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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

You are given the power to make three things illegal. What would you choose?

705 replies

SpringSunshineanddaffodils · 27/04/2025 08:40

I know people will post silly things that irritate them but think seriously. What three things would you make completely illegal right now?
Here's mine:

  1. The right to buy your council house
  2. Owning more than one property.
  3. Not keeping your cat contained in your own home. With hefty fines if it is caught killing any wildlife.
OP posts:
PinataHeeHaw · 28/04/2025 19:25

Chewing gum in public
Chewing with mouth open (I see too much of it lately)

Mackerelfillets · 28/04/2025 19:40

I agree with number 1. I would make single use plastic of any kind illegal. I would also make it illegal for kids under 16 to have a smart phone or access to any social media.

MonsteraDelicious · 28/04/2025 20:23

IcySnowy · 27/04/2025 12:36

  • Smoking
  • Vaping
  • Keeping a pet as indoor only, including fish in tanks.

Why did I immediately picture outdoor fishtanks 😆

Dogsbreath7 · 28/04/2025 20:25

letsnotIRL · 27/04/2025 08:45

  1. Smoking or drinking or any type of substance abuse while pregnant.
  2. Social media before the age of 16.
  3. Illegal to become a parent without doing some sort of parenting course. Once woman has first scan, both parents should be sent for classes to ensure child safety at home.
  4. DP says smoking altogether should be illegal.
Edited

People who can’t count to 3 😆🫣

MonsteraDelicious · 28/04/2025 20:27
  1. Stop children having internet access
  2. Make misogyny a hate crime
  3. Illegal for dogs to poo in street (dog toilets? 🤔)
comeandhaveteawithme · 28/04/2025 20:41

MonteStory · 28/04/2025 07:42

You compare cat and dog ownership saying that you take responsibility for your dog, implying that cat owners do not.

There is no legal imperative to control your dog so it doesn’t kill vermin, I doubt anyone would even bat an eyelid. I was just taking issue with you saying ‘as I do with my dog’ as if dog owners are more responsible.

In relation to birds, the rspb famously refute that cats are an issue, something cat haters love to conveniently ignore.

The UK’s largest bird charity, the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB), is not particularly concerned about the impact of cats on the British mainland. Instead it focuses on what it says is driving UK bird declines: global warming, intensive agriculture and expanding towns and cities leading to habitat and food loss. “While we know that cats do kill large numbers of birds in UK gardens, there’s no evidence this is affecting decline in the same way that these other issues are,” said a spokesperson.
A big reason why they are less worried is the evidence that cats primarily take “the doomed surplus”: weak or injured birds likely to die anyway. In 2008, Baker led a study in Bristol showing that birds killed by cats on average had less fat and muscle than birds killed by collisions with windows. While there could be other explanations – such as birds having less fat in the morning when cats tend to pounce – Baker says that the fat and muscle scores were so low that the birds were “in dire trouble before they got killed”. Another study from 2000 found that cat-killed birds in Denmark had smaller spleens, indicative of a weaker immune system.

From here: www.theguardian.com/environment/2022/aug/14/cats-kill-birds-wildlife-keep-indoors

My dog, along with most UK dogs, is not left alone to free roam outside unsupervised. He is walked on a lead and only goes out in our fully contained and secure garden. Dog owners absolutely are more responsible. You cannot, in any meaningful way, compare the activities of my dog, who has never killed or hurt any animal (and we have a lot of wildlife in our garden, including hedgehogs, frogs, foxes and many garden birds as well as our pet guinea pigs) to a completely unsupervised cat, who have left fog entrails strewn across my lawn for my kids to find. They are not the same. One lives with me, completely supervised, one buggers off alone for hours on end and their owners have no idea where they are and what they are killing. You're making no sense in comparing the two, especially since there is absolutely no evidence or available statistics whatsoever that dogs are a problem for wildlife.

As for the RSPB, they are widely recognised, in many circles, to be simply pandering to their cat-owning members, and pussy-footing (pun not intended) around the issue so they don't offend the cat owners and lose donations. They know full well the effect cats have on birds and other wildlife and they know the numbers killed are unacceptable, because they do condemn bird shooting sports, which kill far less birds than cats do (100,000 per annum as oppose to the millions per annum killed by cats.) Their website states: we believe it is now time to regulate the gamebird shooting industry. But not regulate cats, who do more damage? Very telling.
They even sell cat deterrents on their website! They just refuse to come out and say it.
We're not conveniently ignoring anything. We simply don't hold them in esteem due to their hypocrisy and cowardness.

But aside from the RSPB, the International Union for Conservation (they've classified domestic cats as an invasive species) do condemn outdoor cats, as do the countryside alliance. The RSPCA and even the cat's protection league do advocate for "responsible cat ownership" and it's hard to see how letting a cat free-roam with no idea where it is, can be seen as responsible.

