On a similar issue there was a brief news item yesterday about "a student" who was prosecuted for causing cruelty to a hamster, he basically fried a live one in a frying pan one night.

His excuse was that he "was so drunk that he was at the point of madness".

I'm not sure how drunk you have to be before you decide to fry a hamster for your supper, or whether its actually possible to drink enough alcohol in one evening to make yourself certified as mad, I've never managed it before and I've not heard of anyone else who has, but is it just a general impression that more people are drinking to the point of non-control of limbs and emotions than have ever done in living memory (yes, I know, hogarths images and all) ?

That just made me

Mrs 28 had the nail file part of a pair of nail clippers snapped off and disposed of at Birmingham Airport a few years back. Pretty sure it was Magda Goebbels that did it too. Well a humourless jobsworth at any rate.

A penknife?

On any fishing trip I can usually be found to be in possession of - the best on the market if you're interested

A bait cutting knife - shorter, more sturdy blade

A gutting knife - shorter blade than the bait knife and incorporates a kidney tool for bleeding the fish

These are usually in my bag until I'm on the boat or beach but I suppose I'm still open to carrying a concealed weapon

I always have a penknife or multitool with me when I fish which could be classed as carrying a bladed instrument in a public place. The three foot long pointed banksticks I take with me could also be classed as offensive weapons. The law as it is depends on you having a good reason to carry the blade e.g. just bought a set of cooking knives. If the law was enforced to a stupid extent any carpenter walking to work carrying his tools in a bag could be done for carrying an offensive weapon or going equipped.

I recently came across one of those real life Police documentaries filmed in the UK while flicking through the channels. They had stopped a young motorist and while searching him/car found a multitool and said they were confiscating the said bladed instrument that he was "carrying in public". The motorist became irate and pointed out that the extendable wheel brace he had in the car could also be used as a weapon and that both were items one might expect to be carried by a motorist. None-the-less the multitool was confiscated. Oh, by the way, I forgot to mention that the young motorist was black!

Honest, our Police aren't institutionally racist!