Independant


It was trailed as a "unique chance to rewrite the law of the land". Listeners to BBC Radio 4's Today programme were asked to suggest a piece of legislation to improve life in Britain, with the promise that an MP would then attempt to get it onto the statute books.

But yesterday, 26,000 votes later, the winning proposal was denounced as a "ludicrous, brutal, unworkable blood-stained piece of legislation" - by Stephen Pound, the very MP whose job it is to try to push it through Parliament.

Mr Pound's reaction was provoked by the news that the winner of Today's "Listeners' Law" poll was a plan to allow homeowners "to use any means to defend their home from intruders" - a prospect that could see householders free to kill burglars, without question.

"The people have spoken," the Labour MP replied to the programme, "... the bastards."

Having recovered his composure, Mr Pound told The Independent: "We are going to have to re-evaluate the listenership of Radio 4. I would have expected this result if there had been a poll in The Sun. Do we really want a law that says you can slaughter anyone who climbs in your window?"

Journalists on Today are thought to have been taken aback by the choice of their listeners. Observers had assumed that the winning suggestion might be a little more light-hearted - and a little less illiberal.

Indeed, there were suspicions the vote may have been hijacked by supporters of Tony Martin, the Norfolk farmer who was jailed for shooting a burglar. The winning proposal enjoyed a late surge in support in the final 24 hours of the poll, a jump attributed by the BBC to the fact that telephone votes - which were more firmly in favour of the anti-burglar proposal - were added at the last minute.

Today's long-running Personality of the Year poll was scrapped in 1997, after persistent attempts by political parties to fix it.

Mr Pound will go through the motions of presenting the Bill to Parliament but hoped he would fail. He said it was "the sort of idea somebody comes up with in a bar on a Saturday night between 'string 'em all up' and 'send 'em all all home'".

This.... On a radio station..... In the UK? LMFAO.....!!! Man your dumb! LMFAO

Er, this is true Lenina.

Great stuff

The article itself states that it was probably a rigged vote - totally faked by the small UK pro-gun lobby in a totally undemocratic way.

This usually happens with phone votes - all you need is a list of supporters for whatever proposal it is, you ring round them and get them to ring up and vote.

Nice try, but no cigar.

Actually, there is a large base of support for self defense in the UK.

The socialists of course will protect their own (ie. Theives, muggers. burglars) from honest people that would defend themselves.

the Countryside Aliance are a small bunch of inbred morons (I've spoken to members of the CA, so I've got first hand knowledge of this!). The self-styled (and even smaller) "Real Countryside Alliance" (the proto-terrorist organisation which is made up of CA members) have so far threatened to poison the country's water supplies, killing innocent men, women and children (and maybe even the odd socialist) if the government stops them from going fox hunting. They're a bunch of madmen (and madwomen, as well, I guess). Luckily they're in a tiny minority.

The whole thing (in the UK at least) has got nothing to do with socialism, capitalism, communism, facism, anarchism or whatever. I really don't know why you mentioned socialists. Are you, perhaps, slightly obsessed?

Sixgun is a repressed socialist. It's like how the biggest homophobes are sometimes repressed homosexuals themselves. I think he should let it all out. He's Marxist scum, and should be proud of it.

Just because it is true doesn't mean that it will ever come to pass.... LMAO.... I have lived in the UK all my damn life and many, many times has this shit been pulled.... and EVERY single time it is brought up in Parliment, the MP in question is laughed at.... LMFAO... If you Americans think the UK will change the gun laws.... Your all very much mistaken.... LMFAO.... Hahahahaha! Its the dumbest thing i have ever heard since the BNP decided to run for cabnet.... LMFAO...

LOL... I couldn't have said it better myself.... lol.... They are all totally obsessed with pissing of socialist groups because socialists "Hate freedom!" We must conform! Or the UK will be doomed to spend the rest of our pathetic existence with aprime minister thats not a fucking moron figurehead, Free health care for everyone and a better education system than the USA!!!

Yet again People like JLB abd Sixgun are living proof that taking money out of schools and putting it into the military makes morons of you..... They need an education instead of telling the socialists that we hate freedom....lol Oh wait... They are free in a way.... I mean being that heavily medicated can make you feel like your flying.....

If people had voted for laws legalizing slavery or pedophilia, I don't think anyone would have expected them to actually go through with it. Breaking their word? Yes. Being unreasonable? No.

It is the nutjob socialists that populate the large urban areas. A large urban underclass that believe productive work is a crime against humanity and that living on the public dole is a 'human right'. Your average mugger, burglar, dope dealer, and other criminal types vote socialist. Thus the socialist politicians pass laws to make it safe for burglars and other criminals to go about their business.

Interesting conspiracy theory. Too complicated and unlikely to have much bearing on the conversation, though.

we haven't had a socialist party in government in the UK since 1979, so we haven't had any socialist politicians passing any laws since that time, so I'm not quite sure what you're going on about.

I would have thought that dope dealers, being the entrepreneurial, free enterprise loving people that they are, would vote for a capitalist free market. Most criminals are against government interference with their free enterprises.

I read that Independent story a few days ago and was amused. The MP's arrogant reaction to the suggested legislation speaks volumes. (Of course the legislation won't go any where; this is the British Parliament we're talking about.) But rigged or not, I'm glad there are a few thinking listeners of Radio 4. Not everyone is content to give the predators free rein.

Actually, by my standards, socialists do hate freedom.

It all depends on how you define "freedom." If, as I believe, excessive taxation and over-regulation of every aspect of life and business are antithetical to freedom, then socialists are anti-freedom.

And if we're throwing around insults, I don't believe your grammar speaks very highly for the school system you attended.

See other posts on this forum.

Thats because I spent most of my time out of school taking care of my ill mother.... Problem? Nice insult by the way... Like 99.9% of the average morons in here don't say that when they have nothing else to go on....

Sidenote... Just for your added infomation.... Do I have to type perfectly on here? Do you understand my posts?

Obviously you do or you wouldn't have replied so I really don't NEED good grammar to post on here.....

What kind of a narrow minded stereotypical nazi even asumes to know who the entire membership to a political party are????
In my experience most of the low life in the uk don't have political opinions, they are too doped up to even care.
Stop making asumptions about a country i bet you have never even visited.
Your idiocracy bores me.