G20 demonstrations

It actually is quite relevant, if you live in the real world. Police would not treat the above example equally would they, they would come down harder on the man who beats his wife 5x a week It's not completely fair, but that's the way it is, because police resources are not unlimited.. The police would make a call, which one poses a greater threat to the public.

Similarly you will face greater punishment if you are caught with 20g of Cocaine, than if you are caught with 1g. It's not so much excusing the criminal, as putting things in perspective.

"It actually is quite relevant, if you live in the real world."

Hey calm down Ren, I am not part of this bun fight !!

You seem to have changed my point from one of a worse crime does not excuse a lesser to an argument of proportionality.

I might not have made my point very well, let me try again . . . the argument that "the police in other countries would treat you much worse" (or variations on that theme) is irrelevant in the respect that it does not excuse poor policing here.

Similalry you do not excuse your own beating of your wife by pointing to a worse example, the guy down the street may be worse, and as you say the police may come down harder on him, but none of this excuses, mitigates, lessens or otherwise diminishes the fact that you have beaten your wife.

I hope that's a bit clearer.

I don't want to get into this argument, I am just being a pedant here and whenever I see that line of defence for what some see as poor policing I can't help but stick my oar in as it is an unsound argument.

If you give me time I can probably remember the name of the fallacy, but it escapes me right now, nothing a pair of cans of Kronenberg won't reveal.

Maybe this is a better way of putting it (a little over the top, but I am trying to make the point):

*A: "This hospital is awful, the toilets are overflowing, the doctors are drunk and the death rate is forty times the national average"

B: "Well, compared to hospitals in North Korea I think you will find this place is pretty good and the death rate is half that of Pyongyang hospital"*

What should be the response here ? Should it be "Really, Pyongyang hospital sounds terrible, I suppose we should be grateful for what we have" - or would you be justified in saying "That's irrelevant, this place is still a shit hole and needs cleaning up"

So when you say "[the police] are exceptionally well-mannered, compared to every other police force in the world." - I am not agreeing with you or disagreeing with you, I am just saying it is irrelevant - unless the conversation is 'who is the best police force in the world'.

Anyhow good luck to this thread and all who sail in her.