Random thoughts on drink

[lizwilliams]

Or rather, drinking. The writing group went to the pub last night and suddenly discovered that it was midnight and no last orders had been called. This is because the licensing laws in this country have finally been changed.

T and I differ on this issue. T thinks that Britain will finally learn how to drink sensibly, i.e. like the rest of continental cocktail-sipping, Galliano-wearing Europe, whereas I believe that the legislation won't break a pattern going back several hundred years and the new laws will lead to the decay of Western civilisation, crop blight, infertility and probably an attack by asteroid. Well, okay, nearly.

In fact, the writing group (a moderate bunch) did not drink any more than usual because after a couple of drinks, we all felt we'd had enough and would turn into pumpkins if we had any more, so we went home. I don't know how representative we are of class, age, gender or whatever, really.

Another random (and only possibly unrelated) thought: why do so many women believe that pram + baby is an ideal battering ram, particularly when approaching the path of a BMW?

Comments

[fastfwd.livejournal.com]

why do so many women believe that pram + baby is an ideal battering ram, particularly when approaching the path of a BMW?

Because of what it's done to their own lives. After a while, you start believing that it can destroy anything in its path.

Signed,

Been There

:)

[mevennen.livejournal.com]

Oh dear!

I think I will stick to cats.

[vincam.livejournal.com]

How did the law change? From what to what? Every time they screw with the drinking laws in this country the effect is not what expected. If people are going to drink, they're going to drink and there's not much anyone can do about it.

[mevennen.livejournal.com]

Well, exactly. The law used to be that the last drinks order was taken at 10.50 (pm!) and they'd stop serving at 11. You generally had to be out of the pub by 11.20. But now pubs can apply for an extended license and stay open.

The 'last orders' law was brought in during WW1 to get munitions workers into the factories early (ie not hungover) and never repealed until now, although it's been different in Scotland for a while.

[vincam.livejournal.com]

Back when Sumner County didn't allow liquor by the drink, there was a "private club" in town. It was where all the heavy drinkers hung out, and they weren't bothered much with any of the liquor laws. There were more rapes and robberies taking place in that parking lot than anywhere else in the county. Now that there is liquor by the drink, we have better restaurants and no seedy bars at all. Still plenty of drunks in town, but I guess the attitude is different if you're drinking in a nice restaurant instead of a dive.

[camies.livejournal.com]

Britain will finally learn how to drink sensibly, i.e. like the rest of continental cocktail-sipping, Galliano-wearing Europe,

Part of it may be the perception of a right not to drink. If I go out locally to hear music in a pub I'm quite likely to drink soft drinks (last night, for example). But in a group there's still more of a pressure to keep up with everyone else in the alcohol stakes.

[mevennen.livejournal.com]

Yes, I know what you mean. It's harder to tell these days, as I and (most of) my friends are getting older, and thus slowing down!

[(Anonymous)]

Perhaps Britons as a whole will never learn to drink sensibly. There may be something in the attributes of the mongrel blood that is ours. Those that are genetically linked to the laid back southern European tribes drink and chat, while those that come of the hard north European tribes drink, drink more and then fight... Contentious? Possibly. But possibly accurate.

bish
http://blog.rosher.net

[mevennen.livejournal.com]

You may well have a point there...thinking of the Vikings in particular.