So, with all the problems that the UK is facing at the moment, what is it that the government, the police, and the courts are disagreeing about at the moment;
- Is it civil liberties following the announcement of secret terror courts?
- Is it the re-introduction of acts of treason against extremists?
No, it's much more important than that. It's what time a pub should stop selling me my beer. Seriously.
Yes, I can see their argument that stopping me getting a pint at midnight outweighs the potential for someone to say bad things about the country and try and turn young people against the establishment. I understand how limiting the time I can sit and relax in a pub, trying to forget the state of this country, is much more important than preventing terrorist loss of life.
From the BBC
The council of circuit judges, representing 600 judges
across England and Wales, said they were "in no doubt" longer opening
hours would mean an escalation in violent crime.
Those offences, they said, would include "rape, grievous bodily harm and worse".
Judge Charles Harris QC was particularly critical of the plans, saying a high proportion of British people become "pugnacious
and bellicose" after drinking.
Well, yes I see their point.
After all, there was a time when pubs followed bizzare licensing hours, and stopped serving alcohol mid afternoon until the early evening. Then there came "All day drinking" and I recall all too clearly the effect it had on the pub I worked in;
- Hoards of drunken 'yobs' trying to pick a fight with the barstaff;
- Drunken people staggering around the streets urinating up lamp posts;
- An increase in crime.
Of course, I am telling big fat lies about this. I worked in a city centre pub when the daytime drinking laws came in to force, and how many people did we have staying in the place all afternoon? Well, here's a clue. Less than 1.
Yep, not a single person rolled up at 11am and sat drinking through until 11pm. They came in, had a few drinks, relaxed, and went when they were ready.
There was no need to force people out at 2pm, just because the law said it had to be done, they left when they wanted.
And the same will happen when the new laws come into effect in November.
I will not sit in a pub at midnight, and think "I have to keep drinking, they don't close yet". When I'm ready, I'll leave.
The only difference will be that I won't be joining thousands of others who have been ejected at the same time in a small area of town.
I'll walk down quieter streets, and even better, the taxi queue will be much shorter.
Shorter queues = less anger. Less anger = less fights. Or am I just missing something here?
So, stop with the scare mongering about all night drinking. Worry me about serious issues, like terrorist threats and global warming. Then let me sit in a pub and try and forget those worries until the early hours when I decide I want to leave.
Oh, and one final point - from the applications submitted already, nine out of ten pubs are thought to have applied to stay open an hour or two later - rather than all night as expected.
