It makes you proud to be British

[ShadesWolf]

from Littlejohns column

It makes you proud to be British (cont.)
This week's edition of It Makes You Proud To Be British stars 81-year-old Beryl Withers who has just been fined £50 for the heinous crime of feeding the birds.

Mrs Withers was scattering a few breadcrumbs for the pigeons in her hometown of Nottingham when she was upbraided by two council wardens.

She had just finished her lunchtime sandwich and rather than throw away the morsels which remained she decided to throw them to the birds.

Having done that, she even put the bag in the nearest litter bin. The wardens demanded her name and address, told her she was breaking the law and threatened her with a £2,000 fine.

Two days later she received a fixed penalty notice in the post, alleging that she had been "seen emptying the contents of a bag to feed the pigeons".

She said the birds cleared up the crumbs in the time it took the wardens to take down her details. Mrs Withers, a policeman's daughter, was outraged, having never been in trouble with the law in her life.

Understandably, she said it would break her late father's heart to see "the powers-that-be concentrating on defenceless people like me instead of tackling proper crime".

Mrs Withers is a paragon of selfless service, who skippered a naval postal vessel in the Channel during the war. Not that any of that would cut much ice with the charmless gauleiters of Nottingham.

The council stood by its decision to punish her, claiming: "Dropping food represents a health risk. It attracts rats."

She'd hardly strewn half-eaten pizza over the pavement. And if there were any rats around, they were out of luck. The pigeons beat them to it.

Nottingham is the murder capital of Britain and plagued with burglary, robbery, rape and gun crime. Yet the council chooses to concentrate its "resources" on bullying little old ladies.

Where do they find these wardens and what, exactly, goes on in their heads? Have they no sense of discretion or natural justice?

In another time and another place, jobsworths like this would have been making sure the cattle trucks to Auschwitz ran on time.

[Big King Sanctaphrax]

A fifty pound fine doesn't seem too harsh. Feeding pigeons is a really silly thing to do.

The ridiculously hyperbolic Nazi comparisons didn't do the author any favours, either. The idea that you could even think about the Holocaust in conjunction with this story is laughable.

[Strike For The South]

She is 81 years old She is feeding the pigeons.....And I thought we were messed in the head

[Kralizec]

Wow, this is earily similar to something that happened over here about a year ago (?)

Still, how on Earth could you compare this with WW2 atrocities?

It never fails to amaze me how shallow people can be.

[Crazed Rabbit]

Well, the police need something to do while watching helmet-less motorbike thieves ride away and between letting burglars off with warnings.

Crazed Rabbit

[solypsist]

heh heh.

Well, the police need something to do while watching helmet-less motorbike thieves ride away and between letting burglars off with warnings.

Crazed Rabbit

[Spetulhu]

She is 81 years old She is feeding the pigeons.....And I thought we were messed in the head

Feeding city pigeons does mean you're messed in the head. Filthy critters like that don't need food, they need extermination.

I'd still think any reasonable warden could use some judgement of his own! A few crumbs from a sandwich? That's hardly "feeding the pigeons" or "drawing rats".

[barocca]

Feeding city pigeons does mean you're messed in the head. Filthy critters like that don't need food, they need extermination.

I'd still think any reasonable warden could use some judgement of his own! A few crumbs from a sandwich? That's hardly "feeding the pigeons" or "drawing rats".

ah but it draw the attention of rats,
rats employed by the council...

[caravel]

Feeding city pigeons does mean you're messed in the head. Filthy critters like that don't need food, they need extermination.

I'd still think any reasonable warden could use some judgement of his own! A few crumbs from a sandwich? That's hardly "feeding the pigeons" or "drawing rats".

Depends on what type of pigeons they are. There was a council notice distributed in the area I used to live in, to the effect that it had "come to" their "knowledge that certain residents are feeding pigeons", and that they must stop. With all the usual vermin blurb. The big problem is that there are no feral pigeons were I lived. They are Wood Pigeons, which are not a vermin (in fact they're a gamebird, which sets them quite apart from vermin, as who eats vermin!). These council "wardens" need to be educated in the basic differences between what is vermin and what is not, before they start ranting about people feeding birds. Anyway, if this lady was feeding feral pigeons big deal. They could approach her, explain properly and let it drop. These overpaid cowards must be so icompetent that they need to victimise 81 year old pigeon feeding ladies, to justify their jobs instead of getting off their backsides and catching some real scumbags in the act of wrecking a bus shelter or scrawling graffiti.

