24-hour drinking in the UK. Good or bad?

[SLH]

Well, recently the law was passed allowing places to sell alcohol any time of day/night (having applied for it first!).

Do you think that this is a good thing or a bad thing?

I've done the poll so you can say whether you think it's good or bad both in the short term and the long term!

 

[kirovman]

ST: Bad

LT: No difference

 

[Nat Turner]

No difference, don't live in the U.K. (thank God) And shouldn't this be in political forum?

 

[Ikerous]

Good and good, although it really wont make a difference
(I dont think the two are mutually exclusive so i picked all four)

 

[The Mullinator]

If it is anything in the UK like it is near the local bars where I live then I see it doing a lot of good. There won't be any big rushes once the bars close since everyone will just slowly filter out over time so fewer drunks on the street all at once. Fewer people will be so drunk that they will cause trouble since they won't have to drink a whole lot all at once like now when last call comes. Plus many will simply be too tired even if they are that drunk to cause any trouble.

 

[Hectic Glenn]

ST: Bad

LT: No difference

Think about this for a second though Kirov. Long term...we have drinking alcohol for longer periods of time, probably meaning more is going to be consumed.
This leads to:

a) more liver damage = more money from the NHS to sort these people out
b) more days off work from awful hang-overs = economy will suffer greatly. The amount of money lost each year from 'sickies' is astronomical. Lets make it bigger!

I don't like these new opening hours at all. Alcohol causes so many problems as it is, lets just making it more accessible is seems like.

 

[kirovman]

Think about this for a second though Kirov. Long term...we have drinking alcohol for longer periods of time, probably meaning more is going to be consumed.
This leads to:

a) more liver damage = more money from the NHS to sort these people out
b) more days off work from awful hang-overs = economy will suffer greatly. The amount of money lost each year from 'sickies' is astronomical. Lets make it bigger!

I don't like these new opening hours at all. Alcohol causes so many problems as it is, lets just making it more accessible is seems like.

Well, my thoughts were ST is bad, because everyone will go crazy. The change is a bit revolutionary.

But in the LT , I believe people aren't going to be turned into alcoholics merely by longer drinking hours. They would become alcoholics without those longer hours too.
I think what you're saying about the economy is right, more sick days taken (hangovers cost billions each year as it is).

I don't really agree with longer drinking hours either. But I thought the long term effects would be negligible. They've got 24 hour drinking in Scotland, but Scotland isn't a fair comparison with England for example, since their population density is much less. I think we're just overcrowded here which is part of the problem.

The government says these new laws will give police officers greater power to arrest those who are drunk/disorderly/underaged, but I don't see why they needed 24 hour drinking in order to get these powers.

 

[PickledGecko]

As far as I'm concerned the vast majority of people drink within their limits. What I mean is that most people get drunk enough but not beyond a point that they get into trouble or miss work the following day.

When someone goes too far it has nothing to do with when pubs/shops close, it’s purely up to the idiocy of the person in question.

Although I don't agree that this will increase disease like liver damage, alcohol is so highly taxed that the income generated for the Government far outweighs the costs to the NHS, so it's win/win as far as I can see. (More money for Government/less idiots)

Also bear in mind that it's very difficult to change a person's behaviour. People are used to leaving a pub, moving on to a club and going home at certain times, its unlikely that that behaviour will change all that much.

 

[Dekstar]

I said short term bad, but long term good.

Eventually people will settle down and learn to use it responsibly.

 

[Yuri]

How many people say

lawl i think i will drink 2day. let me go buy beer like i do before every time i drink alcohol, lol.

o shit it r closed guess no drinking 4 me lol!

Most people just go buy beer and alcohol handles and then store them. So they can drink them 24/7. I don't believe that being able to buy alcohol more often will affect that very much...

That's just me!


Edit:
Ahh, I get it. Pub's had to close at a certain time and now they don't? Sorry.

It's not like that here, is it?

 

[bvasgm]

ST: Bad

LT: No difference

 

[ríomhaire]

ST Bad
LT Good

 

[Asknoone]

Bad, I'd say.

 

[Angry Lawyer]

Good, because I never know when I might have the need to go out for a beer.

-Angry Lawyer

 

[ComradeBadger]

Good all round

As long as enough places do student nights

 

[OCybrManO]

The government likes to think that its constituents don't know how to go about their own lives when, in fact, the vast majority of the population is perfectly capable of determining for themselves when they should stop drinking. Because of this, the difference is probably going to be negligible at best in terms of when most people drink and how much they consume. I just see this as a case of the government taking a step back from interfering with people's social lives... and, as such, I voted good for both.

 

[RipperRoo]

No difference, most places that picked up liscences will still close around the same times as they used to.

 

[OCybrManO]

Yeah, the lack of a law preventing it won't make businesses stay open 24/7 if there aren't enough people to make it economically viable.