Good To Have Known at the Moot

Good To Have Known at the Moot

by Jon Allen -
Number of replies: 6
Good Morning Everyone,

This came across the British news wire this morning, and would have been very useful for those of us traveling abroad a couple of weeks ago. It's respectful to be up on your knowledge of the local laws, you know. Next year, we'll know not to invite Drew to a post conference medieval festival in York. Interesting that one received the fewest votes...

Most ridiculous British law:

1. It is illegal to die in the Houses of Parliament (27 percent)

2. It is an act of treason to place a postage stamp bearing the British monarch upside-down (seven percent)

3. In Liverpool, it is illegal for a woman to be topless except as a clerk in a tropical fish store (six percent)

4. Mince pies cannot be eaten on Christmas Day (five percent)

5. In Scotland, if someone knocks on your door and requires the use of your toilet, you must let them enter (four percent)

6. A pregnant woman can legally relieve herself anywhere she wants, including in a policeman's helmet (four percent)

7. The head of any dead whale found on the British coast automatically becomes the property of the king, and the tail of the queen (3.5 percent)

8. It is illegal to avoid telling the tax man anything you do not want him to know, but legal not to tell him information you do not mind him knowing (three percent)

9. It is illegal to enter the Houses of Parliament in a suit of armour (three percent)

10. In the city of York it is legal to murder a Scotsman within the ancient city walls, but only if he is carrying a bow and arrow (two percent)


Average of ratings: -
In reply to Jon Allen

Re: Good To Have Known at the Moot

by D.I. von Briesen -
I'm not so sure it's a bad idea to not allow people in armor to enter the house of parliament... i mean i tried to board a plane with my suit of armor and they wouldn't let me on... and I'd left my mace at home!

And the thing about murdering a Scotsman... i mean, it's not really MURDER if he's a scotsman is it? (d.i. ducks for cover...)

d.i.

ps - upon retrospect, i realize i would NEVER have written that last statement if it had referred to people of color, women, arabs, muslims, jews, gays, people with disabilities, and other groups that have suffered from very real discrimination and persecution in history...

having written that i realize that despite the average american's cluelessness about world history, that the scots and the irish, not to mention the aboriginal peoples of ... well, just about everywhere ... have also suffered.

So the question is, can I make this sort of joke about Scots and have it taken as a joke or would it offensive? For that matter, what about the other people who speak English with peculiar accents? (digging myself into a still deeper hole)

The only people it's safe to make fun of in the US are rednecks - and thats only when they're not within shotgun distance
In reply to D.I. von Briesen

Re: Good To Have Known at the Moot

by Timothy Takemoto -

> i mean, it's not really MURDER if he's a scotsman is it?

>  ps - upon retrospect, i realize i would NEVER have written that last statement if it had referred to people of color

Interesting observation. I am not sure how Scots feel about this. I am 1/4 Scottish. I don't think that this gives me a waiver to be derogatory about the Scottish even if persons of colour feel able to use the N world.

But...hmm...I can imagine the same sort of thing being said in a pub in England by an English (redneck?!). And in that situation, had a Scottish person been listening...My guess is that that Scot in the same pub would be thinking, or saying, "Yeah, and the legal reaction to a sasanach packing a penknife in Glasgow is called 'euthanasia'," and have no particular beef about your statement.  But I may be wrong.

In reply to Jon Allen

Re: Good To Have Known at the Moot

by Frances Bell -
Just to reassure any visitors to the UK that they can safely ignore all of the above 'laws'. For example, mince pies are virtually compulsory on Christmas Day - and I'd like to see Santa arrested (a mince pie is left for him in every home in the entire realm).
I was really gutted about the low votes for no.10 but slightly reassured that I am a Scotswoman, and don't do archery!!
In reply to Jon Allen

Re: Good To Have Known at the Moot

by Julian Ridden -
/me pictures the monarchy playing heads or tails with a whale big grin

*splat*
In reply to Jon Allen

Re: Good To Have Known at the Moot

by Elicia Nickerson -
I totally agree that some of those laws are ridiculous. Wait, never mind. ALL of those laws are ridiculous! big grin No offense to people who don't agree with me. That's just my opinion! smile
In reply to Jon Allen

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