Posted by Jock on November 11, 2006 at 21:55:38 from 87.105.81.146 user Jock.
In Reply to: Re: Coddling children posted by Laurence Monkhouse on November 11, 2006 at 21:33:18:
We don't have rules forbidding bathing after a specific date, we don't
have anything like the US Coastguard controlling what we do with our
boats, nobody restricts our right to go onto mountains or into caves...
Admittedly we don't consider it an absolute right to carry guns, but that
is a freedom most of us would happily prefer to forego.
Thanks Laurence for reminding us of the relative freedom that we enjoy in
the UK. In Poland the controls are similar to those that you describe in
the USA. But to nit pick, you write: in the UK there are no such
certificates of competence or anybody to demand that you have them.
There are certificates of competence which, quite rightly, are
demanded if you leading a group of children in outdoor pursuits such as
sailing, canoeing or caving as part of a formal training or educational
exercise.
But, you don't need such certificates to lead your own children. Which
brings us back to your main point.