Moral banditry !

A priest in Britain has suggested that desperate people are justified in shoplifting - provided they play by the rules.

The rules are simple. Take only what you need - and avoid shoplifting from small, family owned corner stores. The big end of town will simply slap a few cents on to compensate and therefore spread the cost across the population base.

This seems to be an interesting mix of socialism and the "Robin Hood " syndrome. The only problem is that if people take it seriously it would introduce a new style of moral banditry.

Perhaps we would see a new ethos apply to armed holdups ! The criteria for selecting a victim would involve an appraisal of girth - to ensure the victim is well fed - and inspection of clothing worn - as an indication of wealth.

Having demanded that persons wallet, the " underprivileged poor " would be obliged to only take what is necessary for immediate survival - the cost of an overnight bed in a cheap motel - and the cost of a McDonald's meal. Other funds should remain in the wallet, which would be immediately returned to it's owner.

It would be ethical to use the victim's mobile phone to call home and have a chat with Mum and the family, but the call should be brief - and the phone returned immediately afterwards.

It seems that this priest's outlook on charity is not shared by his church - and it is doubtful if either the police or the courts would accept this excuse to overlook a crime.

But it is comforting to know that the next time we fall victim to a bandit we are only taking part in a social engineering experiment !