Tuesday, June 27, 2006
Alcohol-fuelled unity
The four main parties jointly lobbied the DSD Minister not to liberalise Northern Ireland’s licensing laws, in particular allowing corner shops to sell alcohol.
Fair Deal @ 03:55 PM
“in particular allowing corner shops to sell alcohol.”
FD
The reality is any shop [corner or otherwise] selling alcohol would be subject to the new regulations including the strengthening of powers to revoke a licence, powers welcomed by, for example, Jeffrey Donaldson:
Mr Donaldson conceded there were elements within the government`s proposals which were welcome, including the provision of extra powers for the police to help them identify and tackle irresponsible suppliers of alcohol.
What the lobby group is really interested in preventing is revealed in this line in the linked PA report:
According to the MPs 98% of people who responded to the consultation were opposed to the abolition of the licence surrender principle which in effect caps the number of licenses available.
Capping the number of licences means the market is kept closed, and the potential competition kept to a minimum… now, why would representatives of the [current] licensed trade oppose that…
Posted by on Jun 27, 2006 @ 04:14 PMSo the drug dealers can continue to offer their alternatives at all hours. Is this the state funding initiate the UDA were promised?
Posted by on Jun 27, 2006 @ 04:32 PMI’d hoped that continuing direct rule might clear up some of the backward anomalies in the pravance’s laws.
If NI is to be part of the UK then let’s enjoy the benefit of legislation befitting a modern liberal democracy.
They don’t chain the swings up anymore (or do they?!) and every little step towards grown-up laws is to be welcomed.
Posted by on Jun 27, 2006 @ 05:13 PMTotally right, it’s just f**king typical that the only time the 4 main parties can actually agree on something they get it totally wrong.
Time the lot of them left the dark ages.
Posted by on Jun 27, 2006 @ 05:17 PMOr time for the lot of them to be left in the dark ages.
Posted by on Jun 27, 2006 @ 05:32 PMThe biggest drug problem we have is alcohol and it would seem it is a growing problem. I am far from sure that this is the way to go; booze to you drop Britain. I wonder how much this one is worth to the drinks industry?
Posted by on Jun 27, 2006 @ 05:40 PMHow fucking dare these neanderthal cu nts tell me when, where and how I can purchase alcohol. What fucking business is it of theirs? I’m an adult, I pay my taxes - end of story. They’d be far better off spending their energies and resources dealing with the filth who can’t behave when drunk.
Posted by on Jun 27, 2006 @ 05:53 PMBemused
How dare these Neanderthals tell me when, where and how I can purchase alcohol.
How dare they tell you you can’t shot up, bonk in public, smoke all over people and drive at a safe speed?
Was watching end of Brazil game and immediately after it two booze ads obviously aimed at adolescence or the immature. This is at 6pm.
One of the good things about Muslims is their attitude to Alcohol.
Posted by on Jun 27, 2006 @ 06:07 PMBemused - spot on.
I hate the way that the permanently raging mob can dictate the terms of my leisure time.
The recent liberalisation of licensing hours in England was a long overdue but very welcome step in the right direction. If I want a drink at any time it’s my business, and doesn’t become anyone else’s unless I start behaving anti-socially.
The fact that when I’m home it’s a shot in the dark as to when the pubs will shut, and I end up at parties where shady characters deliver booze round the clock is a ridiculous state of affairs.
Is it really only possible for the fukwits we elect to agree on reactionary nonsense like this?
Posted by on Jun 27, 2006 @ 06:20 PMCrataegus: “How dare they tell you you can’t shot up, bonk in public, smoke all over people and drive at a safe speed? “
They tell you you can’t drive at a safe speed? WHAT A COUNTRY!
Yakov Smirnoff impressions aside, all Bemused wants is to be able to pop off down to the corner store and get his alcohol. The closed nature of the market limits competition and threatens to make obtaining a license a matter of political patronage, a circumstance that does not favor the populace.
Crataegus: “One of the good things about Muslims is their attitude to Alcohol. “
Sure… now if their wasn’t all that repression, ignorance, hand-cutting, honor-killing, infidel threatening self importance, not to mention occasionally getting the notion in their heads to blow something up…
Posted by on Jun 27, 2006 @ 06:21 PMBemused
How dare these Neanderthals tell me when, where and how I can purchase alcohol.
“How dare they tell you you can’t shot (sic) up, bonk in public, smoke all over people and drive at a safe speed?
Was watching end of Brazil game and immediately after it two booze ads obviously aimed at adolescence or the immature. This is at 6pm.
One of the good things about Muslims is their attitude to Alcohol.”
Dear oh dear, where do you start with this?
1. What the hell is wrong with ‘shot up’? Again, I’m an adult, I pay my taxes, I should be able to ram a particularly mature piece of Camembert up my arse if I feel like it. Plainly though I shouldn’t be allowed to do this in a public place or other circumstance in which I might offend, harm or annoy others.
