Raid on illegal Bolton distillery

[Backtobrew]

The government will allow anything to be sold as long as they get the tax on it.

 

[Perrin_Abara]

I had to google.

A speakeasy, also called a blind pig or blind tiger, is an illicit establishment that sells alcoholic beverages.
Speakeasy bars came into prominence in the United States during the Prohibition era (1920–1933, longer in some states).



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Wasn't such a place called a "shebeen" in this country?

 

[Chippy_Tea]

The government will allow anything to be sold as long as they get the tax on it.

If that is the case why don't they legalise cannabis and get rid of scum dealers, a win win for them.

 

[EsterBanana]

If that is the case why don't they legalise cannabis and get rid of scum dealers, a win win for them.

I am pretty sure this is on the cards at some point, it's just not that simple from a political perspective. And probably some other complications too, but not sure what they might be, not being a legislator and all :)

 

[foxbat]

The government will allow anything to be sold as long as they get the tax on it.

That's great news! I'll just pop down the corner shop and buy myself a rocket launcher to take care of the rats around my bird feeder. It'll be OK since I'll pay tax on it.

 

[aamcle]

Ok only if you buy it from a relative of a government minister...

 

[DavidDetroit]

citizens were smart enough

That's on the verge of an oxymoron.

 

[DavidDetroit]

The empirical data suggests that there's not a vast majority of people making decisions that benefit the greater good. There are a whole lot but not enough.
If almost all people were able to employ reason, we wouldn't need laws, regulations, etc. as they'd be unnecessary. Laws do restrict the reasonable and honest.
We aren't anywhere close to the ideal.

 

[johnny108]

That's on the verge of an oxymoron.

“Were” is the operative word: the generation responsible for space travel, etc. not what we are, now, of course: nothing more than the unwashed mob of the Coliseum, screaming for blood and bread.

 

[DavidDetroit]

“Were” is the operative word

Society has always been carried on the backs of a few capable people. Today's achievements match previous decades. Any perceived "it was so much better then" is just some effective propaganda. As an example is the US's conquering of the land a few hundred years ago.
We have a lot more people now so that doesn't help the situation.

 

[johnny108]

Society has always been carried on the backs of a few capable people. Today's achievements match previous decades. Any perceived "it was so much better then" is just some effective propaganda. As an example is the US's conquering of the land a few hundred years ago.
We have a lot more people now so that doesn't help the situation.

And with the increase in people, an increase in morons, sadly.

 

[stripeyjoe]

Laws do restrict the reasonable and honest.

Surely if you are reasonable and honest then you are not going to be restricted by laws unless you are living in an overly authoritarian state... Unfortunately lots of people are not reasonable or honest and even more are greedy and exploitative which is why we need laws and regulations to protect the general public from them. They would be taking away your bank holidays and flogging the public flour with sawdust in before you know it.

 

[johnny108]

“People are difficult to govern, because they have too much knowledge.”
-Lao Tzu

 

[DavidDetroit]

Surely if you are reasonable and honest then you are not going to be restricted by laws unless you are living in an overly authoritarian state..

Curfews, airport searches, going through customs at the border, jumping through hoops to vote, showing ID instead of being taken at ones word, speed limit signs (a reasonable person would only go a safe speed but a max has to be introduced because of the unethical), lawyers (make you jump through hoops and waste time and money), etc.
These things are unnecessary for the reasonable and honest and restrict the honest person's freedom.
Whether something approaches authoritarian is another subject.

 

[dad_of_jon]

I believe there's more danger to health from distilling than brewing because of the methanol initially produced if some illegal numpty distiller doesn't take care their hooch has the potential to blind or kill someone. There have been lots of instances of this having happened. A way forward to make the process legal for hbers would be a course or test to prove you know how to you-know-what safely.

 

[stripeyjoe]

Curfews, airport searches, going through customs at the border, jumping through hoops to vote, showing ID instead of being taken at ones word, speed limit signs

Other than the voting restrictions the Republicans seem to want to implement in your country to suppress the turn out of those likely to vote against themall of the things you mention were introduced because people aren't reasonable and honest!

 

[EsterBanana]

I believe there's more danger to health from distilling than brewing because of the methanol initially produced if some illegal numpty distiller doesn't take care their hooch has the potential to blind or kill someone. There have been lots of instances of this having happened. A way forward to make the process legal for hbers would be a course or test to prove you know how to you-know-what safely.

This is a great idea, I am not a fan of legislation for legislations sake, but this is a genuine use case.

The only reservation I have is that, once you're set up, this would make it easy to make a litre of vodka for about £1.50, and from past experience (in the dim and distant past) having this much very cheap strong alcohol around would probably be a danger to health disaster of a different kind for some people.

I actually have one of those small distiller units, I bought it for making distilled water for another project a long time ago, I wonder if it 'still' works (sorry).

 

[Clint]

Would you stand still while finding out?

 

[DavidDetroit]

“People are difficult to govern, because they have too much knowledge.”
-Lao Tzu

That seems to mean, without further context and taken at face value: people are difficult to oppress/enslave because they have too much knowledge to be controlled to their detriment.
Who knows? Maybe that's dry humor or sarcasm.
Could also mean individuals have been created through knowledge and that sounds like a positive, not a negative. If someone can acquire knowledge, are they also intelligent?


Edit: I was going for a joke in the last paragraph, wife thought it was offensive, so instead of:
"Not that I don't trust every word I read here or on the Internet proper, but without going to get a book or three, I have no idea if what you quoted is true or not."
I use this:
I'm not familiar with that quote.

 

[DavidDetroit]

Other than the voting restrictions the Republicans seem to want to implement in your country to suppress the turn out of those likely to vote against themall of the things you mention were introduced because people aren't reasonable and honest!

No argument here. Without scrolling back, the point I was making was that the unreasonable and dishonest restrict the freedoms of honest people and the dishonest try to hide behind those freedoms earned by honest individuals.