The culture in the UK is currently completely in the cats favour, with most people caring about the cat's wants and freedom than the local wildlife population, hence why you don't see much public condemnation of it by UK-based organisations, but it's quietly and very slowly starting to come around to the majority of the world's way of thinking, with more and more people seeing the light. Hopefully some more charities will grow some balls and start condemning it with us and we might get somewhere! But it would appear we need public opinion to sway first.

SpringSunshineanddaffodils · 28/04/2025 21:19

Havanaknights · 28/04/2025 02:37

How is anyone supposed to get on the housing ladder?

Good point. Wait for old people to die I guess? Makes a space for everyone to shuffle around. Could be a long wait...

I sort of see where you're going with the council house thing @SpringSunshineanddaffodils but it's just another stick to beat poor people with. If they can't buy their council house they remain paying rent forever, with no hope of ever having equity in their home, something that most people rely on in their retirement.

Also, not every council house is the mansion you're claiming them to be. I think you forget that these are people's homes - they have lives and belongings and there should be a reasonable expectation that they can continue those. Your kick them to the curb strategy is callous and a bit 'well they're poor what do you expect'.

I'm not sure why you're viewing it as poor bashing.
I want council housing to be available to poor people who need it.

OP posts:
SpringSunshineanddaffodils · 28/04/2025 21:23

DurinsBane · 28/04/2025 15:56

The max house discount is a bit under 120k. So you aren’t buying a 300k house for 80 odd k

No it isn't. My sister bought hers for £89k. She sold it five years later (almost to the day, she bought it so she could sell it and sold it the second she could) for £315k

OP posts:
Airspice · 28/04/2025 21:42

The cat thing is bizarre, you can’t keep a cat locked indoors and they will roam, you can’t stop them!
Mine are:

  1. inheritance tax
  2. taxing pensions
  3. cyclists on roads!
Ritasueandbobtoo9 · 28/04/2025 21:58

JorgyPorgy · 28/04/2025 08:23

What sort of comment is this ?!

Quite a funny one.

Aprilweather · 28/04/2025 22:02

Just want to point out that cat proofing gardens to prevent escapes exists🙈
It also prevents pooping only in one garden so I under the resistance

cocoloco23 · 28/04/2025 22:12
  1. Playing music / videos / having calls on mobiles in public without headphones
  2. Deliberately hurting any animal
  3. Littering
Roxy69 · 28/04/2025 22:14

Any kind of animal abuse, yes halal meat etc.
Alcohol
Sale of council houses.

JulyJourney · 28/04/2025 22:15

I got interested enough in the cat debate on this thread to do some Googling. Numbers aren't very accurate but it's estimated that in the 1960s there were about 4 million domestic cats in the UK. Now there are about 11 million. I get that people love their cats but you have to accept that the extra 7 million cats impact the ecosystems in which they live.

peanutbuttertoasty · 28/04/2025 22:20

Circumcision of boys (unless medical necessity)

britinnyc · 28/04/2025 22:26

The cat issue is so funny because I live somewhere where it is considered extremely cruel to let your cat out because of wildlife, we have coyotes and they regular eat outdoor cats. Post about your missing outdoor cat on the local Facebook page and you will get a ton of abuse for letting your cat outside and how cruel that is. FWIW my indoor car was perfectly happy and never tried to run away or had dominant going outside during her 19 years of life!

SpringSunshineanddaffodils · 28/04/2025 22:26

Airspice · 28/04/2025 21:42

The cat thing is bizarre, you can’t keep a cat locked indoors and they will roam, you can’t stop them!
Mine are:

  1. inheritance tax
  2. taxing pensions
  3. cyclists on roads!

Of course you can. You're conditioned to think you can't because it's the norm here, but in plenty of other countries owners are expected to take responsibility for their pets and keep them contained. Not necessarily locked indoors but kept within the confines of the owners' property, not left to wander freely and at will.
It's the pet owners' responsibility to provide an enriching environment IMO.
And I'm sick of cleaning up after them!

OP posts:
Havanaknights · 28/04/2025 22:26

SpringSunshineanddaffodils · 28/04/2025 21:19

I'm not sure why you're viewing it as poor bashing.
I want council housing to be available to poor people who need it.

What about the poor people who are already in it? It's the keep 'em down attitude I don't like.

It sounds good and very well-meaning on paper but when you're one of the people who has lived in a house for 50 years and now faces being 'kicked to the curb' as you so delightfully put it you might feel differently.

comealongdobbeh · 28/04/2025 22:28

Social Media for children
Corrupt Governments including lying politicians
Those stupid little loud motorbikes

SpringSunshineanddaffodils · 28/04/2025 22:29

britinnyc · 28/04/2025 22:26

The cat issue is so funny because I live somewhere where it is considered extremely cruel to let your cat out because of wildlife, we have coyotes and they regular eat outdoor cats. Post about your missing outdoor cat on the local Facebook page and you will get a ton of abuse for letting your cat outside and how cruel that is. FWIW my indoor car was perfectly happy and never tried to run away or had dominant going outside during her 19 years of life!

