Ban people who go on about the "nanny state"

[Daniel]

I made the mistake of listening to Jeremy Vine today :mark:

Basically one of the stupid segments was about chip pan fires. Apparently every year 50 or so people die every year because they go home, get pissed, are too stupid to buy a kebab or curry, decide to make chips in a chip pan, fall asleep and you now the rest.

A guy from the North Wales Fire service said that people should throw away their chip pans and if it was up to him they'd be banned.

Cue the torrent people on the "nanny state" bandwagon saying "Why should someone tell me what to say and so on" :mark:

What is it about people in this country that makes them have this moronic attitude?

Put your chips in the oven ffs and don't kill yourself and others.

Oooh they're playing Blinded by the light by Manfred Mann :)

[LotusElise]

Chip pans are horrible anyway - far too greasy and smelly. Go to the chippy ferchrissakes!
I can't stand the "nanny state" naysayers either. They are the first ones to come out with rubbish like "I won't let the government tell me what I can and can't do". Fine then, lets do away with all laws and have complete anarchy. Isn't it the government's job to make and enforce the rules?

[Caroline]

Jeremy Vine??

People, anywhere, don't like being told what they should do. Sadly some people really should pay heed to what is usually a common sense piece of advice.

So many kids get told what to do as they grow, to keep them safe. Sadly irresponsible adults often make them question this advice. I am thinking of a former pupil who told staff he could bring in a small knife to school, despite being against rules, because his Dad had told him that he had every right to defend himself. His Dad also added that it was his knife so if it was taken from him it was theft by the school. I am all for taking responsibility for your own actions but some people don't have a clue about their actions and consequences.

Personally I prefer oven chips.

[Daniel]

Chip pans are horrible anyway - far too greasy and smelly. Go to the chippy ferchrissakes!
I can't stand the "nanny state" naysayers either. They are the first ones to come out with rubbish like "I won't let the government tell me what I can and can't do". Fine then, lets do away with all laws and have complete anarchy. Isn't it the government's job to make and enforce the rules?
The funny thing is these people are the first to go "Why didn't the government stop me or why aren't there laws against this sort of thing" :mark:

I think parents like the ones Caroline mentioned should have criminal charges brought against them :rolleyes:

[Drew]

Baniel :devil:

Unfortunetely some people are stupid or don't realise what they are doing. I don't really like the idea of banning things left right and centre.

[Daniel]

I agree. But if the thing being banned is dangerous and not essential for our way of life then what's the cost to society of not having chip pans? :mark:

[Drew]

If you take away chip pans, it means that oven chips and microwave chips win. But if you start on that road of what's the cost to society in not having it, where do you stop?

Do we really need have the crap that we actually own?

[Daniel]

If you take away chip pans, it means that oven chips and microwave chips win. But if you start on that road of what's the cost to society in not having it, where do you stop?

Do we really need have the crap that we actually own?
Yes but does my silly expensive laser mouse that's better to play games with hurt anyone else? No :) And no it's not going to rob anyone of their eyesight. Not powerful enough :)

[Drew]

Yes but does my silly expensive laser mouse that's better to play games with hurt anyone else? No :) And no it's not going to rob anyone of their eyesight. Not powerful enough :)

How about alcohol, we don't need that, it's pretty dangerous in a variety of ways, do we ban that?

That's what worries me about just banning things, once you start the ball rolling where does it end?

[Daniel]

How about alcohol, we don't need that, it's pretty dangerous in a variety of ways, do we ban that?

That's what worries me about just banning things, once you start the ball rolling where does it end?
The thing is alcohol is obviously dangerous to most people. Chip pans aren't.

[Drew]

The thing is alcohol is obviously dangerous to most people. Chip pans aren't.

Not exactly. It's only obviously dangerous because we've been told constantly that it's dangerous. Just like chip pans, really.

I was taught at primary school how to deal with a chip pan fire but was never told anything about alcohol.

[Alexamateo]

I made the mistake of listening to Jeremy Vine today :mark:

Basically one of the stupid segments was about chip pan fires. Apparently every year 50 or so people die every year because they go home, get pissed, are too stupid to buy a kebab or curry, decide to make chips in a chip pan, fall asleep and you now the rest.

A guy from the North Wales Fire service said that people should throw away their chip pans and if it was up to him they'd be banned.

Cue the torrent people on the "nanny state" bandwagon saying "Why should someone tell me what to say and so on" :mark:

What is it about people in this country that makes them have this moronic attitude?

Put your chips in the oven ffs and don't kill yourself and others.

Oooh they're playing Blinded by the light by Manfred Mann :)

By that logic, we should ban automobiles because sometimes people fall asleep and kill themselves or others.

