Thinking of going "down the pub" in England? You may never leave:
Plans to relax drinking laws in England and Wales will lead to a sharp increase in violent crime, judges have warned.
[...]
Licensed premises can apply to extend their opening hours beyond 11pm from 24 November, potentially in some cases to allow 24-hour drinking.The judges' report stated: "Those who routinely see the consequences of drink-fuelled violence in offences of rape, grievous bodily harm and worse on a daily basis are in no doubt that an escalation of offences of this nature will inevitably be caused by the relaxation of liquor licensing which the government has now authorised."
While I don't know that those prone to domestic violence are going to be encouraged any more by later drinking hours, I do agree that 24-hour bars are generally a bad idea. Spend a week around Bourbon Street if you don't believe me.
When we were in Dublin, they had just started experimenting with the "late bar" thing, and while I have no data on increased Irish violence, I can tell you it greatly contributed to the severity of my hangovers the next day. I actually kind of enjoyed the fact that most pubs booted you out at a (semi)reasonable hour. My track record on knowing when to say when hasn't always been the best, after all.
It usually takes the combined efforts of security personnel and circus roustabouts to get me back to my room when I'm in Vegas.
Judge Charles Harris QC said a high proportion of British people become "pugnacious and bellicose" and "fight at the slightest provocation" after drinking.
He said: "A very large proportion of domestic violence is committed by people who have been drinking - and if they hadn't been drinking so much, they wouldn't be so violent."
I think a "high proportion" of most human beings in general become pugnacious and bellicose after drinking.
The problem with this line of reasoning is the short leap you have from 11 PM closings to closing bars entirely. Maybe if more attention was paid to complaints about domestic violence and punishment amounted to more than a slap on the wrist, people would be less inclined to do it. Or more likely to curb their drinking.
He also denied later opening times would lead to more "continental" drinking habits.
"Continental-style drinking requires continental-style people - people who sit quietly chatting away at cafe tables."
He said British drinking involved "standing up, shouting at each other in crowded bars, trying to consume gallons of beer at a time".
Man, I'd hate to hear what he has to say about Australians.
"Or more likely to curb their drinking." Hey, I used to drink on the curb. Then I fell into the gutter. Nasty!