On Sat, 1 Jun 1996, Adam Back wrote:

political climate. Having just read your post on curfews my response was what the fuck, are you serious? It totally amazes me that public opinion has got to the stage that something like this would be accepted.

Interesting that the day after you posted this the front-page of the UK's major newspapers carried a story about the Labour party proposing precisely the same thing in the UK. Of course the cops already have surveillance cameras all over the place.

I'm not sure where I would stand on this legally, but I have so far resisted the temptation to tell them it's none of their business.

I tried it a few weeks ago when they stopped me for a random breath test (illegal as far as I know) after following me for three miles while I scrupulously obeyed the law. They originally claimed that they had stopped me randomly, because "that's what I pay them for", but when I questioned the legality they decided that I'd crossed the centerline while passing a parked car and therefore must be drunk (even though my car was too wide to not cross the line). In other words, I don't think they care about the legal issues. Still, I suppose it's better than being stopped for "driving at 2:30 in the morning" again. Hmm, who said the UK didn't have a curfew already?

They are I think talking about making it law that all target pistols must be kept at the gun club (whereas currently you can take them home to clean (but not shoot)).

Gun-thieves will love that one. Why steal them one at a time when you can steal twenty or thirty in one go? Mark "Out of Europe in a few more days" Grant