So now you can get an instant fine for being drunk
 

Well, in actual fact you can't....

"LONDON (Reuters) - Aggressive drunks will be given spot fines of 80 pounds under a police clampdown on anti-social drinking over Christmas, the government says.
Officers will be out in force to deal with booze-fuelled violence and disorder and stop town centres being turned into no-go-zones, while pubs selling alcohol to under 18s will also be targeted.

The scheme, which sees fines raised from 50 pounds, will run until January 3 in 180 areas with every police force in England and Wales taking part.

It follows a summer blitz on drinking which the government said successfully reduced problems, with 4,081 people being given spot fines for drunk and disorderly behaviour and another 5,658 arrested.

"The message is stark and simple -- if you brawl in the street, urinate in a doorway or are sick on the curb, you could be slapped with a 80 pound fine," said licensing minister Richard Caborn on Friday."

The only problem with this is that it is in breach of the 1689 Bill of Rights - which unless the Civil Contingencies Bill (which allows them to suspend our constitution) has been enacted is still in force.

Go here http://www.constitution.org/eng/eng_bor.htm and check out the line:

"That all grants and promises of fines and forfeitures of particular persons before conviction are illegal and void;"

(2nd list of points - 2nd from bottom)

You have to be convicted in a court of law before you can be fined... interesting huh?

Ya mean ban or fine? I dont wanna be banned for 12 months for walking just coz Ive had 3 pints... Id be knackered!!! :D

Arse :) Amended to say 'fine'

Yeesh. Teach me to type quickly

Phew!! :D
I'd not pay the £80 anyway - travel lodges only cost £45 with a £10 brekkie - and the beds are comfy and the toilets clean... £80 for a night in the cells seems a bit steep because the last couple of times I got a sleep over courtesy of the plod I was released without breakfast and the beds were hard and the loo didnt flush and the last guest had done the mother of all logs, oh and room service were well grouchy!! ;)
...
£80 for that I dont think so!! :)

in all seriousness (for SN???) i think it's a great idea.

stop all the students (in my town anyway) p*ssin up their grants against the wall and terrorising the neighbourhood

No doubt the SN anti PC posse will see this another infringement of our civil liberties. After all everyone should have the right to get obnoxiously ****faced in public, brawl in the street and be a complete nuisance to all and sundry :rolleyes:

tiggers.

It should be £200 IMO. It costs 2-3 hours of an officer's night just for one piss-head.

Still, it saves on the paperwork - which is nice.

And "everyone" does that? :Whatever_

No not everyone, but I can certainly vouch for the fact that a not insignificant number of people do exactly that every weekend in Manchester and probably every other city and town up and down Britain.

tiggers.

A few of my mates are going to be out of pocket then, some of them still can't handle their drink.

Phew, thats alright then, normally i'd lean over someones wall and honk in their garden :eek: :D