New Licensing laws - good or bad?

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Richard Ruck
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New Licensing laws - good or bad?

Post by Richard Ruck »

Well, from today we can, in theory at least, spend 24 hours on the lash in England and Wales.

Will this mean the end of civilisation as we know it? I don't think so. Everyone's so worked up about 'binge-drinking', and I'm sure there will be a lot of problems in the short-term, but the novelty will eventually wear off.

What do people think is so uniquely bad about the English that we can't cope with this liberalisation? Let's face it, there are plenty of p1ssheads in the rest of Northern Europe, but all these other countries seem to cope OK.

The changes might alter drinking habits (no more ordering 3 rounds at the bar at 22.55), but people only have a certain amount of time (and, importantly, money) to spend drinking so I can't see that a vastly greater amount of booze is going to get consumed on a long-term basis.

Amid all the fuss, everyone seems to forget that Scotland has had civilised opening hours for decades, and they (Rab C. Nesbitt types aside) seem to be coping OK.

Arguments for and against outside in the car-park NOW!!
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Re: New Licensing laws - good or bad?

Post by sport! »

Richard Ruck wrote:Well, from today we can, in theory at least, spend 24 hours on the lash in England and Wales.

Will this mean the end of civilisation as we know it? I don't think so. Everyone's so worked up about 'binge-drinking', and I'm sure there will be a lot of problems in the short-term, but the novelty will eventually wear off.

What do people think is so uniquely bad about the English that we can't cope with this liberalisation? Let's face it, there are plenty of p1ssheads in the rest of Northern Europe, but all these other countries seem to cope OK.

Arguments for and against outside in the car-park NOW!!
I'll let you know at about 4.30am tomorrow........ :lol:

....but seriously, I think closing time probably saved me from serious harm at certain times in the past. Though I dare say, after a while, folks will generally have a more mature attitude towards their consumption if it isn't crammed into an artificially small period of time....here's hoping anyway
Last edited by sport! on Thu Nov 24, 2005 1:36 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Post by englishangel »

i dooon0t now wot yur taaaaalllllllllllllking aboot.............................Image
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Re: New Licensing laws - good or bad?

Post by englishangel »

sport! wrote:I'll let you know at about 4.30am tomorrow........ :lol:

....but seriously, I think closing time probably saved me from serious harm at certain times in the past. Though I dare say, after a while, folks will generally have a more mature attitude towards their consumption if it isn't crammed into an artificially small period of time....here's hoping anyway
I have tended not to get drunk as I have got older, probably because I am usually the designated driver.

I have had some stonking hangovers in my time. The avatar pic was not one such time.
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Post by Richard Ruck »

Ooohhh, I'll be able to buy a bottle of Buckfast and 3 litres of 'White Lightning' from the corner shop at 07.30 on a Sunday morning! Yippee!
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Re: New Licensing laws - good or bad?

Post by Richard Ruck »

englishangel wrote:
sport! wrote: I'll let you know at about 4.30am tomorrow........ :lol:

....but seriously, I think closing time probably saved me from serious harm at certain times in the past. Though I dare say, after a while, folks will generally have a more mature attitude towards their consumption if it isn't crammed into an artificially small period of time....here's hoping anyway
I have tended not to get drunk as I have got older, probably because I am usually the designated driver.

I have had some stonking hangovers in my time. The avatar pic was not one such time.
I don't drive at all! :drinkers:

Actually, one benefit of getting older is that I tend to stick to decent quality grog - less chance of a hangover. My wife hates me for this - a few too many will knock her out for a whole day whereas I'm usually OK by around, erm, lunchtime.
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Post by Euterpe13 »

On a more adult note : I've lived " on the continent", in various countries since 1972, where flexible licensing laws have always been the norm - and the only " binge drinking" I have seen has been by British tourists in Benidorm and on the Costa Brava....

Neither the French nor the Spanish ( in Barcelona you can drink 24/7 if you know your way around) have particularly noticeable drinking problems, and I have certainly never seen a young girl passed out on the pavement outside a bar, as I did recently in Liverpool...

