AOL news: Boozy Britain

[Galant]

And drink for longer overall, leading to a greater level of inebriation and thereby more drunken revelry or violence. Hard to predict really, will just have to wait and see.

[Tom]

oh my tumble your bigger than my town, I'd jump on that special K diet asap

24 hour drinkin would stop everyone leaving at the same time...less people leavin at once means its less likely theyll end up brawlin imo

[Tumble]

The licencing laws over here have been relaxed recently, but the licenees all get together and hold meetings and set the opening hours themselves - it aint hard and fast, not down in law. so the pubs usually shout last orders at 12, and you've got till about 1 to finish up.... the clubs are usually open to anywhere between 2 and 3 and the casino is serving right up until 04:30... with the hour drinking up time on top of that. I've reeled out of there with the sun coming up... once never again...

[smtkr]

It seems like the new law would help out, if anything. If all the bars close at the same time, the simultaneous exodus of people is likely to cause problems. If the bars are open 24 hours, people are not likely to leave at the same time. It seems like this would reduce the street violence (albeit it the drunken whores would still be running in front of cars). Any improvement is good, right?

[Zedmeister]

Ahh sounds all too familiar.

Actually it depends on where you go in a town. Some places are teeming with Chav filth and yobs looking for trouble. Others places are not.

[JK Ferret]

it seems like the only thing wrong with my town is everywhere closes way too early...
but hardly anybody outside-they're all inside, lying on the floor!

[Lee H]

The problem with the UK licensing laws is they stem back to ye early years when we we're all workers in either coal mines or cotton mills.

Businesses have evolved to a 24 hour practise now so why not let pubs open 24/7. This will stop the usual routine of having 1000's of people looking for taxi's at the same time which is the silliest thing I've seen in years.

As for the image portrayed in that news - its called "sensationalism". YES people do drink too much and vomit - but thats because the bar closes at say 1.45 and they have 15 minutes to drink about 3-4 pints and then walk a mile to the taxi rank ( 4 pints in 15 mins is enough alone to make me vomit all over the floor too )

[Zedmeister]

Drinking habits in Northern and Southern Europe are converging but binge drinking and drinking to get drunk have been integral parts of British and Northern European culture since the mead-swilling Vikings, experts say.

To be honest, not much has change the last 1000 years. Some nights you'd be forgiven for thinking you'd walked into a viking invasion. Raging drunk beserkers, wield sticks clubs and knives. Bedecked out in tartan burberry they do battle. Except when the weapons are drawn for battle, the chosen killing fields aren't forests and moores any more. The battlefields are now St Williams Crescent or Jubilee Road... (Yes i know thats not true, but you gotta laugh at the stupidity sometimes )

[yamangman]

Blimey Tumble. I've always said when you've eaten so much you appear on a relief map, just stop eating, and possibly go on a diet.

[RVF500]

having spent a total of over 4 years in Germany with the army under the 24 hour drinking laws I have to say we were very responsible......yeah...right.......go out, get slaughtered and end up in a brawl more like. Only difference was that scraps happened in a bigger time window. I think it's more down to the British psyche than anything else.

Drunkeness and alcoholism has been integral to Britain since the Celts decided the manly thing was to get roaring drunk, strip naked, paint yourself blue and go and fight the neighbours. After that the winners would all get roaring drunk again and end up fighting over who was the hardest. Just about the only think that has changed is the paint and dress code.

[Galant]

Which brings a question to my mind that might be better suited to another thread....

[Bunjiweb]

Britain is becoming far too americanised, this is just another step in the ladder towards self destruction. It is already perfectly evident that when a large portion of todays kids grow up to be adults, this country will quite frankly be....buggered....

A country that's government can condone obsessive and unendless binge drinking is surely heading down hill drastically.

Ben