[Daniel]

By that logic, we should ban automobiles because sometimes people fall asleep and kill themselves or others.
Do you need a chip pan?

Do you need a car?

[Daniel]

Not exactly. It's only obviously dangerous because we've been told constantly that it's dangerous. Just like chip pans, really.

I was taught at primary school how to deal with a chip pan fire but was never told anything about alcohol.

I find that hard to believe. At some stage in schooling I'm certain that you were taught about alcohol in some way ;)

I really couldn't care less about alcohol so don't try and get me to justify the existence of alcohol as a legal substance with which people can poison themselves slowly or kill others in car accidents and so on because in my mind there is no need for alcohol ;) But of course a lot of people disagree and feel that the impact of the prohibition of alcohol would be make a big impact upon their lives. Having to oven cook your chips is hardly a huge issue non? ;)

[SEATFreak]

Whatever happened to buying a roto-fryer?? Are people to skint or to plain tight fisted to buy one is it the quality of the chip isn't as good?

My parents used to have one when they first came out and certainly we have had worse appliances. Like a toasted sandwich maker. It was far messier than a roto-fryer.

On the wider subject. Indeed we cannot ban everything to everyone. Except maybe cigarettes because whether your black or white, tall or small, male or female or even old or young, cigarettes are harfmul period. Theirs no ressponsible way of smoking them. But we can teach, educate on how to use chip-pans or drive cars more ressponsibly.
However sadly I think part of the reason why the toll for home, workplace and traffic based accidents, fatal or not, is what it is is perhaps some people just don't like to be educated for some reason. It is like they feel they don't need it. Before they teach the civil servives like the police, ambulance men/women and the fire service must I think get it through that it is OK to read leaflets and attend courses.

On a course I did years ago I did a small course run by the St.Johns Ambulance. I learned about CPR and the ABC rule. I loved it.

[Alexamateo]

Do you need a chip pan?

Do you need a car?

Well, I am not exactly sure what a chip pan is, but I imagine it's a type of deep fryer. If I like chips cooked in a chip pan, the yes I need one. My question is why would government concern itself with this? For every chip pan fire, I am sure thousands of people cook them without setting their houses on fire, so why punish the many for the acts of a few idiots. It's not governments place.

If government wants to fine me or my estate for causing a fire, fine. If government wants to set minimum standards for construction, wiring etc, fine. Ban somethinig because there is one chance in 10,000 it might cause a fire, not fine.

There have been fires caused by batteries in laptop computers. Applying the same logic, they should be banned because they might cause a fire. A fire can start in any one of a thousand ways, there is no way to ban everything that might cause a fire, nor should there be.

[Daniel]

Well, I am not exactly sure what a chip pan is, but I imagine it's a type of deep fryer. If I like chips cooked in a chip pan, the yes I need one. My question is why would government concern itself with this? For every chip pan fire, I am sure thousands of people cook them without setting their houses on fire, so why punish the many for the acts of a few idiots. It's not governments place.

If government wants to fine me or my estate for causing a fire, fine. If government wants to set minimum standards for construction, wiring etc, fine. Ban somethinig because there is one chance in 10,000 it might cause a fire, not fine.

There have been fires caused by batteries in laptop computers. Applying the same logic, they should be banned because they might cause a fire. A fire can start in any one of a thousand ways, there is no way to ban everything that might cause a fire, nor should there be.

People with their strange ideas. I like something so it must be my right.

I myself enjoy drinking the blood of freshly slaughtered newborn babies. I should ask that this be made legal :rolleyes:

The laptop battery argument is preposterous. The few incidents of explosion were as a result of manufacturing faults. Totally different thing.

If you want to, go to a fish and chip shop and get chips from there. They'll probably be better and you won't fall asleep and kill yourself or even worse someone else.

[Drew]

I find that hard to believe. At some stage in schooling I'm certain that you were taught about alcohol in some way ;)

I really couldn't care less about alcohol so don't try and get me to justify the existence of alcohol as a legal substance with which people can poison themselves slowly or kill others in car accidents and so on because in my mind there is no need for alcohol ;) But of course a lot of people disagree and feel that the impact of the prohibition of alcohol would be make a big impact upon their lives. Having to oven cook your chips is hardly a huge issue non? ;)

Yes, I was taught about how horrifyingly dangerous alcohol, cigarettes, weed and so on are in secondary school but not primary school

If there is ever prohibition here, I'm moving - how am I meant to pull? ;)

Well, it'd be more expensive, I imagine. I just like chips done in a chip pan. If I had to go to the chippy every time, I'd have to drive a few miles to get to one. This way I'd be helping to destoy the environment and danny boy that'd be all your fault ;)

[SEATFreak]

I once saw one of those property hunt programmes and in one house they seemed to have a mini fire extinguisher in every room. I think it used to be an old holliday let.

