MPs urge pubs to call time on 'happy hours'

TheLancinator · 11-10-2008, 01:14 PM

MPs urge pubs to call time on 'happy hours'
Agence France Presse

LONDON (AFP) – MPs called Monday for an end to cheap booze "happy hours" in pubs in the latest bid to call time on the country's notorious binge-drinking culture.

As well as preventing pubs from offering cut-price drinks at certain times, supermarkets should also be banned from selling alcohol at a loss, said a report by MPs from parliament's Home Affairs Select Committee.

Selling cheap alcohol fuels the culture of drinking to get drunk and costs a fortune in police resources required to deal with the resulting violence and disorder, they charged.

"We cannot have, on one hand, a world of alcohol promotions for profit that fuels surges of crime and disorder and on the other, the police diverting all their resources to cope with it," said committee chairman Keith Vaz.

The British Beer and Pub Association (BBPA) focused criticism on supermarkets, saying pubs have already taken action to end "dodgy promotions" on alcohol.

"In contrast, the supermarkets have done nothing but increase their extreme discounting offers," said BBPA spokesman Mark Hastings.

Britain has long struggled with the problem of binge-drinking, which routinely turns town and city centres into virtual no-go areas on Friday and Saturday nights when pubs turf out spectacularly drunk revellers.

New laws came into force in 2005 ending the 11:00 pm fixed closing time, letting pubs set their own hours in what ministers hoped would allow Britons to embrace a more moderate attitude to alcohol common in continental Europe.

But the government admitted earlier this year that the move had had mixed results, with little sign of a hoped-for "European cafe-style" attitude to booze.

Culture Secretary Andy Burnham said in March that it was "clear that the overall reduction in alcohol-related disorder we wanted to see across the country has not materialised consistently in all areas."

A Home Office spokesman welcomed the latest lawmakers' suggestions.

"The government recognises the issues that the committee has raised and are keen to tackle them head on. We will look carefully at the recommendations and challenges highlighted," he said.

marquis · 11-10-2008, 01:50 PM

Most problems are caused by people tanking up with alcohol before going to the pub.But some pubs and particularly pubcos must carry some responsibility.They have ripped out walls and removed seating to pack more customers in yet serve them with fewer staff , there are pubs catering for young people and so on. When I began drinking there would be a group of older men in a corner and you knew better than to start something , it was relatively safe to go out at night.
Also there are existing laws to prevent drunken behaviour, bar staff are not allowed to serve inebriated customers nor let others buy for them.In old fashioned pubs this was generally followed (the staff used a bit of common sense over this) but in the "vertical drinking places" it seems that anything goes.
We are losing several pubs a week , some of the more traditional ones in particular are having to deal with increased beer duty and the effects of the smoking ban.The only exceptions are those specialising in cask beer as they have a monopoly - if you want good beer you have to go to the pub.But most people drink swill (Stella,Fosters,Peroni,Bud and the like)which is the same but much cheaper in the supermarkets.

**Nemowork** · 11-10-2008, 05:12 PM

I have to agree with that, the quality of pub beer is sinking appalingly along with the price unless you want to go to a real ale place

11-10-2008, 01:14 PM	#1
TheLancinator I love Post Icons Join Date: Jul 2006 Tournaments Won: 2 Location: Colorado, USA Posts: 119,462 Thanks: 83 Thanked 875 Times in 613 Posts	MPs urge pubs to call time on 'happy hours' MPs urge pubs to call time on 'happy hours' Agence France Presse LONDON (AFP) – MPs called Monday for an end to cheap booze "happy hours" in pubs in the latest bid to call time on the country's notorious binge-drinking culture. As well as preventing pubs from offering cut-price drinks at certain times, supermarkets should also be banned from selling alcohol at a loss, said a report by MPs from parliament's Home Affairs Select Committee. Selling cheap alcohol fuels the culture of drinking to get drunk and costs a fortune in police resources required to deal with the resulting violence and disorder, they charged. "We cannot have, on one hand, a world of alcohol promotions for profit that fuels surges of crime and disorder and on the other, the police diverting all their resources to cope with it," said committee chairman Keith Vaz. The British Beer and Pub Association (BBPA) focused criticism on supermarkets, saying pubs have already taken action to end "dodgy promotions" on alcohol. "In contrast, the supermarkets have done nothing but increase their extreme discounting offers," said BBPA spokesman Mark Hastings. Britain has long struggled with the problem of binge-drinking, which routinely turns town and city centres into virtual no-go areas on Friday and Saturday nights when pubs turf out spectacularly drunk revellers. New laws came into force in 2005 ending the 11:00 pm fixed closing time, letting pubs set their own hours in what ministers hoped would allow Britons to embrace a more moderate attitude to alcohol common in continental Europe. But the government admitted earlier this year that the move had had mixed results, with little sign of a hoped-for "European cafe-style" attitude to booze. Culture Secretary Andy Burnham said in March that it was "clear that the overall reduction in alcohol-related disorder we wanted to see across the country has not materialised consistently in all areas." A Home Office spokesman welcomed the latest lawmakers' suggestions. "The government recognises the issues that the committee has raised and are keen to tackle them head on. We will look carefully at the recommendations and challenges highlighted," he said. __________________

11-10-2008, 05:12 PM	#3
Nemowork Klompendance? Join Date: Jun 2006 Location: Mobilis in Mobilii Posts: 25,341 Thanks: 6 Thanked 16 Times in 7 Posts	I have to agree with that, the quality of pub beer is sinking appalingly along with the price unless you want to go to a real ale place __________________ “A wise man is superior to any insults which can be put upon him, and the best reply to unseemly behavior is patience and moderation.” Moliere "You do the unseemly behavior, I'll handle the moderation" - Nemo

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11-10-2008, 01:50 PM	#2
marquis Join Date: Jun 2006 Posts: 1,060 Thanks: 3 Thanked 0 Times in 0 Posts	Most problems are caused by people tanking up with alcohol before going to the pub.But some pubs and particularly pubcos must carry some responsibility.They have ripped out walls and removed seating to pack more customers in yet serve them with fewer staff , there are pubs catering for young people and so on. When I began drinking there would be a group of older men in a corner and you knew better than to start something , it was relatively safe to go out at night. Also there are existing laws to prevent drunken behaviour, bar staff are not allowed to serve inebriated customers nor let others buy for them.In old fashioned pubs this was generally followed (the staff used a bit of common sense over this) but in the "vertical drinking places" it seems that anything goes. We are losing several pubs a week , some of the more traditional ones in particular are having to deal with increased beer duty and the effects of the smoking ban.The only exceptions are those specialising in cask beer as they have a monopoly - if you want good beer you have to go to the pub.But most people drink swill (Stella,Fosters,Peroni,Bud and the like)which is the same but much cheaper in the supermarkets.