[blml] A player's view [SEC=UNOFFICIAL]

[richard.hills at immi.gov.au]

Richard Hills wrote (15th July 2004):

[big snip]

Secondarily, I argue that (in some circumstances)
non-objective or subjective Laws are highly
desirable, despite Nigel Guthrie's vehement
philosophical opposition.

Edward Tenner, Why Things Bite Back, page 251:

>For clubs, the rules become deliberately
>subjective.  The head must be "plain in shape".
>This, for example, really means that it must
>look like a golf clubhead.  Defining plainness
>precisely would have the revenge effect of
>promoting a search for loopholes.

A recent blml search for loopholes has been on
the extensive thread discussing when, exactly, a
card has been played.  I like the plain in shape
subjective solution proposed by John (MadDog)
Probst that "a card has been played when the
player stops waving it around".

*     *     *

Richard Hills writes (13th February 2007):

Thirdly, I argue that (in some circumstances)
non-objective or subjective Alert regulations
are highly desirable, to prevent sea-lawyers
wriggling through loopholes.

There are two ways to construct an Alert
regulation.  One way, chosen by the Australian
Bridge Federation, is to create (non-objective or
subjective) general principles, and then to
provide some indicative examples as guidance for
players and directors on the application of those
(non-objective or subjective) general principles.

The other way is the "death by detail" approach,
with large numbers of specific situations
specifically defined as either:

(a) non-alertable, or
(b) pre-alertable, or
(c) announcable, or
(d) alertable on the first round of the auction,
but non-alertable if occurring on the second or
later round of the auction, or
(e) alertable in theory, but not in practice,
since players must "protect themselves", or
(f) alertable because forcing, or
(g) alertable because non-forcing, or
(h) no longer alertable, because of the "death by
detail" requirement that alert regs change each
year as details of popular conventions change, or
(i) et cetera, et cetera, et cetera.

:-)


Best wishes

Richard James Hills, amicus curiae
National Training Branch, DIAC
02 6225 6285

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