Taking the " last drinks " panic out of pubs can only relax the atmosphere, in my opion - in Spain, bars close when they feel like it : early if no custom, late if the punters are still there - it's up to the owner.

Let's hope that treating the British drinking public like adults will finally encourage them to act as same.
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Re: New Licensing laws - good or bad?

Post by englishangel »

Richard Ruck wrote:
englishangel wrote:
sport! wrote: I'll let you know at about 4.30am tomorrow........ :lol:

....but seriously, I think closing time probably saved me from serious harm at certain times in the past. Though I dare say, after a while, folks will generally have a more mature attitude towards their consumption if it isn't crammed into an artificially small period of time....here's hoping anyway
I have tended not to get drunk as I have got older, probably because I am usually the designated driver.

I have had some stonking hangovers in my time. The avatar pic was not one such time.
I don't drive at all! :drinkers:

Actually, one benefit of getting older is that I tend to stick to decent quality grog - less chance of a hangover. My wife hates me for this - a few too many will knock her out for a whole day whereas I'm usually OK by around, erm, lunchtime.
I bought two bottles of whisky for my husband's birthday last week, a bottle of Tesco value to put in his cocoa (it covers the taste of the poison :twisted: ) and a bottle of Ardbeg. The child on the checkout commented on the price discrepancy and said he drinks to get drunk, we had just such a conversation.
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Post by Richard Ruck »

Quite agree with Euterpe..

The "well look how badly they behave on holiday" argument against the new laws doesn't really convince me.

For a young Brit (sorry, English or Welsh), being able to get a drink when you want to IS a novelty, but this will wear off in time.
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Post by Great Plum »

I'm with the majority of you here - I think it could be a good idea...
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Post by Richard Ruck »

Great Plum wrote:I'm with the majority of you here - I think it could be a good idea...
Yup, and of course there was the 'nanny state' aspect as well.

I resent politicians claiming to 'know what's best' for me.

Actually, come to think of it, I just resent politicians.......
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Post by BTaylor »

Ugh. Got back to my hotel at 5am this morning, having been challenged by a bunch of journalists to stay up drinking with them.

11pm was fine....

The evening went in the following order: :) ... :D... :P... :partyman:... :supz:... :drinkers:... :rolleyes:... :vom:
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Re: New Licensing laws - good or bad?

Post by sejintenej »

Richard Ruck wrote:Well, from today we can, in theory at least, spend 24 hours on the lash in England and Wales.

Will this mean the end of civilisation as we know it? I don't think so. Everyone's so worked up about 'binge-drinking', and I'm sure there will be a lot of problems in the short-term, but the novelty will eventually wear off.
So what's new?
It is not too little known that a certain senior housemaster used to take pupils on a 5 or 6 daypub crawl around parts of Norfolk. It was equally well known that his number 2 - a man of the cloth, was not immune to the pleasures of the pint.

After the latter and I left (separately) he became a high-up at St Paul's Cathedral and I met up with him; started early in the morning in Smithfield Market (I think they opened at 3am), then over to Southwark, then the City and by 5 pm I could take no more. Corks had places where he could drink until 3pm before repairing to Smithfield Market.

Legally buying and drinking alcohol 24 hours a day in 1962!

I have an annual breakfast invitation - start drinking in a pub at 7.00am and the last time I left at 5pm, sloshed. The hosts have been known to stagger out of a West End hostellery at 4am the next day.
That was before the latest rule changes. There's nowt new
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Post by J.R. »

...... and all this on the morning that George Best died !!

Methinks he would have been proud of you all ! R.I.P.
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Re: New Licensing laws - good or bad?

Post by Richard Ruck »

sejintenej wrote: I have an annual breakfast invitation - start drinking in a pub at 7.00am and the last time I left at 5pm, sloshed. The hosts have been known to stagger out of a West End hostellery at 4am the next day.
A pint at breakfast time can seem like an awful idea until you try it.

I've only really indulged during the Rugby World Cup and during the Lions tour - not the occasions for holding back!
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