Political quotes of the moment

[Reginald Ret]

"For too long, we have been a passively tolerant society, saying to our citizens: as long as you obey the law, we will leave you alone.

Hang on, he is implying that he will do it different, but does he mean:

As long as you don't obey the law, we will leave you alone.

Or:

As long as you obey the law, we won't leave you alone.

Or:

As long as you obey the law, we will leave you with friends.

Or:

As long as you obey the law, we will be your friend so you won't have to be lonely.

Inquiring minds want to know.

I like the 3rd and 4th versions best.

[Junkenstein]

I think he's probably trying to say:

Obey the Law. Or not. Either way we're not going to leave you the fuck alone.

[Doktor Howl]

"For too long, we have been a passively tolerant society, saying to our citizens: as long as you obey the law, we will leave you alone.

That's the most beautiful thing I've ever heard.   

[Reginald Ret]

"For too long, we have been a passively tolerant society, saying to our citizens: as long as you obey the law, we will leave you alone.

That's the most beautiful thing I've ever heard.   

You meant like this, right?

[Doktor Howl]

"For too long, we have been a passively tolerant society, saying to our citizens: as long as you obey the law, we will leave you alone.

That's the most beautiful thing I've ever heard.   

You meant like this, right?

No, I meant what I said.  If my country is turning into the 4th Reich, I don't see why anyone else should get over.

[Reginald Ret]

"For too long, we have been a passively tolerant society, saying to our citizens: as long as you obey the law, we will leave you alone.

That's the most beautiful thing I've ever heard.   

You meant like this, right?

No, I meant what I said.  If my country is turning into the 4th Reich, I don't see why anyone else should get over.

Ah, I forgot about spite again, the primary motivator behind almost all human endeavors.

Well don't worry, it is happening everywhere.
I just read that my Mayor is fighting as hard as she can to keep a "hate-speaker" from entering our city.
Just ignore the fact that the guy has no criminal record and has legal travelling papers and an invitation from the religious centre where he will be speaking. He is a smudgy-skinned Muslim and therefore must be kept out at all costs!
Personally, I would counter any hate-speechifying with stand-up comedians.
That way you get to not break the law; take the moral high ground; provoke your ideological enemies; hear jokes; convince young people that free speech is worthwhile; and all that without creating more enemies.

Everyone is welcome here to promote their views, but we will pair them with someone with very different views and a good sense of humour.
From what I've read from Middle-eastern philosophers they can tell some great jokes, so I have hope this will become a comedy-battle instead of a real one.

[Doktor Howl]

Ah, I forgot about spite again, the primary motivator behind almost all human endeavors.

Did you just call me a human? 

[Cain]

Its even better than that.

David Cameron said this while moving to scrap the Human Rights Act and moving to use Banning Orders against "extremists" in public spaces.

[Reginald Ret]

Ah, I forgot about spite again, the primary motivator behind almost all human endeavors.

Did you just call me a human? 

Nono, the two sentences are unrelated. I merely said you are motivated in the same way as humans.
I wouldn't call you exactly the same, your mind just works exactly the same.
Also, your face. I mean, seriously? That is the face an alien infiltrator chose?! The uncanny valley just got a little bit deeper.

You could achieve humanity if you weren't so... flawed. Chin up though! You're close!

[Cain]

And...

The production, supply, offer to supply, import and export of any "psychoactive substances" will carry potential 7 year gaol sentences. Oddly enough, in the current draft, simple possession without any intent to supply will remain legal, although it may be that this rare flash of apparent common sense, like large swathes of the rest of the Bill, merely reflects the draftsman's incompetence.

The heart of the Bill is S. 3 which defines a "psychoactive substance" as a substance which:

(a) is capable of producing a psychoactive effect in a person who consumes it, and

(b) is not an exempted substance.

It is the definition of "psychoactive" which, rightly, has attracted the most comment.

" ... a substance produces a psychoactive effect in a person if, by stimulating or depressing the person's central nervous system, it affects the person's mental functioning or emotional state."

Any substance which gives pleasure, of course, "affects a person's emotional state." The starting point of the Bill is that giving pleasure is sufficient justification for prohibition.

The position is less clear for pharmaceutical companies trying to develop new drugs. Whilst "investigational medicinal products" to be used in clinical trials are exempt, the bill appears to render the production of any new psychoactive drug for research purposes unlawful. The rationale for criminalising research into much needed new psychiatric drugs is obscure.

As if to highlight the Bill's absurdity, whilst bona fide drugs researchers are turned into criminals, homeopaths are left unaffected. A pointless exemption has been given to homoeopathic preparations, even though there is no chance whatever that the silly little pills of nothingness and quackery would have any effect on your brain anyway, except as a placebo.

Teresa May wants to ban pleasure.  Note the Telegraph is normally considered a pro-Conservative newspaper, yet even it is pointing out the glaringly obvious flaws in government legislation.

[Reginald Ret]

 

Can't... Breathe!

[Demolition Squid]

That is... impressive.

I assume the list of exceptions will be long. They can't give a blanket pass to all 'energy drinks' or similar, though, because then the actual targets of the bill (those legal highs) will just reclassify themselves as sports supplements of varying kinds.

I wonder if chocolate and Mountain Dew will be outlawed as a result. 

[Junkenstein]

That is... impressive.

I assume the list of exceptions will be long. They can't give a blanket pass to all 'energy drinks' or similar, though, because then the actual targets of the bill (those legal highs) will just reclassify themselves as sports supplements of varying kinds.

I wonder if chocolate and Mountain Dew will be outlawed as a result. 

A pointless exemption has been given to homoeopathic preparations, even though there is no chance whatever that the silly little pills of nothingness and quackery would have any effect on your brain anyway, except as a placebo.

The final list of exemptions and exceptions will be fucking hilarious. It's amusing me no end that they've caved to crazy people before even starting. Or it's outright stating that such shit has no effect. Either way, hilarity ahead. All this overkill because a couple of stupid kids wanted to huff compost and cat shit.

[Demolition Squid]

Well, the doubly impressive thing is that it won't cut down on the legal highs at all - because they aren't sold as items to be consumed, they are sold as 'collectors items' or 'novelty items' with NOT FOR HUMAN CONSUMPTION stamped all over them.

I also believe they've added 'all food' to the exemption list, so they may just reclassify themselves as sports snacks or something. Either way, lawl. 

[Junkenstein]

So what do we reckon then? Laughed at, swept under the rug and reintroduced by the end of the year with tweaks and new name?