# No tea and biscuits for magistrates **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [October 3, 2009, 7:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/no-tea-and-biscuits-for-magistrates/512442 "2009-10-03T07:06:07Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 10\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![chowder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/977dab/32.png) [@chowder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chowder)\ **Post date:** [October 3, 2009, 7:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/no-tea-and-biscuits-for-magistrates/512442/1 "2009-10-03T07:06:07Z")
It was reported on BBC Ceefax that some magistrates in the UK are having to go without their tea and biscuits because of cut backs. Obviously without their T&Bs these guys would be quite incapable of dispensing any sort of justice, , mad axe killers, rapists, child molesters etc would be roaming our streets, us law abiding plebs wouldn’t be safe. This is quite unaceptable and indeed one judge has taken upon himself to supply the poor mites with T&Bs out of his own pocket. Said judge described his actions as akin to sending food to starving Africans. :rolleyes: Has the world gone totally fucking bonkers or is it just Merrie England? ---
**Author:** ![Nava](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/da6949/32.png) [@Nava](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nava)\ **Post date:** [October 3, 2009, 7:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/no-tea-and-biscuits-for-magistrates/512442/2 "2009-10-03T07:16:31Z")
You mean it’s not true that British armies will stop battles at 5 O-sharp for tea? ---
**Author:** ![chowder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/977dab/32.png) [@chowder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chowder)\ **Post date:** [October 3, 2009, 7:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/no-tea-and-biscuits-for-magistrates/512442/3 "2009-10-03T07:24:59Z")
> [@Nava](#): > > You mean it’s not true that British armies will stop battles at 5 O-sharp for tea? Tsk tsk my good fellow, do you know nothing? Yes it’s true but only if there are no hot buttered crumpets, otherwise we carry on regardless ---
**Author:** ![The\_Why\_Bird](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/e9bcb4/32.png) [@The\_Why\_Bird](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Why_Bird)\ **Post date:** [October 3, 2009, 8:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/no-tea-and-biscuits-for-magistrates/512442/4 "2009-10-03T08:35:34Z")
> [@chowder](#): > > Obviously without their T&Bs these guys would be quite incapable of dispensing any sort of justice, , mad axe killers, rapists, child molesters etc would be roaming our streets, us law abiding plebs wouldn’t be safe. In that case, we must have run out of tea and biscuits quite a while ago in my area, because it has been a while since I’ve seen justice appropriately dispensed. On the other hand, magistrates don’t get paid to do the job, so you’d think we could stretch to a packet of custard creams to keep them happy. ---
**Author:** ![Campion](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/4491bb/32.png) [@Campion](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Campion)\ **Post date:** [October 3, 2009, 5:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/no-tea-and-biscuits-for-magistrates/512442/5 "2009-10-03T17:39:28Z")
> [@chowder](#): > > Obviously without their T&Bs these guys would be quite incapable of dispensing any sort of justice, , mad axe killers, rapists, child molesters etc would be roaming our streets, us law abiding plebs wouldn’t be safe. That’s terrible! Is there somewhere I can send some tea and biscuits? Sure, they’d be American tea and biscuits, but we all have to make sacrifices. On that note, in California the courts are on furlough one day a month, which is leading to similar dire predictions of madness and mayhem. Because the constitution guarantees a speedy trial to criminals, some criminal cases have been dismissed because there hasn’t been a courtroom available to try them. So, not quite tea and biscuits… (By the way, I always heard the phrase “tea and crumpets” – are crumpets no longer fashionable?) ---
**Author:** ![chowder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/977dab/32.png) [@chowder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chowder)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2009, 6:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/no-tea-and-biscuits-for-magistrates/512442/6 "2009-10-04T06:39:47Z")
> [@Campion](#): > > (By the way, I always heard the phrase “tea and crumpets” – are crumpets no longer fashionable?) Indeed they are still fashionable, smothered in butter ---
**Author:** ![Lust4Life](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/ecc23a/32.png) [@Lust4Life](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lust4Life)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2009, 1:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/no-tea-and-biscuits-for-magistrates/512442/7 "2009-10-04T13:48:10Z")
> [@Nava](#): > > You mean it’s not true that British armies will stop battles at 5 O-sharp for tea? Four o’clock actually,if we were forced to wait till five things turned nasty. “OK lads !No cuppa,no prisoners!” ---
**Author:** ![Siam\_Sam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d78d45/32.png) [@Siam\_Sam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Siam_Sam)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2009, 3:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/no-tea-and-biscuits-for-magistrates/512442/8 "2009-10-04T15:00:46Z")
> [@chowder](#): > > Tsk tsk my good fellow, do you know nothing? > > Yes it’s true but only if there are no hot buttered crumpets, otherwise we carry on regardless Hot buttered crumpets or hot buttered strumpets? I can never remember which is which and am forever embarrassing myself in the bakery. Luckily, this is Thailand, and either one is a perfectly normal request. ---
**Author:** ![chowder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/977dab/32.png) [@chowder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chowder)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2009, 5:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/no-tea-and-biscuits-for-magistrates/512442/9 "2009-10-04T17:09:39Z")
Yes but does a hot buttered strumpet taste as good as a hot buttered cru… Oh silly me… ---
**Author:** ![Neverender](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/848f3c/32.png) [@Neverender](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Neverender)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2009, 10:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/no-tea-and-biscuits-for-magistrates/512442/10 "2009-10-04T22:30:37Z")
> [@chowder](#): > > Yes but does a hot buttered strumpet taste as good as a hot buttered cru… > > Oh silly me… But how does the strumpet’s crumpet taste? I’ll be leaving now..