And I thought the British were so civilized. I've been to lot of pubs in the US and I don't think I have ever seen anybody throwing glasses.The government hasn't passed any legislation regarding plastic glasses. Neither does it have any such legislative procedures on the books. Let me remind you how you started the thread:
there has been a call from a researcher in the U.K. to ban glasses and bottles in U.K. pubs and nightclubs.
A researcher on criminal violence says this at a conference and suddenly the British government are banning glasses in pubs! Excuse me while I piss my pants laughing!
Yeah, I get it, I read the article, I posted the OP. It was the suggestion of such a ban that motivated me to start the thread. Look, a few years back I scoffed at the idea that certain kitchen knives would be banned in the U.K. I would have never thought people would be carded just to buy a pizza cutter. Six arrested for burning a book? Really? Convicted of murder for defending your home? What the hell?
Piss yourself all you want, but can you honestly tell me that the banning of drinking glasses in favor of plastic cups is not a real possibility? At least in certain problem areas? And if it does happen in those areas, how long before the ban spreads?
As I stated, my OP was not meant as a critique of the U.K. so much as it was meant to be a reminder for the U.S. My point being that the loss of rights and freedoms don't happen all at once, it happens quietly, slowly, incrementally.
For the most part, you folks seem happy with the laws and government you have, good for you. We Yanks tend to be a tad more rebellious...
If you were familiar with some of the pub and bar vomitoreums frequented by drunken yobs on Friday and Saturday nights you would understand why some believe plastic glasses would reduce the dreadful injuries from glassing attacks, which occur on an all to frequent basis. Quite honestly they don't deserve to be treated as civilised beings.
Incidentally, plastic glasses are already used on some occassions. Primarily at outdoor events, where pilfering is a problem and breakage and lying glass is dangerous. Talking of a ban is pure hypothesis.
I'm aware of the kitchen knife ban you refer to. Again, this was never a ban. It was once again some do gooder floating an idea. It was never taken up by government. Kitchen knives remain as they always have been. There is no need to ban kitchen knives. We have laws governing the carrying of knives:
"It is an offence for any person, without lawful authority or good reason, to have with him in a public place, any article which has a blade or is sharply pointed except for a folding pocket-knife which has a cutting edge to its blade not exceeding 3 inches." [CJA 1988 section 139(1)]
The phrase "good reason" is intended to allow for "common sense" possession of knives, so that it is legal to carry a knife if there is a bona fide reason to do so. Examples of bona fide reasons which have been accepted include: a knife required for ones trade (e.g. a chefs knife), as part of a national costume (e.g. a sgian dubh), or for religious reasons (e.g. a Sikh Kirpan).