DO you ever suspect politicians do not think through things properly before supporting new legislation?

I agree with the Scottish Government’s tax on carrier bags. Discarded bags are a visual blight and harm the environment.

It is my understanding there are a number of exemptions from the new law.

I cannot understand why these do not extend to the purchase of hot food.

The General Manager has had a lot of running around to do this week and was out of town when she felt the need to eat something. She popped into a drive-in restaurant and ordered a burger, a small portion of fries and a soft drink. It was her intention to go somewhere quiet and take a break from her activities.

The young lady serving at the window asked if the GM would like a bag.

She had no alternative but to pay for a bag because while the car had a storage receptacle for the soft drink, where would she put the burger and fries without staining the upholstery or carpeting? The food was individually wrapped in grease-proof paper but marks can still be left.

It also strikes me that people buying hot food would like it stay that way for more than a couple of minutes.

As mentioned here after the new carrier bag law came in, I have bought a couple of buttered scones in a non-chargeable paper poke and carried them away in the side pocket of my blazer but would not fancy doing the same with a hot mince pie likely to drip grease.

What if the politicians come round to thinking it would be terribly smart to charge extra for the aforementioned paper poke or a container for soup.

Those who left their place of work with the exact money for a carton of soup without being aware of the new legislation would be in a dilemma.

Do they do without the soup or ask the assistant to pour the hot liquid into a jacket pocket?

It may sound daft but one never knows what politicians will come up with next.