Thursday Night Freewrite!
Are the cops going over the top?
Like most IT workers I am working from home right now and during our mandatory 15-minute morning meeting at work (to make sure we are not skiving), my team leader was explaining about a recent event he heard about in Edinburgh.
In the UK the cops have been given the powers to stop cars and ask the driver what he (or she) is doing.
Any smart-arse remarks like, ‘I’m driving a car plod, what the fuck do you think I’m doing' will result in an instant £60 fine.
This particular motorist had left a supermarket and thought himself safe from said fine until plod demanded to see the receipt as proof.
On declaration, plod suggested that 'beer and crisps' were not, in fact, essential for everyday living and issued the hapless motorist the £60 spot fine.
Given the isolation being forced upon us I would say beer and crisps are extremely essential for our well-being. Are the cops going too far, or was this a modern-day old wives tale designed to make us laugh?
I don’t know the answer, but tonight I was bound for the supermarket, free of the shackles of the house and had beer on my mind.
There were other things in my shopping trolley but do Eggs and Chicken come under the category of ‘essentials’?
I don’t believe there are any hard or fixed rules, and maybe the bloke in Edinburgh issued plod with a mouthful of profanity. Here you need to be respectful to the plod or else you're going to end up in trouble.
I did get home without any intervention from plod and joining my box of crisps (Pringles), I now have the essentials for a jolly old night.
Now you know what plod means; I probably overused the word in my free-write this evening, but I always try and educate you lot, one way or another!
Here's to you, #beerweekend!, that beer head is rather large but that's just the way I pour it!
If you found this article so invigorating that you are now a positively googly-eyed, drooling lunatic with dripping saliva or even if you liked it just a bit, then please upvote, comment, resteem, engage me or all of these things.
I like how you guys employ human beings in your police force. In Nigeria, the police used brutal force and have officially killed more people in the name of lock down than Corona virus has killed. I wrote about it here. Appreciate what you got bro
I haven't seen it on our news, and that is filled with COVID-19 news and little else. That does suck, keep safe man,
Doing my best brother. You too
Enjoy your beer. I have gone with scotch to end the week.
I have yet to be hassled by plod when out and about, but I had a letter from work to justify travelling there. Not planning to go anywhere over the long weekend. Got enough supplied and things to be done in the garden.
What does it say? You are an essential worker... are they just being awkward bastards at your place?
It does make me think that if you were to pick up COVID-19 and know that it was in your workplace, would they be liable?
I have been on the whisky lately too, but I can't handle it straight like that, needs a coke mixer!
The letter says I am essential to the business and cannot work from home. I am not the only one. I expect the company have looked into their liability.
I do take a little water in my whisky. Don't want to spoil the taste. It's just Grants though. Nothing too special.
@goblinknackers is a connesiour of this and was only talking to me earlier about mixing it with water, the taste, the smell etc.., I'm not fond of either.., but it does give me a little hit and no hangover!
You need to tip the glass when you pour it so you are pouring onto the side of the glass. I have a letter in my truck that my work gave me unless I get pulled over. I don't think they are going that far yet, but I have heard about people calling the police on people doing things they didn't feel they should be doing. In the next town over they called the police on a contractor who was still working on a house. Stupid.
I know mate, this way all that gas goes into the glass and not into me. Its the 4 tiers of beer thing again, and something I have learned to do.
There is some of that going on here, the news is either COVID-19 or the weather. There's little else going on.
Ah, okay, I gotcha. The wait for the head to go down must be forever though!
It takes a while..., bad if you're thirsty!
I've been shopping about once a week. I try to run all my errands at the same time. I'm in Buffalo NY. No police harassment yet, but people are urged to stay home. If it wasn't for alcohol I'd lose my mind. I stocked the bar in case they deem the liquor store non-essential. I'm only drinking Friday-Saturday though. I'm afraid I'll be an alcoholic by the time I get out of quarantine.
Wishing you guys the best on the other side of the pond. Stay optimistic, better days are coming. To answer your question, yes alcohol is essential, and the PLOD's shouldn't be judging what people deem essential 😀 I would say it's a bit of an overreach!
It is!, though I don't drink so much.. I like some to be hanging around in case I feel like one.
I'm on the wine tonight!!
Hehe, I think your supplies looked very essential. I bet that bloke in Edinburgh was cheeky. They are a right cheeky sort these East thing coasters :0)
Is that the frozen north, east-west divide talk?!
It sure is. Bloody punks over that side and not in a good way!
Haha, that's what the southerners say about us!
Damn southerners and their soft Southern ways!
When dealing with popos attitude plays a huge part. There are many a times I’ve got off for speeding, DUI, and it was all because I treated the cops like humans. Many people want to act up and start saying crap like “I know my rights, why did you stop me, this is bullshit” and end up in shit.
Blimey, it won't happen here. Everything is automated when it comes to speeding. A letter arrives through your door. DUI, they breathalyze you.., and there's no getting out of it, same even for celebs!
Congratulations on your avoidance techniques. :)
Your post reminds me of a Jasper Carrot sketch about being pulled over, I'll have to try and find it. Have to doth my imaginary cap to you on your choice of beer, sir. As for what's essential in life, I'd say that's certainly in the eye of the beholder. If I'm cooking beer battered fish then it is essential to have beer, right? And what about steak and Ale pie?!
I read several news articles earlier today about the ol' Bill (not sure where that term comes from!) deciding what is essential or not. Several forces including Cambridgeshire have had to publicly apologise and have seemingly clarified they have no powers to decide what is essential or not; I imagine there will be some interesting cases in the not too distant future where folk contest their fines.
I don't have to worry too much though as the good lady wife does the shopping so she'll be slapped with the fine. I just hope they don't start confiscating stuff!
Hi @slobberchops, that is a nice one and perfect for a nice different taste on the weekend.
You might even add this post to the weekly runnung #BeerSaturday challenge and with some luck you might even win som HIVE, BEER or a nice vote.
See week 148 at https://peakd.com/beersaturday/@detlev/beersaturday-week-148