyj]

I'm fed up too with all the stories flying around regarding the possible banning of speed camera devices. I'm a girl and I have a New Road Angel and if you read the small print, you'll see that the laser alert can be de-activated which means RA is then purely a GPS unit. Go to the Road Angel website www.blackspot.com and click on PRESS AREA and you can read the latest news on what's going on!!

[streaky]

ed22 said:

New Labour- New Nannying Laws 3 new laws per day since 1997

It's a lot more than that, and it gets worse when new criminal offences are considered:

Hansard said:

Criminal Offences Lord Stoddart of Swindon asked Her Majesty's Government: How many new criminal offences have been created since 1997. The Minister of State, Home Office (Baroness Scotland of Asthal): Although the Home Office is responsible for scrutinising proposals for new offences, no comprehensive records are kept centrally of all new offences. The following information therefore relates only to measures within the remit of the Home Office which have been enacted since 1 May 1997. The Crime and Disorder Act 1998 created 2 new offences. It also created 9 racially aggravated offences (amended by the Anti-terrorism, Crime and Security Act 2001 to "racially or religiously aggravated offences"), but these are based on existing offences and do not render unlawful behaviour which would otherwise have been lawful. The Data Protection Act 1998 created 4 new offences. The Immigration and Asylum Act 1999 created 12 new offences. The Youth Justice and Criminal Evidence Act 1999 created 4 new offences. The Football (Offences and Disorder) Act 1999 created 1 new offence. The Terrorism Act 2000 created 38 new offences. The Regulation of Investigatory Powers Act 2000 created 4 new criminal offences. The Football (Disorder) Act 2000 created 2 new criminal offences. The Licensing (Young Persons) Act 2000 created 1 new criminal offence. The Freedom of Information Act 2000 created 3 new criminal offences. The Political Parties, Elections and Referendums Act 2000 created 69 new criminal offences. The Criminal Justice and Court Services Act 2000 created 3 new criminal offences. The Sexual Offences (Amendment) Act 2000 created two new criminal offences. The Criminal Justice and Police Act 2001 created 15 new criminal offences. The Vehicle (Crimes) Act 2001 created 12 new criminal offences. The Private Security Industry Act 2001 created 10 new offences. The Anti-terrorism, Crime and Security Act 2001 created 19 new offences. The International Criminal Court Act 2001 created 2 new criminal offences. The Mobile Telephones (Re-programming) Act 2002 created 5 new criminal offences. The Nationality, Immigration and Asylum Act 2002 created 19 new criminal offences. The Police Reform Act 2002 created 23 new criminal offences. The Proceeds of Crime Act 2002 created 28 new criminal offences. The Sexual Offences Act 2003 created, modified or re-enacted 61 criminal offences. The Crime (International Co-operation) Act 2003 created 1 new criminal offence and modified another. The Anti-Social Behaviour Act 2003 created 15 new criminal offences. The Female Genital Mutilation Act 2003 created 2 new criminal offences.

And that's just those within the HO's purview. Suggestions have been made that, including new criminal offences created by EU Directives passed into UK legislation, some tens of new criminal offences are created each working day (on average). Just one piece of legislation, the Animal By-Products Regulations 2003, implementing EC Regulation 1774/2002, put more than 500 new criminal offences on the statute book - each punishable by a fine up to £20,000 or up to two years in prison. That's 500 from just ONE piece of legislation!

Streaky


>> Edited by streaky on Wednesday 16th March 15:49

[james_j]

Mon Ami Mate said:

wadsy said: I am getting increasingly pissed off with the ever increasing ways in which the muppets in power seek to control us. It's indicative of the nanny/police state that is evolving. No wonder many people leave our country. Do others feel the same way or am I just developing into an old git at the age of 35!!? How can we fight against these controlling measures? Vote Conservative.

Yes!

[streaky]

lead article said:

Radar detectors are already banned in most other European countries.

I'm afraid that I have to take issue with that statement. AFAIK, there are 9 European countries (counting Turkey as part of the European continent) that ban such devices. Of these 9, 6 are members of the EU. There are 25 members of the EU. 6 out of 25 is not "most". Depending on how you measure 'Europe', there are over 35 countries in continental Europe. 9 out of 35 is "least", not most.

Streaky

>> Edited by streaky on Thursday 17th March 06:36

[gone]

wadsy said:

I am getting increasingly pissed off with the ever increasing ways in which the muppets in power seek to control us. It's indicative of the nanny/police state that is evolving. No wonder many people leave our country. Do others feel the same way or am I just developing into an old git at the age of 35!!? How can we fight against these controlling measures?

I think you will find there are many more trying to get in than are actually leaving because they cannot drive as fast as they like

Have a butchers in the back of any recently arrived Articulated at Dover to see what I mean!

[nonegreen]

james_j said:

Mon Ami Mate said: wadsy said: I am getting increasingly pissed off with the ever increasing ways in which the muppets in power seek to control us. It's indicative of the nanny/police state that is evolving. No wonder many people leave our country. Do others feel the same way or am I just developing into an old git at the age of 35!!? How can we fight against these controlling measures? Vote Conservative. Yes!

This question is nasty

Vote Labour = Nutters gonna shaft you completely

Vote Lib dem = Completely terminal, end of economy

Vote Conservative = Nutters gonna shaft a slightly different group of people completely

Not much choice is it?

[8Pack]

Streaky, I once asked a police friend, some yrs ago now: "how many offences were there were regarding motorists?" perhaps if not here, but later, could you give us the latest count. Years ago he said:"2000"!

Politically, I will not defend this lot, we have had a Tory Government here for 26 yrs IMHO. Around that time, if you recall, a wall came down, and the world changed.

No more, was the German (& European) "miracle" req'd to impress the Eastern block masses, so the the Yanks "dropped us all like a brick". Fact!

They took their money/influence east! They don't want us as competition.

In fairness to Mrs T, well, all she got was advanced notice of the facts to come, Ronnie told her. it took the Germans some time later to realise that they too, had been: "dropped".

To her discredit, she used it to wage the most evil and uncaring class war ever seen, with relish, and many here applauded, they weren't being affected. Then! (in fact it was BOOM TIME - lowdsa' money!!! w'ight!!!) or so they thought, only it has to be payed for,(by someone else), the North at first, then them themselves. later on! ...............Of course, affects take decades to come to fruition, and that is where I believe we are now.

It may seem a long way from the question: about banning of "radar detection units", but you've got to follow the thread," we are NOT our own masters anymore and NEVER will be again"! European law rules now, or maybe "53rd state"? It's just a question of: "Which Gorilla do you want to sleep with?" George, or an EU President?..................................Oh! for the the days of Tory and Labour, when you knew where you stood Eh? Wasn't "choice" a really great thing? I forcast now that you'll never see it again in your lifetme. You'll never change anything now, whoever you vote for. will your children really now have a choice? "Gawd bless America"and the goddam right

P.S. Streaky, Don't forget the first question? love to know that now!





>> Edited by 8Pack on Thursday 17th March 03:49