Are those mini extinguishers available for sale to the general public?

If so why not encourage the public to buy the different types and have them placed where they can be accessed?

It is just it ain't that hard to know the different classes of extinguisher and what needs to be used on what type of fire. I am sure info is available on the internet.
In knowing about the BTCC you know far far far more than what it takes to understand the different extinguishers their is.

[Daniel]

Yes, I was taught about how horrifyingly dangerous alcohol, cigarettes, weed and so on are in secondary school but not primary school

If there is ever prohibition here, I'm moving - how am I meant to pull? ;)

Well, it'd be more expensive, I imagine. I just like chips done in a chip pan. If I had to go to the chippy every time, I'd have to drive a few miles to get to one. This way I'd be helping to destoy the environment and danny boy that'd be all your fault ;)

Ok lets do some quick calculations here.

50 or so people die a year because of chip pan fires

Lets say these people go to a fish and chip shop or just bake their chips

Lets say 2 die in car accidents
5 people get run over
1 person slips in the chippie and somehow goes over the counter and falls into the deep fryer himself/herself and gets deep fried
2 people die from asthma attacks induced by all that extra pollution you speak of.
3 people are so sad that they can't make their own deep fried chips that they commit suicide.

Bearing in mind I'm being extremely generous here. By my calculations that's 37 people who'd be saved each year. Imagine 39 less families losing a (drunk) loved one? It makes me sick to think that someone might wake up in the morning and find that a relative ISN'T dead. Truly sickening. Bloody doo-gooders! Wanting me to bake my chips! I bet they didn't bake their chips in WW2 and I bet that Diana preferred home deep-fried chips as well :rolleyes: Blitz spirit wot wot!

[Drew]

Ok lets do some quick calculations here.

50 or so people die a year because of chip pan fires

Lets say these people go to a fish and chip shop or just bake their chips

Lets say 2 die in car accidents
5 people get run over
1 person slips in the chippie and somehow goes over the counter and falls into the deep fryer himself/herself and gets deep fried
2 people die from asthma attacks induced by all that extra pollution you speak of.
3 people are so sad that they can't make their own deep fried chips that they commit suicide.

Bearing in mind I'm being extremely generous here. By my calculations that's 37 people who'd be saved each year. Imagine 39 less families losing a (drunk) loved one? It makes me sick to think that someone might wake up in the morning and find that a relative ISN'T dead. Truly sickening. Bloody doo-gooders! Wanting me to bake my chips! I bet they didn't bake their chips in WW2 and I bet that Diana preferred home deep-fried chips as well :rolleyes: Blitz spirit wot wot!

Don't forget the people that are drunk and want some chips that are then forced to drink-drive to the chippy to get their chips. Then also the increased murders at chip shops because we have to wait longer.

And what happens when they are banned, will there be chip pan amnesties?

Survival of the fittest my friend.

Tbh I have no idea how to use a fire extinguisher, maybe I should sort that out before I ever have to use one and stand there like a lemon reading the instructions.

[LotusElise]

Advances in oven chip technology have made messy, smelly, dangerous chip pans virtually obsolete. Oven chips used to be the colour, texture and flavour of charred cardboard. This is no longer the case, especially Southern Fried-style ones.

[Iain]

Never throw water on a fat fire - it'll take yer face off. :D

I don't like chip pans or deep fat friers, but to a lot of older people in the country, it's the only thing they'll use. My great aunt used to always put on the chip pan every time we visited, just one of those things that old people do and can't see the need for change. :)

[Brown, Jon Brow]

The thing is that most of the Health and Safety laws are there to protect the really thick people. If we let let evolution take it's course then all the stupid people would be killed by their chip pan or trousers or what ever isn't banned. Then we wouldn't need Health and Safety. :p

I honestly believe that the 'over the top' protection of children from any sort of danger (e.g goggles for conkers) is making a new generation of children who are unable to sense danger.

[Hazell B]

What I don't get is that dangerous dogs, certain drugs, etc. are banned and they don't kill very often, yet other things kill daily and aren't even covered by a single law.

