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The “I just had a sit down in the park with crisps” brigade

906 replies

Candodad · 21/04/2020 07:56

You are the problem. The rules are simple. Go out and exercise and then go home. Just that, nothing more than that.

To be fair then problem is actually bigger than that and has been brewing for years as we increasingly become a country with rules but almost everyone has an excuse for why that rule shouldn’t apply to them/their child/family.

OP posts:
Thread gallery
6
randomer · 21/04/2020 17:55

Person A goes for walk and straight home
Person B goes for walk and take a cereal bar with them which they eat during the walk.
Person C goes for walk intending to go straight home but it deloighted to find half a packet of biscuits in a pocket of a long forgotten fleece.
Person D goes for a walk and enjoys a bag of crisps in the sun , feeds the crumbs to a bird.
Person E feels low, can't manage the walk, stays home watches the news and eats a huge bar of chocolate and drinks a bottle of wine.

Go figure. Which is less likely to get the virus?

Kastanien · 21/04/2020 17:57

Don't know about you, but when I want medical advice or health education I consult a Dr, not my local bobby

That is great but this is a thread about rules, not medical advice or health education.

Hearhoovesthinkzebras · 21/04/2020 18:02

Kastanien

But people are taking their health advice based on guidance issued to police officers about the law.

The things that people are stating as "new rules" aren't new rules at all. The government hasn't changed the rules of lockdown, hasn't changed their advice. The clarification about sitting on a bench or eating a snack is advice from the college of policing and is advice to officers on what is "reasonable". If isn't public health advice about risks of transmission.

MH1111 · 21/04/2020 18:13

Randomer

Ooooh I know the answer, it’s person f, the self appointed park nazi who falls foul of the laws of karma

lljkk · 21/04/2020 18:21

Take-away Chips & battered sausages by the river, DC ate as stop on a 11.5 mile walk. We're too lowbrow to find a naice park or bench. We broke so many made-up rules today...

The poor swans & pigeons look pretty aggravated at lack of tourists feeding them.

Hearhoovesthinkzebras · 21/04/2020 18:24

Reading this thread I just think "sod it". Let's all just do what we want. Might as well.

Shitsgettingcrazy · 21/04/2020 18:26

Reading this thread I just think "sod it". Let's all just do what we want. Might as well.

Yes because sitting on a park bench is everyone doing what they want. Hmm

Kastanien · 21/04/2020 18:27

But people are taking their health advice based on guidance issued to police officers about the law.

The things that people are stating as "new rules" aren't new rules at all. The government hasn't changed the rules of lockdown, hasn't changed their advice. The clarification about sitting on a bench or eating a snack is advice from the college of policing and is advice to officers on what is "reasonable". If isn't public health advice about risks of transmission.

Once again, the OP is berating people for breaking the rules. That is what the thread is about. Health advice is different.

LaurieMarlow · 21/04/2020 18:44

Reading this thread I just think "sod it". Let's all just do what we want.

People are doing ‘what they want’ within the limits of the law, the guidelines and what the police have been briefed to authorise.

Not a thing wrong with that. You can do exactly the same.

It’s only you that wants to stop sitting and eating crisps. Why should anyone listen to you?

batvixen123 · 21/04/2020 18:48

So, what the law actually says is:

Restrictions on movement
6.—(1) During the emergency period, no person may leave the place where they are living without reasonable excuse.

(2) For the purposes of paragraph (1), a reasonable excuse includes the need—

(a)to obtain basic necessities, including food and medical supplies for those in the same household (including any pets or animals in the household) or for vulnerable persons and supplies for the essential upkeep, maintenance and functioning of the household, or the household of a vulnerable person, or to obtain money, including from any business listed in Part 3 of Schedule 2;
(b)to take exercise either alone or with other members of their household;
(c)to seek medical assistance, including to access any of the services referred to in paragraph 37 or 38 of Schedule 2;
(d)to provide care or assistance, including relevant personal care within the meaning of paragraph 7(3B) of Schedule 4 to the Safeguarding of Vulnerable Groups Act 2006(3), to a vulnerable person, or to provide emergency assistance;
(e)to donate blood;
(f)to travel for the purposes of work or to provide voluntary or charitable services, where it is not reasonably possible for that person to work, or to provide those services, from the place where they are living;
(g)to attend a funeral of—
(i)a member of the person’s household,
(ii)a close family member, or
(iii)if no-one within sub-paragraphs (i) or (ii) are attending, a friend;
(h)to fulfil a legal obligation, including attending court or satisfying bail conditions, or to participate in legal proceedings;
(i)to access critical public services, including—
(i)childcare or educational facilities (where these are still available to a child in relation to whom that person is the parent, or has parental responsibility for, or care of the child);
(ii)social services;
(iii)services provided by the Department of Work and Pensions;
(iv)services provided to victims (such as victims of crime);
(j)in relation to children who do not live in the same household as their parents, or one of their parents, to continue existing arrangements for access to, and contact between, parents and children, and for the purposes of this paragraph, “parent” includes a person who is not a parent of the child, but who has parental responsibility for, or who has care of, the child;
(k)in the case of a minister of religion or worship leader, to go to their place of worship;
(l)to move house where reasonably necessary;
(m)to avoid injury or illness or to escape a risk of harm.
(3) For the purposes of paragraph (1), the place where a person is living includes the premises where they live together with any garden, yard, passage, stair, garage, outhouse or other appurtenance of such premises.

