The worlds gone mad thread

[Hertsscot]

Feel free to contribute examples of your own but this may take some beating:

Woman fined £150 for pouring coffee down drain.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cg435gg66gpo

[Ally Bongo]

 

[scotlad]

16 minutes ago, Hertsscot said:

Feel free to contribute examples of your own but this may take some beating:

Woman fined £150 for pouring coffee down drain.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cg435gg66gpo

That's utterly ridiculous, but I'm surprised she didn't just take her coffee onto the bus with her and finish it off there...or is that no allowed in Richmond either?!

[Hertsscot]

22 minutes ago, scotlad said:

That's utterly ridiculous, but I'm surprised she didn't just take her coffee onto the bus with her and finish it off there...or is that no allowed in Richmond either?!

According to the article 'she poured out a small amount of coffee from her reusable cup down the drain rather than risk spilling it on the bus she was about to catch to work.'

[scotlad]

9 minutes ago, Hertsscot said:

According to the article 'she poured out a small amount of coffee from her reusable cup down the drain rather than risk spilling it on the bus she was about to catch to work.'

Actually, that makes sense. There are better ways to start the day than sitting on a bus being scalded by coffee! 

[scotlad]

🙃

 

[Ally Bongo]

 

[Hertsscot]

45 minutes ago, Ally Bongo said:

 

Does Danny Kruger not realise that people trust politicians less than the police?

[TDYER63]

2 hours ago, Hertsscot said:

Feel free to contribute examples of your own but this may take some beating:

Woman fined £150 for pouring coffee down drain.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cg435gg66gpo

Doubt anyone will beat that. Absolutely ridiculous. 

[Fairbairn]

3 hours ago, Hertsscot said:

Feel free to contribute examples of your own but this may take some beating:

Woman fined £150 for pouring coffee down drain.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cg435gg66gpo

And all the while water companies down there are pumping millions of gallons of sewage into their rivers with barely a raised eyebrow!

[RDFH64]

2 hours ago, Ally Bongo said:

 

That’s right out of the Trump playbook, be getting the marines on the streets next 😵‍💫

[RDFH64]

1 hour ago, Fairbairn said:

And all the while water companies down there are pumping millions of gallons of sewage into their rivers with barely a raised eyebrow!

👍

[Orraloon]

2 hours ago, TDYER63 said:

Doubt anyone will beat that. Absolutely ridiculous. 

And the council actually employ people to do that job? Mental. Three blokes accosting one wee lassie.  

[Fairbairn]

Common sense prevails.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cg435gg66gpo

 

[Hertsscot]

18 minutes ago, Fairbairn said:

Common sense prevails.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cg435gg66gpo

 

I think the council should buy her a coffee...and a cake as an apology!

I'm glad the council has reversed it's decision, you can't help thinking though they largely did it due to the negative publicity they got and deserved.

[exile]

1 hour ago, Hertsscot said:

I think the council should buy her a coffee...and a cake as an apology!

I'm glad the council has reversed it's decision, you can't help thinking though they largely did it due to the negative publicity they got and deserved.

I guess it depends. At first sight it sounds crazy, but if it's actually the law ('The law is the law!), then arguably the maddest thing about the story is that they backed down and cancelled the fine, leaving us in a limbo. Is this now law by social media?

BTW I don't have a strong feeling on the issue of itself, but more the idea that the law could be randomly reversed due to social media backlash - [edit: and the news story swiftly rewritten and retitled] - isn't that part of the 'world gone mad'? 

Edited October 22, 2025 by exile

[exile]

[Orraloon]

2 hours ago, exile said:

I guess it depends. At first sight it sounds crazy, but if it's actually the law ('The law is the law!), then arguably the maddest thing about the story is that they backed down and cancelled the fine, leaving us in a limbo. Is this now law by social media?

BTW I don't have a strong feeling on the issue of itself, but more the idea that the law could be randomly reversed due to social media backlash - [edit: and the news story swiftly rewritten and retitled] - isn't that part of the 'world gone mad'? 

She poured some coffee doon the drain, FFS.

[exile]

13 minutes ago, Orraloon said:

She poured some coffee doon the drain, FFS.

Sure, that may be a world gone mad, but their U-turn is also a kind of 'world gone mad'. 

[Orraloon]

1 minute ago, exile said:

Sure, that may be a world gone mad, but their U-turn is also a kind of 'world gone mad'. 

Why is it even an issue though. It's a wee bit of coffee. If she had emptied a chip pan, or took a shyte doon the drain then maybe.......But why does it need three geezers accosting her for a wee bit of coffee doon the drain. Have they nothing better to do? If that is actually their job, then the council need to looking at redundancies and spend their wages on something useful. 

[kumnio]

2 minutes ago, Orraloon said:

Have they nothing better to do? If that is actually their job, then the council need to looking at redundancies and spend their wages on something useful. 

Are these environmental officers not outsourced thugs, who get a cut of every ticket they hand out.

Like a person who was rejected from being a parking warden for being too much of a twat.

[Orraloon]

8 hours ago, kumnio said:

Are these environmental officers not outsourced thugs, who get a cut of every ticket they hand out.

Like a person who was rejected from being a parking warden for being too much of a twat.

Probably. Another lucrative contract handed out to Tory or Labour party donors no doubt? We used to laugh at the level of corruption in Italy but I think we have probably surpassed them now.

[TDYER63]

10 hours ago, exile said:

Sure, that may be a world gone mad, but their U-turn is also a kind of 'world gone mad'. 

I understand your logic, but U-turns are often done under public protest. Granted it is normally on bigger issues than coffee being poured down a drain but I would hope this is a warning to over zealous officials, rather than councils allowing social media to become judge and jury for all minor public offences. 

[Hertsscot]

8 minutes ago, TDYER63 said:

I understand your logic, but U-turns are often done under public protest. Granted it is normally on bigger issues than coffee being poured down a drain but I would hope this is a warning to over zealous officials, rather than councils allowing social media to become judge and jury for all minor public offences. 

Amen to all of that!

[Malcolm]

This could be a very very long thread….  Where would you start.