An example would be horses. They kill hundreds each year in the UK. Yet you can go out and buy one without any training or insurance. You can't buy more than two packs of weak painkillers, but you can buy a dangerous animal ....... :confused:

By the way, I have a deep fat fryer.
Which I refuse to use (mainly because I'm too lazy and like it better when he cooks ;) ) as I claim it's too dangerous in my unskilled hands :p :

[Hazell B]

.... I claim it's too dangerous in my unskilled hands :p :

Best mention I also claim to have once cut myself badly while cleaning a knife, so don't wash up.
My reasons for not hoovering until he's trying to watch something on TV are as yet unclear :p :

The nanny state can have a good side!

[jim mcglinchey]

Advances in oven chip technology have made messy, smelly, dangerous chip pans virtually obsolete. Oven chips used to be the colour, texture and flavour of charred cardboard. This is no longer the case, especially Southern Fried-style ones.


Have you share in McCains or something? Oven chips are horrible, the worst meal that I can imagine is oven chips and frozen pizza, give me real chips deep fried in finest beef dripping lard anytime.

Smoke tabs
Drink beer
Eat chips
Ride Bikes

as the t shirt says

[Daniel]

you've obviously been buying the wrong oven chips. Buy chicago town takeaway pizza. It's better than a lot of those wood fired pizza's people go on about all the time

[Brown, Jon Brow]

Home made pizza is the best ;)

[Daniel]

chicago town is just as good as home made ;-)

[BDunnell]

I think the problem is that many people now are martyrs to the sort of views expressed that states that we are all unduly restricted in our day-to-day lives. Certain sections of the are in part to blame for this. I have never felt hard done by as a result of any of these perceived curbs on personal freedoms or ever-increasing restrictions.

The irony is that the same sort of people are often the first to express the views that restrictions on personal freedoms in order to curb the 'terror menace' are increasingly necessary, and to suddenly forget about their love for all things 'politically incorrect' when they find it offensive. It's always a case of freedom on their terms.

[LotusElise]

chicago town is just as good as home made ;-)

Funnily enough, I never have chicago town pizzas because the cheese gets so hot I always burn my mouth on them...

[NoFender]

Nice post BDunnel^

My solution to everyone's problems.


"You are your only problem, and baby, you are your only solution."

If enough people would wake up to the fact that they have responsibility for their own actions, the world might be a little less uptight. It's unfortunate that innocent people are caught up in some idiots mistake, but that's part of life. It makes us who we are. There's not enough time in life to worry about what another person isn't worrying about. Make sure your smoke detectors are working, and know your neighbors. If the guy is a dope, keep your eye on'im. Accidents do happen though, and there's nothing you can do about it. Unless you want to ban accidents.

[NoFender]

Funnily enough, I never have chicago town pizzas because the cheese gets so hot I always burn my mouth on them...

I live in Chicago!!

I wonder if I could get you guys real pizza.

[jim mcglinchey]

[quote="BDunnell"]

That sounds a teeny bit smug, if you dont mind me saying. A bit " Im allright Jack " . There are a lot of ordinary people in the UK with genuine concerns about the steady erosion of their human rights.

[BDunnell]

That sounds a teeny bit smug, if you dont mind me saying. A bit " Im allright Jack " . There are a lot of ordinary people in the UK with genuine concerns about the steady erosion of their human rights.

Don't get me wrong, I have concerns about the erosion of certain human rights, but not in the same way as people like Richard Littlejohn and Jeremy Clarkson, for example, worry about the issue.

[Brown, Jon Brow]

I think the problem is that many people now are martyrs to the sort of views expressed that states that we are all unduly restricted in our day-to-day lives. Certain sections of the are in part to blame for this. I have never felt hard done by as a result of any of these perceived curbs on personal freedoms or ever-increasing restrictions.

The irony is that the same sort of people are often the first to express the views that restrictions on personal freedoms in order to curb the 'terror menace' are increasingly necessary, and to suddenly forget about their love for all things 'politically incorrect' when they find it offensive. It's always a case of freedom on their terms.

The thing here I don't understand is why you are comparing someones rights to fry chips in their house with a matter of national security. :rolleyes:

[BDunnell]

The thing here I don't understand is why you are comparing someones rights to fry chips in their house with a matter of national security. :rolleyes:

Because I find it, at the very least, ironic that some people can accept clampdowns on rather fundamental personal freedoms as soon as the word 'terrorism' gets mentioned, and yet moan about minor things like this chip pan business as though it was somehow the equivalent of being in Nazi Germany — a comparison I have read and heard many times.

[Brown, Jon Brow]

and yet moan about minor things like this chip pan business as though it was somehow the equivalent of being in Nazi Germany — a comparison I have read and heard many times.

Well you've got to get peoples attention :p

[BDunnell]

Well you've got to get peoples attention :p

I should add, by the way, that I haven't heard the comparison made between Nazi Germany and the ban on chip pans — I meant rather more generally!

