Wednesday, January 19, 2011

 

Lots of Little Regulations

A.P. Herbert (1890-1971), Let's Stop Somebody from Doing Something:
People seem to think they've a right to eat and drink,
Talk and walk and respirate and rink,
Bicycle and bathe and such.
So let's have lots of little regulations,
Let's make laws and jobs for our relations,
There's too much kissing at the railway stations—
Let's find out what everyone is doing,
And then stop everyone from doing it.
To rink is "To prowl, range; to move restlessly about or around" (Oxford English Dictionary).

If you think Herbert was exaggerating, see Paul Stokes, "Kissing banned at railway station," Telegraph (February 16, 2009):
Couples have been banned from kissing at Warrington Bank Quay Station because it holds up commuters.

The [ban] means an end to passionate platform scenes like the one between Celia Johnson and Trevor Howard in the 1945 film Brief Encounter.

No-kissing signs have appeared in the taxi rank at Warrington Bank Quay Station forcing lovers to use designated areas only.

The signs were erected after concerns that passionate embraces were causing delays for commuters with more passengers being attracted there.

Warrington Bank Quay is believed to be the first in the country to put up such signs.



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