Joined: Feb 17 2002 Posts: 28357 Location: MACS0647-JD
JerryChicken wrote:Not entirely.
There is an argument that if you want a population to control itself by consent then the very least that could be expected is for that population to understand what the parameters of their behaviour should be, ideally through not having to visit a solicitors office for an explanation every time they want to step outside of their normal patterns of behaviour.
But that is such a naive argument that nobody would seriously advance it. And I'm sure you don't believe it for a second.
For a start, legislation, both primary and secondary, burgeons at an astonishing rate, and the vast majority of it is mind-numbingly tedious, complicated and impenetrable. Hundreds of Acts and thousands of Statutory Instruments become law each year, and most people wouldn't have a cat in hell's chance of understanding many of them. That's just how it is.
A random example: The Batteries and Accumulators (Placing on the Market) (Amendment) Regulations 2012, which amend the Batteries and Accumulators (Placing on the Market) Regulations 2008(1), and which you would also first need to know, to understand what the amendments do; http://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2012/1139/regulation/2/made Let me cite one random provision.
Quote:26(2) In carrying out the review the Secretary of State must, so far as is reasonable, have regard to how the requirements for placing batteries and accumulators on the market in Directive 2006/66/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council on batteries and accumulators and waste batteries and accumulators and repealing Directive 91/157/EEC(3) and in the Capacity Labelling Regulation (which are implemented by means of these Regulations) are implemented in other member States.
But the main point is that the overwhelming majority of the population have NEVER read a Statute, not one, not ever. They are subject to all that law, but have no interest in it. People do understand what the parameters of their bahviour should be, by and large, but it is nonsense to suggest that their understanding is in any way gleaned from reading Acts of Parliament or SIs!
Quote:Of course, it would be nice for the legal profession to have to hold everyones hand as they make their way through life, for an hourly fee of course.
I concur
JerryChicken wrote:Not entirely.
There is an argument that if you want a population to control itself by consent then the very least that could be expected is for that population to understand what the parameters of their behaviour should be, ideally through not having to visit a solicitors office for an explanation every time they want to step outside of their normal patterns of behaviour.
But that is such a naive argument that nobody would seriously advance it. And I'm sure you don't believe it for a second.
For a start, legislation, both primary and secondary, burgeons at an astonishing rate, and the vast majority of it is mind-numbingly tedious, complicated and impenetrable. Hundreds of Acts and thousands of Statutory Instruments become law each year, and most people wouldn't have a cat in hell's chance of understanding many of them. That's just how it is.
A random example: The Batteries and Accumulators (Placing on the Market) (Amendment) Regulations 2012, which amend the Batteries and Accumulators (Placing on the Market) Regulations 2008(1), and which you would also first need to know, to understand what the amendments do; http://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2012/1139/regulation/2/made Let me cite one random provision.
Quote:26(2) In carrying out the review the Secretary of State must, so far as is reasonable, have regard to how the requirements for placing batteries and accumulators on the market in Directive 2006/66/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council on batteries and accumulators and waste batteries and accumulators and repealing Directive 91/157/EEC(3) and in the Capacity Labelling Regulation (which are implemented by means of these Regulations) are implemented in other member States.
But the main point is that the overwhelming majority of the population have NEVER read a Statute, not one, not ever. They are subject to all that law, but have no interest in it. People do understand what the parameters of their bahviour should be, by and large, but it is nonsense to suggest that their understanding is in any way gleaned from reading Acts of Parliament or SIs!
Quote:Of course, it would be nice for the legal profession to have to hold everyones hand as they make their way through life, for an hourly fee of course.
I concur
Last edited by Ferocious Aardvark on stardate Jun 26, 3013 11:27 am, edited 48,562,867,458,300,023 times in total
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