Another Cyclist Assaulted, Another Fine

Page may contain affiliate links. Please see terms for details.

Jezston

Über Member
Location
London
I'm not so sure, Spinney. The armed forces deal with a large number of young men who have anger management issues and the training and discipline that they submit to is geared towards getting soldiers to harness that aggression. It might be that this hot-headed, 20 year old's best chance of avoiding jail in future is to remain in the army and not mix with hardened lags in gaol.

It is also interesting and heartening that the judge makes the point that cyclists have the right to point out to motorists the error of their ways (something I find fruitless 90% of the time) without fear of being assualted. In this regard, and from his other comments, the judge seems both sensible and enlightened where cyclists and motorists are concerned.

Quite.

This fetishisation of the military as 'heroes' and 'our boys', bringing up ideals of past glories and WW2-esque propoganda is absurd, and needs to be more actively questioned in the media.

I have two relatives in the armed forces (and I don't have many relatives) and I get on with them well, and while I respect the risks their jobs place them in I don't think they, nor many of their colleagues would ever see themselves as anything other than what they are in this day and age - poorly paid mercenaries.

The kind of thug this guy is, is exactly the kind of person the army requires for front line service. As long as they can be controlled, they want men who approach violent conflict without hesitation or regret. This man will not be punished, nor will the squaddies who get in bar fights across the world every friday and saturday night often serious injuring local people, because we cannot have the risk that these men will ever consider this kind of behaviour in any way questionable thus lessening their effectiveness in combat.
 

Twelve Spokes

Time to say goodbye again...
Location
CS 2
 

TheJDog

dingo's kidneys
It's just a pity the thug didn't pick on a cyclist that enjoys a bit of Jiu Jitsu, because his military career would have ended as soon as the floor kick landed



If at all possible folks, avoid confrontation. But if you were ever pushed to the floor it doesn't mean it's game over for you.

:whistle:


There is no way at least half of those moves would work if the kicker was putting any effort at all into it. Catching someone's foot when they're stamping on your chest? Don't make me laugh
 

Herr-B

Senior Member
Location
Keelby
RAF: Drink tea on a sunny airbase
Navy: Shag anything that moves
Army: Punch stuff

Oh, please. I was in the RAF, the only time I ever drank tea was on exercise when I was knackered and it was the only thing offered, the rest of the time it was coffee in the crewroom or host nation beers (Keo, Tiger, Warsteiner. . .) followed with some spirits.
 

Linford

Guest
Shame he didn't face a court marshal. His job shouldn't have a bearing on the way he conducted himself...especially if used as mitigation.
 

ComedyPilot

Secret Lemonade Drinker
Isn't a mitigating factor something like...

"I stole the bread because my children were starving..."

or

"I stabbed him with my pen because he made a grab for my purse"

How can, "I have a job that I could lose" be any sort of mitigation for chasing someone, knocking them off a bike then kicking them on the ground?
 
OP
OP
TwickenhamCyclist
Isn't a mitigating factor something like...

"I stole the bread because my children were starving..."

or

"I stabbed him with my pen because he made a grab for my purse"

How can, "I have a job that I could lose" be any sort of mitigation for chasing someone, knocking them off a bike then kicking them on the ground?
It makes a change from "I was upset because my girlfriend just left me..."
 

burndust

Parts unknown...baby
fud...dont care if he's a soldier...should have thrown the book at him...
hope his CSM is beasting him stupid....does anyone no what regiment he's from
 
OP
OP
TwickenhamCyclist
Yep. There's never going to be a GOOD outcome to 'remonstrating the driver', so just don't bother.
Got to disagree - there may not be a good outcome every time, but depending how you go about it, one could "help" a driver to improve. Fairy recently I followed a right turning car into a side road off High St Kensington - there were people already crossing the side road before he began his turn and he drove fairly aggressively towards them - revving the engine, breaking sharply and sounding the horn. He parked up a hundred meters or so down the road and opened the door without looking into what would have been my path, but I was kind of ready for that, and was cycling wide of him. To be fair, when he saw me he looked pretty shocked and then worried (I was about twice the size of him) and immediately began to start apologizing. Young chap, in his teens still I'd guess, in a rather expensive and powerful car. Said he was peed off that every time he tried to turn into that street, where I guess he lived, there were people crossing and it annoyed him that they didn't get out of his way etc... and he wasn't concentrating and so didn't look etc... I smiled and made a comment about driving and cycling in London and how its difficult and stressful (I don't actually think that, but it was a way to be on his side so to speak) and then I asked him, smiling, if he ever walked and crossed the road - I'm sure the penny kind of began to drop regarding the fist law... i then said, in a very non threatening and non patronizing way, that he was lucky a copper hadn't been around as he had potentially clocked up several points not giving way and opening the door without looking etc - he acknowledged the the door error but genuinely didn't know that one should give way to peds already crossing when turning into a side street - without laboring it i said he could check the HC to make sure it was there.
It was a pleasant exchange and I genuinely think he might have a small change of attitude in the future - if not only for selfish reasons and yes he was driving like a plonker, and had he been aggressive with me my response may have been different but I'm also guessing the drivers I've "remonstrated" in a far less amicable way will give me plenty of room if they every have the pleasure of driving near me again
 

campbellab

Senior Member
Location
Swindon
[QUOTE 2665548, member: 1314"]I did a lot of work with the MoD last year, and visited their bases all over the place - the RAF at Seaford, the Commandos at Lympstone, the Defense Academy at Shrivenham, Sandhurst, the Generals' and Admirals' finishing academy near Victoria.

Sandhurst was about the selling of War as a noble inclusive cause. Very rarified. They showed me their uniforms of the child officer cadets from 150 years ago.

The Defense Academy was about the selling of war as a technically intelligent enterprise - it's where Colin Powell could end up as the Principal. They showed me the original maps used by the War Cabinet lot when planning the D-Day landings. Fascinating.

The Victoria place is where the sons of the Saudi elite go to get certified. They showed me their library.

Seaford was all 50s taches and marvellous-ho, and showed me their early Whittle jet engines.

Lympstone was dark, forbidding and humourless. I found it scary. People were friendly but nobody smiled. After all, I thought, as I saw the cadets throwing themselves over the training course, these are trained killers.

The Navy wouldn't let me near them, putting up loads of security hurdles. I just couldn't get through the maze.[/quote]

Strange, its not normally much different than the other two. Probably holding some debauchery to the theme of the Harlem Shake.
 
Top Bottom