The Knife Amnesty in the UK....the repercussions for edged weapons collectors

[A. G. Maisey]

I have tried several times to write what I wish to present for consideration, and several times I have failed.

The problem for me is that this entire matter is very complex, but but at its core it is really very simple.

If it is presented as the complex matter it is, any normally intelligent person will become lost in the maze.

Reduce it to simplicity and there is the danger that my comments may be written off as facile and ill informed.

I have opted to try for simplicity, and beg your indulgence if my remarks do seem a little lightweight, however, I would hope that if you dwell upon what I present, you may see some element of truth.

Barry has mentioned the ideologies rooted in Marxist philosophies. What he has said is unquestionably so. These ideologies do not offer any ultimate solution to the organisation and management of society, any more than does any other ideology. It seems that all the ways in which humankind has attempted to organise itself have some flawed elements , and perhaps that is because humankind itself is flawed.

The problems that initiated this discussion are founded upon the imperfections of us all. We are all members of some society, some community, and those societies and communities are managed by people who are no more perfect than are we.

The nature of any community is that it is made up of a number of people who rely on certain undertakings to provide them with sustenance and protection.

Except in exceptional circumstances, the undertakings that the members of a community rely upon for sustenance are not owned jointly by the members of the community, but by certain individuals either within the community, or outside the community.

The members of the community provide the manpower to operate the undertakings, in return they recieve sustenance.

The owner of the undertaking recieves any excess of production above the need for the community`s sustenance, and this is his profit.

If the undertaking is to succeed and provide the community members with sustenance, and the owner of the undertaking with profit, the community must be kept in a state of order. It must be managed, or in political terms, it must be governed.

There are many philosophies and many ideologies that can provide the foundation to allow the management of a community. All have strengths, all have weaknesses, and all are subject to human frailty.

In the world of business, a commercial or industrial undertaking will have an owner, or it may have shareholders and it will have a CEO. It may have a board of directors. The owner or shareholders will tell the board what outcomes they wish to see achieved, the board will determine the ways in which to best achieve those outcomes, and the CEO will do his best to ensure the outcomes are achieved.

Think of the government of a country in the same way as you would think of the management of a business.
There are the owners and shareholders of the undertakings that constitute the economy of the country.
There is the board of directors , or parliament.
There is the CEO.
There are the workers.

Now ask yourself:-

is any sensible businessman going to allow his workers to dictate policy to him?

is he going to permit workers to tell him how to run his business?

He may consult with them and draw upon their knowledge and experience, but he will not be dictated to by them.

It is no different in the management of any country.

Those who own the economy will dictate policy.

The elected representatives will find ways to satisfy those who own the economy, and those who fuel the economy, the workers.

The CEO, or president, or prime minister will execute the will of those behind him. A CEO is a Chief Executive Officer. He executes or carries out orders, decisions, policy. He always has to answer to those behind him , and he is never above the law.

Sometimes the decisions taken by the parliament, or the CEO will be less than wise, but you can be assured that these decisions are always taken with the objective of keeping the community that they are employed to manage in a state of order, and able to maintain the economy.

When we are told that we can no longer own something, or do something you can be certain that the decision to make this restriction has not been lightly taken but it has been taken with the overall objective of maintaining the state of order within a country, society, or community.This state of order is essential to allow the ongoing function of the economy, the continued sustenance of the community, and to provide suitable conditions for the continuation of the human race.

So, when you are told that you can no longer carry a pocket knife in a public place without good and legal reason, you can console yourself with the thought that you are aiding the continuation of the history of mankind.

When you are no longer allowed to own, much less display that implement of death, a sword, you can rest assured that the economy will blossom because of your sacrifice.

You may not be able to alter the way the owner, the board, or the CEO wants to do things, but you can alter your own approach to achieving your own ends.