UK Drink Culture

The effects of Labour’s 24-hour drinking policy have been disastrous, the BBC’s John Humphrys and ex-Met Police chief Sir Ian Blair have said. Sir Ian believes that the policy of all-day drinking was a “serious mistake” while Mr Humphrys has slammed the alcohol-fuelled violence in his home city of Cardiff. Sir Ian, who left the Met Police in 2008, said the hoped for ‘café culture’ was never achievable for Britain and now our cities need to be saved from the chaos left behind.

Isn't it nice when some prominent people see the error of past judgements, and are bold enough to say so? I wish there were more like these two, and on more than this one issue, important enough as it is!

It's not just big cities which have a 'drink problem' (sounds so benign and innocent, doesn't it?) but smaller towns too. Anyone who lives and works in the central belt of Scotland could see the problems a mile off. 'Cafe Culture'? You had to be kidding! I have no doubt that some some well meaning(?) nice but ill informed, progressive thinkers reckoned our people needed more time to drink alcohol, and then succeeded in convincing the government to change the laws to allow it. Little cafes were going to pop up everywhere, with lovely, beautiful people sipping wine and talking about the weather and the price of fish. What a nice picture, but what happened? We have lots more time to drink, get drunk, and spill out into the town or city centres where these newly liberated drinkers (both men and women!) urinate in corners, or openly, or even in taxis, fight, shout and brawl, and cause a disturbance. A lot of our new 'cafe culture' drinkers end up in jail overnight, or spending hours in the local Hospital A&E department having blood flow stopped, and stitches applied. On top of all that, there is the problem encountered when they get home!

It appears that this is the case up and down the country, but will the laws be changed? No, it seems that the 'experiment will continue'. I think our leadership is bankrupt of thinkers with a normal brain. You know the kind of person who sees the obvious... very obvious! Our nation seems to be 'blessed' with lots of very progressive and forward thinking people in places of power, but none who have an ounce of common sense. Perhaps if these people had asked the mere commoners what they thought, they would have come up with a different solution.

Not being educated to Oxford degree level, does not mean you are daft!