(4) Paragraph (1) does not apply to any person who is homeless

It doesn't actually mention how many times you can leave your home (the law in Wales does) let alone limit what you do while out. It says nothing about park benches or eating at all. Some police have interpreted it as meaning if you're eating, that isn't exercise but have since softened their interpretation. The rest of it is just anxious people inventing rules to give them an outlet for a bunch of pent up emotion.

Hearhoovesthinkzebras · 21/04/2020 18:50

People are doing ‘what they want’ within the limits of the law, the guidelines and what the police have been briefed to authorise.

No, that isn't true. Nowhere in the government guidelines does it say that it's fine to go out for a picnic, sausage and chips on an 11 mile walk, eating crisps sitting on a bench or anything similar. It is senior police officers who have advised officers that it is likely to be reasonable for someone to rest during exercise for a drink or snack.

Nowhere does the government advise that you can go out for a picnic. The guidelines of stay at home as much as possible and to minimise your time outside of the home when you leave for one of the permitted reasons.

LaurieMarlow · 21/04/2020 18:55

No, that isn't true

Yes it is.

There’s nothing in the law that prohibits eating while out for an allowed purpose.

As you can clearly see.

I wouldn’t call a bag a crisps a picnic personally, but that’s neither here nor there either.

RufustheLanglovingreindeer · 21/04/2020 18:59

i wouldn’t call a bag a crisps a picnic personally

No one would actually call it a picnic anywhere...in normal days i bet i could start a thread about picnics and not one poster would say a packet of crisps was a picnic

Floatyboat · 21/04/2020 19:00

@lauriemarlow

Do you understand how English law works? Statute leaves a lot of things not explicitly stated and it is for judges to determine and set precedent. I cannot imagine any judge thinking eating a packet of crisps whilst exercising is reasonable.

LaurieMarlow · 21/04/2020 19:00

Ah, normal days 😢

LaurieMarlow · 21/04/2020 19:02

I cannot imagine any judge thinking eating a packet of crisps whilst exercising is reasonable.

Well given that the police have been expressly told not to get involved, it won’t get that far. And no precedent will be set.

See, I think I do understand this English law thing.Wink

LaurieMarlow · 21/04/2020 19:04

I think we can all agree there’s enough going on right now without hauling renegade crisp eaters through the courts.

RufustheLanglovingreindeer · 21/04/2020 19:04

Ah, normal days

Sad isnt it is

lazylinguist · 21/04/2020 19:06

I cannot imagine any judge thinking eating a packet of crisps whilst exercising is reasonable.

If going for a leisurely walk counts as exercise (which it does), I can't imagine any judge thinking eating a packet of crisps while exercising isn't reasonable.

Hearhoovesthinkzebras · 21/04/2020 19:06

LaurieMarlow

You very clearly said People are doing ‘what they want’ within the limits of the law, the guidelines and what the police have been briefed to authorise.

Do you see that limits of the law, guidelines and what the police have been briefed to authorise

Your words. You clearly say guidelines and I referred to that in my reply to you, so why mention the law, as though I'm referring to the law?

I am referring to the guidelines, which make it clear that we shouldn't be going out for picnics, sausage and chips, or sitting in parks eating crisps.

I know the law doesn't prohibit it. But the guidelines do.

RufustheLanglovingreindeer · 21/04/2020 19:07

I cannot imagine any judge thinking eating a packet of crisps whilst exercising is reasonable

I can’t imagine any judge thinking eating a packet of crisps while going for a walk is unreasonable

Hearhoovesthinkzebras · 21/04/2020 19:08

I can't imagine any judge thinking eating a packet of crisps while exercising isn't reasonable.

How about battered sausage and chips as a poster writes above? How often in the gym does anyone break off to sit and eat battered sausage and chips?

Shitsgettingcrazy · 21/04/2020 19:12

How often in the gym does anyone break off to sit and eat battered sausage and chips?

I know lots of people who eat at the gym if they are there for hours. Like the pp with the battered sausage

Given that most people in the gym for hours, work there or are there because their job is heavily involved in fitness, they would eat at the gym.

Stellamboscha · 21/04/2020 19:12

How about battered sausage and chips as a poster writes above? How often in the gym does anyone break off to sit and eat battered sausage and chips?
This has just made me splutter mine wine! Priceless 😀😀😀

AllPlayedOut · 21/04/2020 19:16

I might actually consider going to the gym if sausage and chips were on offer.