Wednesday 28 July 2010

Liberal licensing laws have worked - why scrap them?

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A few cheap headlines are worth a lie it seems – we all know that “24-hour drinking” has been a scourge, that towns and villages are visited by a terrible plague of drunken youths tearing the place up. I hate to disabuse you all.

Alcohol consumption has fallen since the liberalisation of licensing laws – yes folks we’re drinking less

Alcohol-related emergency admissions to hospitals have also fallen since the liberalisation of licensing laws

Levels of violent crime – and especially alcohol-related violent crime – have fallen in the same period

Nowhere have these facts been set out – at best the “24-hour drinking” rules have had a positive impact on our drinking habits and at worst they have made no difference. Any changes are just a knee jerk reaction to the ignorant and worse to the new prohibitionists who’d rather like drink to be banned along with any other slight risqué pleasure.

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1 comment:

Anonymous said...

Well done for supplying some facts amidst the hoo-har.

I noticed the news focus on the North West yesterday, where the unelected doyens of wisdom (AGMA) want to bring in minimum pricing.

It seemed 'managed' to me and the ignorant people being softened up by the self-righteous and meddlers.

It's almost clichéd, and the media happily parrot the nonsense instead of checking the facts.

Is it about raising some income?

And the sadly typical sledgehammer approach to a problem - real or perceived.