[Drew]

you've obviously been buying the wrong oven chips. Buy chicago town takeaway pizza. It's better than a lot of those wood fired pizza's people go on about all the time

Spot on, chicago town takeaway pepperoni is quite possible the best pizza you can buy at the supermercato. Sometimes they're even on offer :up:

[Captain VXR]

I only reference to the nanny state about Castle Combe and other circuits where as little as 4-5 people can complain and threaten a place that was there before them and they had access to what goes on before they moved in :mad:

[LotusElise]

Ah, that's not the nanny state at all. That's NIMBYs...

[Daniel]

We have had that in Perth. Happened with Jandakot airport which was there before the housing which was sold to people who were told that the airport was going to close down in the future. Usually these people get told to go get bent :) As they should be :)

[LotusElise]

I heard of someone who moved next door to a junior school and then complained to the council about the noise of the kids playing.
I think they got laughed at.

[Daniel]

To balance it all out lets make fun of a stupid moron who's being a bit too PC :)

http://www.theregister.co.uk/2007/08/31/fotw/

[Drew]

It's probably a good idea to state not all the Welsh are like that. Most taffys can chuck a good insult back at the Saes

[Hazell B]

I heard of someone who moved next door to a junior school and then complained to the council about the noise of the kids playing.
I think they got laughed at.

Try townies moving out to the country then moaning about cows being driven to be milked along the roads - and they usually end up winning, while the farmer has to take a longer (slower) route :mark:

But that's not so much a nanny state issue. The real worries are stupid little things that slow down an otherwise perfectly normal day in your life. For example being nannied in to crossing a road that's never seen an accident twenty yards further along because somebody decided to protect us all by sticking barriers all over the place. Nobody's ever been run over at most of these places, but the powers that be just want to make sure ..... yet they can't afford traffic lights at serious accident blackspots :(

[LotusElise]

Try townies moving out to the country then moaning about cows being driven to be milked along the roads - and they usually end up winning, while the farmer has to take a longer (slower) route :mark:


I wonder how they would have coped if they had had the pleasure of being caught between two advancing combine harvesters on opposite sides of the road, on a poorly-maintained B-road, late at night.
This happened to me a couple of years back and I can't remember how I got out of it.

[LeonBrooke]

I heard of someone who moved next door to a junior school and then complained to the council about the noise of the kids playing.
I think they got laughed at.

You got people who moved into upmarket inner-city apartments and started complaining about the noise from pubs and clubs :rolleyes:


I wonder how they would have coped if they had had the pleasure of being caught between two advancing combine harvesters on opposite sides of the road, on a poorly-maintained B-road, late at night.
This happened to me a couple of years back and I can't remember how I got out of it.

Were they trying to kill you? That's what sprung into my mind at first...

[BDunnell]

I suppose the assumption that everyone is a litigious moron is extremely irritating. The range of announcements/placards at my local large supermarket telling you in various ways to be careful on the moving walkways between floors is just such an example.

[LotusElise]

Those signs can sometimes be quite amusing.

[BDunnell]

Oh, it's not just signs! There are even verbal announcements. 'Get ready to push the trolley off the end of the conveyor. Get ready to push the trolley off the end of the conveyor.'

[LotusElise]

That does sound quite annoying. Is it a smug, posh, female voice as well, like those awful "your call is important to us" messages that everyone hates?
Sometimes deaf people have the upper hand in society.

[BDunnell]

That does sound quite annoying. Is it a smug, posh, female voice as well, like those awful "your call is important to us" messages that everyone hates?
Sometimes deaf people have the upper hand in society.

No, it's a very stern, obviously computer-generated, male voice.

[LotusElise]

That's quite unusual.

[Drew]

It's like the instructions on the escaltors that say hold on to the rail. It makes me want to do it less, so I never hold on :p :

[Mikeall]

Well I guess people believe that they pay the fire service so they shouldn't complain about dragging their charred remains from a burning building. There's probably some logic somewhere.

[LotusElise]

Um, that's not really the point of what the fire officer was saying...

[LotusElise]

Sorry to drag this old thread up again, but I've just found out that chip pans are banned in the hall of residence I live in!
Seems the fire chief wasn't the only one with concerns.

[Daniel]

Good stuff. Common sense prevails. I'm guessing someone will have one and kill themselves in a show of defiance. Blitz spirit eh wot wot?

[Drew]

Chip pans are banned on all halls of residence here. I'm not sure you want drunk and stupid students operating them at 3am...

[BDunnell]

If you ask me, leaving hobs on all night is a bigger danger!