Got any room Big Si?

[JansenClone]

"Time Called on Last Orders
North of the Border

PUB and off-licence opening-time restrictions are to be abolished in Scotland under a radical blueprint for licensing reform.

Pubs and off-licences will no longer be barred from opening at certain times, although they will still have to seek permission from licensing boards for the hours that they choose to open.

At present, there are certain hours on Sundays when pubs cannot open, and off-licences are also bound by permitted-hours restrictions.

But in return for the easing of permitted hours, licence-holders will face a much broader range of sanctions if they fail to keep to the terms of their licences - for example, if they sell drink to under-age youngsters, or encourage binge drinking.

A new breed of pub and off-licence inspectors - local licensing standards officers - will monitor them.

The reforms, which are likely to be accepted by ministers, were unveiled today in a report by sheriff principal Gordon Nicholson.

In theory the changes, which amount to the biggest shake-up of Scotland's licensing system in 30 years, could lead to 24-hour opening."

An out-break of commonsense. Meanwhile back in England people are still forced into drinking quickly before time runs out, then forced to all attempt to return home at the same time. People getting too drunk from rapid drinking, everyone on the streets at the same time with too much alcohol in them, long taxi waits...

Mind you, I wouldn't fancy trying to enforce binge drinking legislation in Glasgow...

Michael

[Big Si]

Only if you lose the accent!

Och they politicians have been talking about this for years. I'll believe it when this happens - http://www.pagan.clara.net/rcn/thurs.wav

[JansenClone]

Only if you lose the accent!

Och they politicians have been talking about this for years. I'll believe it when this happens - http://www.pagan.clara.net/rcn/thurs.wav

Took me a couple of listens to get that, but hey, Glasgow to Leeds would be a **** of a journey every morning.

I'm sure the laws will change, or at least I live in hope, sometimes* more sober than seems necessary...

*Sorry. This bit is a lie actually

[Serendipityhaven]

@jansenclone,nothing to do with this topic at all,but if thats you in your avatar pic(?),you look remarkably like someone i used to know several years ago,just replace the black coloured hair with more brown and blond highlights.
the resemblance is uncanny.the age would be about right as well.


back on topic-seems like scotlands being the guinnea pig here for the drinking legislation in this country.
dont know if id be happy about it.at least as things are you know when to expect the noisy drunk frivolity going past your bedroom window at night.

[Big Si]

@jansenclone,nothing to do with this topic at all,but if thats you in your avatar pic(?),you look remarkably like someone i used to know several years ago,just replace the black coloured hair with more brown and blond highlights.
the resemblance is uncanny.the age would be about right as well.


back on topic-seems like scotlands being the guinnea pig here for the drinking legislation in this country.
dont know if id be happy about it.at least as things are you know when to expect the noisy drunk frivolity going past your bedroom window at night.

Well most pubs in Glasgow have late licences until 1am and clubs till way past 3, but nothing as compared to the licensing laws in edinburgh - pubs 'til 3 and clubs 'til 5, and even later during the Festival. But Glasgow's drinking culture is a lot different to Edinburgh's.

So for me and those of us here who are blessed to be living in God's own country (sorry zuma!) the changes will be welcomed and quickly adapted to.

Cheers and enjoy whatever and wherever your currently drinking.

[JansenClone]

@jansenclone,nothing to do with this topic at all,but if thats you in your avatar pic(?),you look remarkably like someone i used to know several years ago,just replace the black coloured hair with more brown and blond highlights.
the resemblance is uncanny.the age would be about right as well.


back on topic-seems like scotlands being the guinnea pig here for the drinking legislation in this country.
dont know if id be happy about it.at least as things are you know when to expect the noisy drunk frivolity going past your bedroom window at night.

@Serendipityhaven. My hair has got darker over the years, for some reason or other Other than that Not from Leeds are you?

As for drunken people wandering past at all hours, I don't know. I suspect people would get less drunk as drinking would be more sedate. I remember going to see a friend in Amsterdam years ago expecting the whole pub / club / home scenario. But we were just in her flat until late (midnight-ish) drifted round a few bars then wandered into a club which stayed open all nightl. Most of the people in the club didn't live in Amsterdam, they'd just caught the last local trains in, stayed out all night, then caught the first trains home in the morning. Just seemed a whole lot easier...

[Serendipityhaven]

hmm,im not sure about it all.what i dislike is the possibility of my children being exposed to the boozehounds staggering about the streets in daylight.
has happened once or twice anyway here already anyway.its a scarey thing to be faced with a full gown man in the middle of the pathway heading towrds you whilst staggering into parked cars and doorways.same for a child to see too.
i dont think extended opening hours will stop that as theyve been hitting the booze from pub opening anyway and gotten drunk before tea time.theres a possible case to be made for the late night drinking pub/club shuts scenario,but unless the working hours of your average 9-5'er change its always going to be evening and weekends when they hit the clubs and the booze too.
i think it makes more sense to be able to control the situations as they are now,before taking a leap of blind faith into the unkown.undergae drinking is at an all time high,kids getting drunk on street corners or in little kids playgrounds leaving broken bottles all over the place etc etc.get this lot tackled and under control before opening the gates to extra probs on top of it all.

i think anyway...
for me, theres also a case to be made for upping the legal drinking age anyway.

