paul-s

Totally agree with these points, this is the essence of why the new law will work.

DarkStar66

I couldn't be bothered to read all the posts so appologies if this has already been said.

Wouldn't it be better if they stopped serving alcohol at midnight but stayed open for another hour?

TelBoy

Why would publicans want to stand around when they are making no money, waiting for the pub to clear? Can't see that being a winner, can you..?

Leslie

Oh I can grasp it alright Telboy! I can be quite quick at times

I do agree that some good may come of spreading closing times but my point was that the incorrigible binge drinkers will drink at least as much, if not more in the time available and cause considerable mayhem and vandalism when the pubs do shut and the ructions will take place later into the night.

Time will tell of course.

Les

Abdabz

Here is how I see it...
In my home town prior to licensing changes the pubs already had scattered kicking out times. For arguements sake say 3 closed at the normal 11.15, 3 at 1am and 3 at 2am. Now in some towns maybe they ALL closed at say 2am... Now when the 11.15 pubs shut, most people make a bee-line for the 1am and 2 am pubs and when the 1am pubs shut most go onto the 2am pubs... So you still got queues, most leaving together, taxi rank and takeaway brawls etc... Now some more of the towns bars get a 2am+ license, same thing happens, just more out later getting more drunk and more violent as a result... All this falling asleep and staggering home tired thing is hilarious...You might do it old timers, but most wont.
Then look at the local pubs, in the suburbs. They can now close at say midnight... So you can take your time geting ready to go out before getting there an hour late (or not) and cramming as much into your system before either staggering out even more clattered and waking up the world an hour later than normal, or by heading off to one of those 2am bars in town for more booze...
As a country we do not adopt a european drinking culture where most go out late and come in late, eating while we drink. As a country we go out to get hammered. Longer hours means more booze and with it more puke, p1ss, underage mothers and fighting... Its guaranteed.
The Labour government know this now and so have "given the police more powers tro arrest for drunken behahiour" is a caviat to cover them when the numbers of arrests go through the roof in the months to come...
All this from me a 50 unit a week man who lives in pubs... Loves to binge drink and scrap and p2ss in public... A reporter on the front line so to speak...

TelBoy

But Les, we're talking ALL night. These hardcore troublemakers can drink ALL night if they want to now, instead of stumbling out on to the streets while they still have some ability to stand upright. The deadline hasn't just been extended, it's been effectively abolished. That's why i think all these very typically British traits will begin to diminish...

unclebuck

At last. Somebody who speaks from experience and knows what they're talking about. The very idea that drinkers habits will change with extended drinking times is completely laughable. Just the sort of thing you owuld expect from out of touch politicians and people with 50K+ post counts who clearly need to get out into the real world more often.

TelBoy

LOL

You're wrong, and so is Abdabz the pisshead. Once the novelty wears off, we'll see some semblance of civilization return to Britain's late night streets.

Spoon

Read the post properly and digest the clues.

Dream Weaver

Why is everyone just saying that it will be the major pissheads that benefit from this?

Ordinary folk like myself will also benefit.

On a typical Friday night, I finish work at 5:30-6pm ish, do the weekly food shop with the mrs which takes us to about 7:30pm by the time everything is packed away and tea is on. Its usually 8:30-9pm when we are actually ready to go to the local boozer, which is a 15 minute walk away, so its 9:30pm by the time we get served and sit down.

That gives us an hour and a half to have a good drink, which means we tend to buy shots and drink more so we can booze away the weeks working stresses etc

There is nowhere to go after the pub except home, and if a few of you are out having a good chat its annoying to have to go home.

If they now stay open til 1am, or whatever it will be a godsend. Its not a cheap pub drinks wise, so doesnt get many nutters/********* in, so it means we can take our time drinking, maybe have a bite to eat, then stroll home at 1am, happy with the food and drink we've just had.

TelBoy

Stop talking sense

Leslie

That side of the argument is fine Dream Weaver, as far as those who behave in a responsible manner are concerned.

The ones I am talking about are the dedicated binge drinkers who go out deliberately to get rat -arsed as soon as possible and to continue that way as long as they can. The extended hours are a godsend to them also and as Abdabz rightly said they will move from one pub to another as they close in turn. They are the ones who will cause all the hassle and unpleasantness and keep people awake all through the night in some places. Extended hours will do nothing to stop their rowdiness, hooliganism and vandalism. Just another way to lower standards in this country and also tie the police up so that they can't monitor for even worse offences which are likely to be being committed.

Les

paul-s

But this all already goes on anyway? allbeit now later in the night, its not something that can be stopped. There will always be pissed people putting road cones on cars and knocking on peoples doors at any hour. I think the main benefit of the law is to stop so many people being in the same place at the same time all drunk, thus reducing the threat of mini-riots.

I am 24 and since ive been drinking, bout 8 years now, its always been 'go to the pub and cram it in' because your on a limited timescale. Then your forced to leave. And thats how it is for all of us know. If it had never been like that a lot of people wouldnt be in the frame of mind they are in now. It will wear off a little bit, but at the end of the day people want to go out and get pissed and have a laugh, that will never change neither will the shenanigans that come with it.

JamieMacdonald

I don't get it?

I've been legally able to drink 24 hours a day since I was 18. Just like any other adult.

The opening time of pubs and clubs has got nothing to do with this.

Scum will be scum regardless of any restrictions you try to apply to their actions.

Oh, I actually went home early last night (1am), but not because I was rat-arsed