A little-known law which prohibits people dying while in the Houses of Parliament has been voted the UK's most ludicrous piece of legislation.Another law which states it is treason to use a postage stamp upside down was placed in second place by those polled by UKTV Gold. The most absurd international law was judged to be in the US state of Ohio, where it is illegal to get fish drunk.
The UK's top 10 most ridiculous British laws were listed as:
1. It is illegal to die in the Houses of Parliament
2. It is an act of treason to place a postage stamp bearing the British king or queen's image upside-down
3. It is illegal for a woman to be topless in Liverpool except as a clerk in a tropical fish store
4. Eating mince pies on Christmas Day is banned
5. If someone knocks on your door in Scotland and requires the use of your toilet, you are required to let them enter
6. In the UK a pregnant woman can legally relieve herself anywhere she wants, including in a policeman's helmet
7. The head of any dead whale found on the British coast automatically becomes the property of the King, and the tail of the Queen
8. It is illegal not to tell the tax man anything you do not want him to know, but legal not to tell him information you do not mind him knowing
9. It is illegal to enter the Houses of Parliament wearing a suit of armour
10. It is legal to murder a Scotsman within the ancient city walls of York, but only if he is carrying a bow and arrow
Other bizarre foreign laws voted by those polled included:
In Ohio, it is illegal to get a fish drunk
In Indonesia, the penalty for masturbation is decapitation
A male doctor in Bahrain can only examine the genitals of a woman in the reflection of a mirror
In Switzerland, a man may not relieve himself standing up after 10pm
It is illegal to be blindfolded while driving a vehicle in Alabama
In Florida, unmarried women who parachute on a Sunday could be jailed
Women in Vermont must obtain written permission from their husbands to wear false teeth
In Milan, it is a legal requirement to smile at all times, except during funerals or hospital visits
In France, it is illegal to name a pig Napoleon
Great stuff! I know most of my relatives from earlier days would have been in trouble for breaking #4.
The one about it being illegal to die in the Houses of Parliament intrigues me. Just what is the punishment?
Nos. 9 and 10 are perfectly reasonable if you think about their historical context. Several coups back in medieval eras can attest to the reasons for not allowing armed people inside Parliament - bit intimidating, trying to object to legislation while Sir Lancelot's looming over you - while no.10 likely has its roots in cross-border warfare and events like the Jacobite would-be invasions of 1715 and 1745. York, being a little too close to the Scottish border for comfort, felt the brunt of Highlander aggression quite a few times and the presence of an armed Scotsman inside the city walls might well suggest an attack about to happen.
Both laws are way, way way out of date, obviously - but they weren't ridiculous at the time.
What about #1 then what can you put that down to Rhassaris ?