[JansenClone]

theres a possible case to be made for the late night drinking pub/club shuts scenario,but unless the working hours of your average 9-5'er change its always going to be evening and weekends when they hit the clubs and the booze too.

It's all opinions, but I'm sure most drunkeness comes from people being forced into stuautions where they feel they have to rush. I remember the arguments against pubs opening in the afternoons being much the same, suggesting our streets would be full of the walking wounded, drinking all day and every day, but they never were. The working culture, as you point out, won't allow that. You only have to look around Europe to see that. I'm sure, and yes it's just my opinion, that the drinking culture in this country is a result of the tight licensing hours. I guess we'll see...

Michael

[Quiff Boy]

i think the problem with the majority of brits is we just aren't used to the concept of being allowed to drink through the night...

we don't drink reservedly, for a long period of time. we go hell for leather to get as tw*tted as possible, as quick as possible, then go "ooh, hang on! i've got until 5am!" and then we pass out in a corner.

witness how the average brit carries on when abroad

the majority of ingleez people (lads, blokes, lasses, daft slappers, whatever) just can't handle it, psychologically or physiologically.

and i agree with serendipity about the drunken bloke staggering home at the same time as kids are going to school.. its not a pretty site and can be quite an intimidating thing for a small kid to see

[Black Dahlia]

i think the problem with the majority of brits is we just aren't used to the concept of being allowed to drink through the night...

we don't drink reservedly, for a long period of time. we go hell for leather to get as tw*tted as possible, as quick as possible, then go "ooh, hang on! i've got until 5am!" and then we pass out in a corner.

witness how the average brit carries on when abroad

the majority of ingleez people (lads, blokes, lasses, daft slappers, whatever) just can't handle it, psychologically or physiologically.

and i agree with serendipity about the drunken bloke staggering home at the same time as kids are going to school.. its not a pretty site and can be quite an intimidating thing for a small kid to see

As the child of an acoholic parent ( who died from it) I can totally agree that it is not something children should see (and to be honest I still get a bit scared if I get approached by extremely drunk men) .

[hallucienate]

witness how the average brit carries on when abroad

tell me about it. And they're all bright red too.

BTW the bars and clubs here generally stay open until the night is well and truly over. Many were the times I staggered out of a club or bar with the sun beaming down on me.

[Serendipityhaven]

ok,i was just about to post on here saying the man i knew was called michael,when i noticed youd signed off from last post under that evry name.
amazing coincidence?again?
ok,so on the off chance that the world is an extremely small place-would you happen to have a younger bro perhaps,and have you at any point managed a pub/bar in the north east?and just to make absolutely sure-a strong fan of joy division?

[JansenClone]

ok,i was just about to post on here saying the man i knew was called michael,when i noticed youd signed off from last post under that evry name.
amazing coincidence?again?
ok,so on the off chance that the world is an extremely small place-would you happen to have a younger bro perhaps,and have you at any point managed a pub/bar in the north east?and just to make absolutely sure-a strong fan of joy division?

Coincidence I think. I do have a younger brother, I do like Joy Division and I have lived in the north east but I'm a teacher. I've a friend who's run a pub/bar there (still is again, part-time) but I suspect this is another Michael...

[Serendipityhaven]

seems this free for all alcohol thing will push ahead no matter what,but when i ask myself why-
why is this so necessary?
who gets soemthing out of it?etc etc i truely cant justify the real need to myself for it at all.
i dont think its the answer in this culture in this country to be even more liberal with one of the biggest and most widespread legal addictions going.
its not as if ther arent a squillion and more pressing matters to take up mp's time and considerations.
ive seen alcoholism up close and personal twice in my life both times were people whom i cared for deeply.i dont think relaxed laws would have made things any worse for them as such,but i do think it opens up so much more possibility-
for more underage drinking(c'mon-we all know the clubs and pubs turn a blind eye,particularly to the underage girls) to keep the £££ rolling in.
its so common nowadays to see underaged in the 18+places its practically accepted as the norm.
and since the younger generation tend to mirror the elder ones and copy much of what they do(in order to be "older")......

from a personal point of view,based on where i live at the mo-it would mean an end to the 2.30am-3.30am disruption,as the revellers find their way home past my house,and open up a whole new possible scenario for it to carry on throughout the entire night,early morning to dawn.
you cant reason with a drunk.if they decide to sit in the middle of your road and sing my way over and over again-would you feel ok about stepping out and asking them to stop because your kids are getting disturbed or youve been on night shift and need your sleep?calling the police is a no no because they dont have the man power to deal with it.

just seems like more scope for more trouble.and who needs more aggravation these days.