2. ‘Bonk in public’??? See 1. above.
3. ‘Smoke all over people’??? See 1. above.
4. Aiming alcohol advertising at children? Quite wrong and should be prohibited and robustly enforced.
5. ‘One of the good things about Muslims is their attitude to alcohol’??? Not even worthy of comment I’m afraid.
In short - I’ll do what I want, you do what you want, now stay the fuck away from me.
Posted by on Jun 27, 2006 @ 06:43 PMDread Cthulhu
Too many G&T;’s
As for Muslims, I choose one of their better qualities and you some of the more problematic aspects, but who would steal in Saudi Arabia. Fund a terrorist organisation yes, but make of with your neighbours donkey, (in whatever sense) NO.
Posted by on Jun 27, 2006 @ 06:45 PM“Sure… now if their wasn’t all that repression, ignorance, hand-cutting, honor-killing, infidel threatening self importance, not to mention occasionally getting the notion in their heads to blow something up…”
You were being sarcastic here Dread, right?
Posted by on Jun 27, 2006 @ 07:06 PMI fail to see the logic between more shops selling alcohol at longer hours and the consumption of it.
If you want to drink yourself senseless, it makes not really a difference if you can get the stuff around the corner or three streets up the road or if you do it 5pm or 5am. The result is pretty much the same.Posted by on Jun 27, 2006 @ 07:22 PM“typical that the only time the 4 main parties can actually agree on something they get it totally wrong.”
Why did they get it totally wrong. Just curious, how can MORE access to alcohol be a good thing when alcohol is already causing huge problems in our societies?
Posted by on Jun 27, 2006 @ 07:24 PMGum: “You were being sarcastic here Dread, right? “
Depends on which direction you think the sarcasm was pointed, Gum. Are you suggesting Islam has none of those problems?
Crataegus: “Too many G&T;’s “
*grin*
Crataegus: “As for Muslims, I choose one of their better qualities and you some of the more problematic aspects, but who would steal in Saudi Arabia. Fund a terrorist organisation yes, but make of with your neighbours donkey, (in whatever sense) NO. “
Is it one of their “better qualities,” I wonder? The Prophet only forbade the drinking of wine made from dates. It is later killjoys that have forbade any alcohol. Likewise, there are those who steal in Saudi Arabia, else why would there needs be a reference to it in AI’s annual reports, just like clockwork?
Posted by on Jun 27, 2006 @ 08:40 PM“Why did they get it totally wrong. Just curious, how can MORE access to alcohol be a good thing when alcohol is already causing huge problems in our societies?”
Because the access to it is not the problem, Maca.Posted by on Jun 27, 2006 @ 08:54 PMApart from all that, it is a significant development that the four parties have acted together, that a DUP MP has (from a unionist perspective) given legitimacy to SF and that by implication, SF is happy to be associated with comments which refer to Northern Ireland and “the rest of the UK”? Surely this is a trailer for things to come.
Posted by on Jun 27, 2006 @ 09:03 PMBetty Boo
“They cautioned that pressing ahead with liberalisation proposals could result in every corner shop being able to sell drink.”So what IS the problem?
Posted by on Jun 27, 2006 @ 09:09 PM“...it is a significant development that the four parties have acted together, that a DUP MP has (from a unionist perspective) given legitimacy to SF...”
In vino veritas
Couldn’t resist.Maca, the individual use of items available is the problem not the availability as such.
Food is available everywhere and a high percentage of the Irish population choose to overindulge and as a result grows fatter and fatter to such amount that children may die before their parents.Posted by on Jun 27, 2006 @ 09:21 PMBB
Aye, maybe it’s not THE problem but that doesn’t mean it’s wrong to tackle the issue of availability.Posted by on Jun 27, 2006 @ 09:32 PMBut Maca, why tackle the issue of availability, if it doesn’t matter? You do not increase nor decrease alcohol related problems and behaviour towards its use by increasing or decreasing its availability. If we would have one supermarket where I live instead of 5 plus, people would still eat as much as they do now.
Posted by on Jun 27, 2006 @ 09:41 PMAre any of these parties allegedly associated with alchohol smuggling?
Posted by on Jun 27, 2006 @ 09:44 PMBB
“why tackle the issue of availability, if it doesn’t matter?”In your opinion it doesn’t matter, I think it does matter. If kids have far easier access to beer doncha think that matters?
Posted by on Jun 27, 2006 @ 09:58 PMmaca
The point is that the proposed legislation doesn’t affect the availability in the way claimed by the lobby group - of current licensed traders.
In fact the political element of the delegation welcomed “the provision of extra powers for the police to help them identify and tackle irresponsible suppliers of alcohol.”
Posted by on Jun 27, 2006 @ 10:05 PM
