700 supermarkets have been granted late licences. What type of person is going to make use of the opportunity to buy their six packs of lager at 4am and then go on the streets and drink it?I'm sorry?
The automatic assumption that you only want to buy alcohol in a supermarket late at night because you want it immediately is both blinkered and wrong. The snobbish (something I didn't expect from him) assumption that those who buy "6 packs of lager" are those who are prone to "yobbish" behaviour and the simple rejection of free market ideals make me like him less and less. He's attempting an authoritarian image to appeal to to those who are buying the media scare stories.
I, personally, do most of my shopping late night on the way home from visiting a friend, I find 24 hours opening a godsend, I can wander around and the only annoyances are staff doing their jobs, etc. But because I prefer to shop at night, I'm not allowed to buy my "6-packs" (of cider, natch, Devonshire lad me). Until now.
Pubs kick out at the same time, the streets fill up. Clubs kick out at the same time, the streets fill up. Kicking out time is dreaded by most who live in a central location to town. People like me that is. Until now. Now, there is no 'kicking out time', people can stay when they like, and drift out when they're done, and the streets aren't to be forced full of drunken crowds at set times. I have no doubt whatsoever that initially there may be a few incidents, but people will get used to it, we'll adapt, and problem bars can now be controlled and shut down much easier.
It's not often I get to say this, it's hard to type it up, my keyboard is rebelling. But, on this one, I'm 100% behind the government. Ouch.
(extra: Eddie has more at The Sharpener; agree with every word.)
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