Cats here are killed on roads all the time. They also get in fights with other cats and get terrible injuries. I read somewhere that the average life expectantly of an outdoor cat is about 3 years, but safely contained cats can live for 20 years.

It's pure laziness. I'm sorry but the tired old excuses are just that. Excuses. People want a cute and cuddly pet with zero responsibility for it and no effort beyond opening a tin of whiskers each night.

OP posts:
Hoohaz · 28/04/2025 22:30

I read once that if all the factories stopped making clothes today, there would still be enough clothes currently in existence not just for everyone alive, but also for the next 6 generations. So I would make fast fashion illegal.

I would make it illegal for men to opt out of paying child maintenance forcing women to jump through hoops for pittance. I would make it so that the onus was on each individual to declare to the government how many children they had and fill in all the forms themselves with harsh penalties for not declaring things correctly.

I would make it illegal for tech companies to make doom scrolling so easy. Maybe after the first 30 minutes of scrolling, whichever app you are on would have to take twice as long for things to load, and if you are still scrolling after an hour, it doubles in time again and again every 30 minutes until it is so tedious and off-putting that people have no choice but to toss the phone and get on with something else instead.

SpringSunshineanddaffodils · 28/04/2025 22:35

Havanaknights · 28/04/2025 22:26

What about the poor people who are already in it? It's the keep 'em down attitude I don't like.

It sounds good and very well-meaning on paper but when you're one of the people who has lived in a house for 50 years and now faces being 'kicked to the curb' as you so delightfully put it you might feel differently.

No, I wouldn't.
I wouldn't feel happy to stay in a 3 bed council house with my family grown up and gone, with bedrooms I don't need, knowing there's a housing crisis and families struggling in inadequate homes. I've seen the bedsits round my way that they put homeless families in. Cramped into tiny rooms with nothing to cook on and nowhere to store food, and used needles in communal bathrooms.
I said empty nesters should be offered smaller accommodation and if they refuse it, should be kicked to the curb.
I stand by that and I would not feel differently if it were me. I'd move first chance I'd got or I wouldn't be able to live with myself.
Stop painting me to be some sort of monster.

OP posts:
ItsSummerSoon · 28/04/2025 22:44

ToffeePennie · 27/04/2025 22:56

  1. smoking
  2. drinking alcohol
  3. dogs (not disability dogs that are actually doing a job) being treated like humans and allowed into shops/restaurants etc
and if I can have a fourth - morons who do Tech for stage shows with NO clue about what they actually are Supposed to do, get in the way of cast and other crew, tread on toes and drop stage furniture all over the place, as well as not having the right stuff in the right place! But that one’s pretty specific.

No, I love wine and dogs.

Havanaknights · 28/04/2025 22:48

SpringSunshineanddaffodils · 28/04/2025 22:35

No, I wouldn't.
I wouldn't feel happy to stay in a 3 bed council house with my family grown up and gone, with bedrooms I don't need, knowing there's a housing crisis and families struggling in inadequate homes. I've seen the bedsits round my way that they put homeless families in. Cramped into tiny rooms with nothing to cook on and nowhere to store food, and used needles in communal bathrooms.
I said empty nesters should be offered smaller accommodation and if they refuse it, should be kicked to the curb.
I stand by that and I would not feel differently if it were me. I'd move first chance I'd got or I wouldn't be able to live with myself.
Stop painting me to be some sort of monster.

You can say whatever you want, it's very easy to champion any kind of ideology as long as it's not on your doorstep.

You seem to think there's a plethora of other properties to be offered. If and when they come up they might not be anywhere near where you currently live, or in a sketchy area, or in poor repair. You might increase your costs due to longer travel time to work, or be isolated away from friends and family, especially if you are vulnerable or elderly. You may lose your current care arrangements, or ability to get to shops. But you have to take it or you're out on your ear altogether. You are poor after all, you didn't do the decent thing and have enough money to buy privately so what did you expect?

DurinsBane · 28/04/2025 23:06

SpringSunshineanddaffodils · 28/04/2025 21:23

No it isn't. My sister bought hers for £89k. She sold it five years later (almost to the day, she bought it so she could sell it and sold it the second she could) for £315k

It was, but not for years. It’s actually dropped more than I thought the amount was since last year. Maximum for south east is now 38k

https://www.gov.uk/right-to-buy-buying-your-council-home/discounts

Right to Buy: buying your council home

Your right to buy your council home - including how to apply, who is eligible, discounts available and where to get help and advice.

https://www.gov.uk/right-to-buy-buying-your-council-home/discounts

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