And as to the holocaust references within the article, this is unfortunate but again it's pc nitpicking. Why have some people here picked up on that highly irrelevant point and ignored the actual issue being discussed? It's the same old thing, they liken someone to a "concentration camp commandant" or an "gestapo officer" or mention "Auschwitz" and immediately the pc crew turn up wagging their fingers and drive the whole issue off topic. Yes it's stupid, and irresponsible, yes it may deeply offend some people, but the pc gagging method is not the answer, education is, but why does someone's erroneous statement have to be picked over ad nauseum?

[Fragony]

Still, how on Earth could you compare this with WW2 atrocities?

It doesn't, it only mocks the strictness with which these bureaucrates aply the law. It weren't the nazi's that made the trains go on time, it were colorless public servants that did everything by the numbers, they would have done the same efficient job had they transported televisions.

[Idaho]

from Littlejohns column

I got that far and immediately filed it under B-I-N.

Next!

[Philippus Flavius Homovallumus]

Wow, you're really having a bad day.

Come down to the Impie one day and I'll smash your head into the bar for you.

If you don't think a thread is worth replying to maybe you'd better not reply to it, Idaho.

She's 81 years old, old women feed pigions, its one of the things that makes them feel good about life, a little sun beam to help them forget their grandchildren never come round to see them and their joints acke.

There was no reason to fine her, she should have been given a warning, had it explained to her and then been sent on her way with a smile. It disgusts me, that fixed penalty notice could have been sent to vandal for ruining a roundabout or wrapping up swings.

They targeted her because she was vulnerable and that kind of faceless beurocracy does draw a comparison with Nazi officials, however overblown that comparison may be.

[Lucjan]

I fail to see the problem with feeding the pidgeons at all...

But them, I'm an American, and it's a common American past time to intentionally go with family or significant others to the park for the sole purpose of taking a quiet, leisurely walk and feeding the wildlife, be they pidgeons, squirrels, ducks, geese or the neighbor's outdoor cat.

The point is, I understand you Brits can get a little uptight about trivial things, as can we Americans, but why fine somebody for feeding the birds? That's just downright silly.

[Philippus Flavius Homovallumus]

It's a general British pass-time as well, particually ducks. However some pigions are considered vermin, and rightly so, you aren't suppossed to feed them but I haven't heard of anything like this before.

This is New Labour, people, boiled right down and condensed into a local council worker.

[solypsist]

i've just spent a few minutes reading previois littlejohn columns and all i can say about all this is:

[ShadesWolf]

i've just spent a few minutes reading previois littlejohn columns and all i can say about all this is:

Now come-on Soly he is funny.

[Idaho]

Wow, you're really having a bad day.

Come down to the Impie one day and I'll smash your head into the bar for you.

If you don't think a thread is worth replying to maybe you'd better not reply to it, Idaho.

I've no idea what or where an Impie is - but I believe threatening other members with violence is strictly against the rules of the board. Better apologise sunshine.

[Idaho]

Now come-on Soly he is funny.

No this is funny:

Will Self vs Littlejohn

[caravel]

No this is funny:

Will Self vs Littlejohn

Well you do have to make excuses for Littlejohn, he is writing for the Daily Mail, so he has to hit the target audience with what they want: A weekly seving of all crimes commited by non whites, as well as a good few pages of the usual "Britain is a mess" articles. They tend to state the bleeding obvious then amplify it 1000 times, utilising the usual sensationalist tactics in the process, to start the reader shaking his/her head in disbelief. This is what newspapers want. It's not really a Times or Telegraph type of paper, more of a "considerably wealthier than yow" elitist rag.

Learning to expect these types of articles from those types of papers is part of life.

[Lucjan]

Ah, well then this thread makes me proud to be an american. We have no such thing as vermin pidgeons. Believe it or not American pidgeons are all really quite intelligent. Where I live they take nuts and leave them on the road during red lights so cars crack them open when they drive over them on the green light, then come back again during the red light for their rewards.

But..on the other hand, we have the most stupid *@$#ing doves on the face of the Earth..I've seem them, multiple times and solely because they were startled, try to fly away from something and fly straight into the side of a house. It makes a really amusing thud noise before they fall to the ground and try it again, this time flying the opposite direction.

[Spetulhu]

We have no such thing as vermin pidgeons. Believe it or not American pidgeons are all really quite intelligent.

But..on the other hand, we have the most stupid *@$#ing doves on the face of the Earth..

Stupidity is not a requirement for being called vermin. Rats are often quite smart but they're still vermin.

[Kralizec]

And as to the holocaust references within the article, this is unfortunate but again it's pc nitpicking. Why have some people here picked up on that highly irrelevant point and ignored the actual issue being discussed? It's the same old thing, they liken someone to a "concentration camp commandant" or an "gestapo officer" or mention "Auschwitz" and immediately the pc crew turn up wagging their fingers and drive the whole issue off topic. Yes it's stupid, and irresponsible, yes it may deeply offend some people, but the pc gagging method is not the answer, education is, but why does someone's erroneous statement have to be picked over ad nauseum?

