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 | | From: | BAC | | Subject: | Re: Hunting is banned! | | Date: | Thu, 25 Nov 2004 10:36:04 -0000 |
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"Rooney" wrote in message
news:iiv9q09d7arqi95l4663dbtmu5jrekjjrp@4ax.com...
> On Wed, 24 Nov 2004 19:19:41 -0000, "BAC"
> wrote:
>
> >
> >"Rooney" wrote in message
> >news:c0g9q01ekq9c3hhfuj1ac3sq97c2894qnq@4ax.com...
> >> On Wed, 24 Nov 2004 14:56:19 +0000 (UTC), Lensman
> >> wrote:
> >>
> >> >Just because I dont like it, doesn't give me the right to prevent
others
> >> >from doing it by some instrument of state.
> >>
> >> Er, it does if you're a majority.
> >> They just can't get their heads around the idea of democracy, these
> >> people.
> >>
> >
> >Democracy is just another form of tyranny if it is not balanced by
tolerance
> >of minorities and respect for the freedoms of individual citizens.
> >
>
>
> I know. It was most famously defined as 'the tyranny of the majority'.
>
Quite so. De Tocqueville famously warned of the danger, but Madison put it
well, IMO, in Federalist Paper 51, saying "It is of great importance in a
republic not only to guard the society against the oppression of its rulers
but to guard one part of the society against the injustice of the other
part. If a majority be united by a common interest, the rights of the
minority will be insecure." and "In framing a government which is to be
administered by men over men, the great difficulty lies in this: you must
first enable the government to control the governed; and in the next place
oblige it to control itself. A dependence on the people is, no doubt, the
primary control on the government; but experience has taught mankind the
necessity of auxiliary precautions." Unfortunately Madison was unable to
come up with adequate solutions to the problem, or there probably wouldn't
have been an American Civil War!
In good old Britain, we have hitherto relied on the common sense and
restraint of the majority of our politicians, and the 'hurdle' of the Lords,
defences which are increasingly seeming to adopt 'paper tiger' status. Add
in some of the more draconian powers of the Civil Contingencies Act and the
climate of fear being created to justify their use ...
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| | From: | Rooney | | Subject: | Re: Hunting is banned! | | Date: | Thu, 25 Nov 2004 10:47:38 +0000 |
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| On Thu, 25 Nov 2004 10:36:04 -0000, "BAC"
wrote:
>Quite so. De Tocqueville famously warned of the danger, but Madison put it
>well, IMO, in Federalist Paper 51, saying "It is of great importance in a
>republic not only to guard the society against the oppression of its rulers
>but to guard one part of the society against the injustice of the other
>part. If a majority be united by a common interest, the rights of the
>minority will be insecure." and "In framing a government which is to be
>administered by men over men, the great difficulty lies in this: you must
>first enable the government to control the governed; and in the next place
>oblige it to control itself. A dependence on the people is, no doubt, the
>primary control on the government; but experience has taught mankind the
>necessity of auxiliary precautions." Unfortunately Madison was unable to
>come up with adequate solutions to the problem, or there probably wouldn't
>have been an American Civil War!
>
>In good old Britain, we have hitherto relied on the common sense and
>restraint of the majority of our politicians, and the 'hurdle' of the Lords,
>defences which are increasingly seeming to adopt 'paper tiger' status. Add
>in some of the more draconian powers of the Civil Contingencies Act and the
>climate of fear being created to justify their use ...
>
Hey, the climate's not so bad. Some of us are having great fun. Here's
a post I made elsewhere while under the influence:
>Hey ho! We wander over the Gomls' access acres, armed with wirecutters
>and pirated copies of OS maps, gleefully watching the foxes as they
>laugh at the despondent hounds. We wildcamp above the crag, supping
>our imported whisky and inhaling our taxfree-tobacco smoke, all paid
>for with our tax credits and child benefit!
>We drop off to sleep in our cosy tents, laughing inwardly at the
>superb irony of Prince Charles 'fearing a genetic disaster'.
>God's in his heaven and all's right with the world.
>
>And it's been snowing here!
--
R
o
o
n
e
y
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| | From: | BAC | | Subject: | Re: Hunting is banned! | | Date: | Thu, 25 Nov 2004 11:27:58 -0000 |
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"Rooney" wrote in message
news:mtdbq0tq3b27ub7p22thc83tomv44skt3o@4ax.com...
> On Thu, 25 Nov 2004 10:36:04 -0000, "BAC"
> wrote:
>
>
>
> Hey, the climate's not so bad. Some of us are having great fun. Here's
> a post I made elsewhere while under the influence:
>
> >Hey ho! We wander over the Gomls' access acres, armed with wirecutters
> >and pirated copies of OS maps, gleefully watching the foxes as they
> >laugh at the despondent hounds. We wildcamp above the crag, supping
> >our imported whisky and inhaling our taxfree-tobacco smoke, all paid
> >for with our tax credits and child benefit!
> >We drop off to sleep in our cosy tents, laughing inwardly at the
> >superb irony of Prince Charles 'fearing a genetic disaster'.
> >God's in his heaven and all's right with the world.
> >
> >And it's been snowing here!
>
Very good, M.Pangloss :-)
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