Wednesday, August 10, 2005

New drink laws 'lead to violence'

BBC NEWS | UK | New drink laws 'lead to violence'
It doesn't take genius, or a judge, to work this out. You have to question why a government originally elected as providing moral leadership (remember the ethical foreign policy that lasted, ooh, five minutes) is promoting this self-evidently disastrous policy in the face of common sense and the advice of the people who have to deal with the consequences of it. It couldn't be that the govt is in thrall to business, could it?
When all this was being debated last year, a former student of mine wrote to the Guardian with an excellent idea:
"During five years in Australia, I never experienced the kind of binge drinking-fuelled public disorder that Tony Blair appears to want the alcohol industry to "manage", as much as eliminate.
When Queensland police arrest people for being drunk and disorderly, they find out where they were overserved and then fine the bar staff responsible £1,000 and the licensee £15,000 - ergo, it rarely happens. All but the tamest happy hours and promotions are illegal.
Guy Redden"
If we must extend the licensing hours, let's have this as well.

3 comments:

Nogbad said...

that's alreadry part of the licensing laws in this country Rob - perhaps not those specific fines but it is illegal to serve anyone who is intoxicated and both the staff and the licensee can be prosecuted for doing so. That said, in all the time I worked in the licensed trade I don't think I ever saw or heard of a manager being even threatened with prosecution let alone being taken to court and it was something that licensing panels were supposed to take into account when granting licenses but the only time I heard of anyone being refused a license was when the name plate over the pub door had been illegible so they were told to sort it and reapply! Maybe things will change now that the granting of licences has been altered but somehow I doubt it.

Rob said...

Interesting - maybe someone should remind the police of their powers. They aren't usually behind the door in this regard.

Buggles Balham High Road said...

Our hotel in Krakow was two minutes from the market square and all the bars, clubs and restaurants. Although I saw people drinking beer at 9.00am. not once were we disturbed during the night by noisy drunks going home.

They seem to manage all day and night drinking so why can't we then?