It's tasteless to trivialize WW2 like that. My grandfather died in a concentration camp.

Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

He fell out of a guard tower and broke his neck

Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

I'm generally fond of offensive humour, such as WW2 related. And if a friend of mine got a ticket for speeding and he calls the police "damn nazis" I'll politely laugh.
It's a different issue alltogether if the guy making the comparison is being serious. Making a serious comparison between a fine (even if it really was 2000 pounds, wich I doubt) for littering and the blackest chapter in human history is nothing short of ridiculous.
If you knew me at all, you would never speak of me as being "politically correct".

Good job at being a presumptious butthole Caravel

[Philippus Flavius Homovallumus]

Well, as I said before, poor taste or not the reference does make an apt point. I don't really think it's anything to get riled up about, really.

[Red Peasant]

Ah, well then this thread makes me proud to be an american. We have no such thing as vermin pidgeons. Believe it or not American pidgeons are all really quite intelligent. Where I live they take nuts and leave them on the road during red lights so cars crack them open when they drive over them on the green light, then come back again during the red light for their rewards.

Lol. An American getting all patriotic over his country's pigeons. Brings a lump to your throat, doesn't it.

BTW. How many of them have you blasted today? That seems like a more all-American activity.

[Vladimir]

Lol. An American getting all patriotic over his country's pigeons. Brings a lump to your throat, doesn't it.

BTW. How many of them have you blasted today? That seems like a more all-American activity.

They do something with pigeons so typically Texan in San Antonio that it just makes me shake my head and laugh. Some fool drives around in a truck shooting off the equivalent of flash bang grenades. The point of this, other than to disrupt my meal? To scare the pigeons away. I kid you not.

So this yahoo drives his 4x4 down the street, yelling "God Bless Texas!", shooting off fireworks. The birds get scared, fly away, and return as soon as he leaves. A bit of artistic license there but I just thought it was so cowboy.

[caravel]

It's tasteless to trivialize WW2 like that. My grandfather died in a concentration camp.

He fell out of a guard tower and broke his neck

I'm generally fond of offensive humour, such as WW2 related. And if a friend of mine got a ticket for speeding and he calls the police "damn nazis" I'll politely laugh.
It's a different issue alltogether if the guy making the comparison is being serious. Making a serious comparison between a fine (even if it really was 2000 pounds, wich I doubt) for littering and the blackest chapter in human history is nothing short of ridiculous.
If you knew me at all, you would never speak of me as being "politically correct".

Good job at being a presumptious butthole Caravel

Don't hide your off the cuff insult in spoil tags, I might have missed it.

I think you've misunderstood the point I was making. I'm not exactly a fan of the author of that article nor that newspaper, I probably agree with Idaho in that respect, though what does annoy me is that out of an article consisting of 13 short paragraphs about a woman feeding birds, some people choose to focus on the throwaway WW2 holocaust reference and nothing else, which was, as always, in very poor taste. Immediately the thread goes off topic and we're back in the realms of pc, yet again, arguing over a point that was not even posted by a member of this forum but is a quote from a newspaper.

On topic: Whatever someones thoughts about Littlejohn or the Daily Mail, the fuss made over this woman feeding the birds was over the top, a waste of time and ridiculous to the extreme, regardless of which part of the political spectrum your views lean towards. That is the issue here, not Littlejohn, the Daily Mail or irresponsible Holocaust related comments.

[Lucjan]

Well I'm glad my comment amused somebody.

And as for the pigeon blasting, that's not an american tradition, thats a redneck tradition. See..we have to let the rednecks call themselves americans because of that whole issue with the constitution and freedom of life, liberty, blah blah blah, but in reality we'd love to pull a hitler and just have them all erased. A true American tradition is blasting rednecks when they get lost in the city.

Stop inbreeding now! Shoot a redneck today.

[scooter_the_shooter]

Most "rednecks" are good people...the city guys who try to feed deer and don't know what damn cow looks like are not the "real" americans.


And btw rednecks have most of the guns...I dare ya to "pull a hitler"

[scooter_the_shooter]

Back OT I think this is redicoulous....a warning yes, a fine It's crazy!

[Philippus Flavius Homovallumus]

On topic: Whatever someones thoughts about Littlejohn or the Daily Mail, the fuss made over this woman feeding the birds was over the top, a waste of time and ridiculous to the extreme, regardless of which part of the political spectrum your views lean towards. That is the issue here, not Littlejohn, the Daily Mail or irresponsible Holocaust related comments.

Exactly.

Should an 81 year old woman be fined £50 for droping some crumbs on the ground to feed some pigions when she did not know it was against local by-laws.

I defy anyone to say that is right or fair.