Tuesday, November 15, 2005

It's a bit political...

I don't often comment on political matters here, but I've been having a few thoughts about the proposed relaxation of the licensing hours. I'm all for it, personally.

The present licensing hours were introduced in WW1, so that munitions workers would be a bit safer in the mornings. There had been a few accidents when people turned up a bit too affected from the night before, probably because munitions work had become compulsory for people who had previously been making safe, non-explosive things like pies or buttons, where it didn't matter if you were a bit careless in the first hour. I don't see why I have to be bound by this, quite frankly. I work in marketing, and no, I wouldn't want to turn up still drunk.

It's especially annoying if you go to the cinema or theatre; I don't often go to the theatre, but most plays seem to stop at a time when you can just about make last orders. I'd quite like to linger over a couple of glasses of wine, especially if I've gone with friends and we only met shortly before the performance. A lot of 9pm cinema showings end at just the wrong time, too. And what if you decide to do your weekly shop at 8am to avoid the rush? It would be nice to get a few bottles of wine.

I'm very aware that Kingston, about 2 miles away, is a bit dodgy at pub closing time, and I often see the odd scuffle. These almost always occur in the queues outside nightclubs. A lot of hyped up people, chucked out of the pubs, waiting bad-temperedly to be ripped off, just because they aren't tired at 11pm. And if your neighbour in the queue is obnoxious, or flirting with your girlfriend, you can't move away because you'll lose your place, so tempers fray. People would be much more chilled out if they could just stay in a pub where they feel comfortable, and they're more likely to drift away gradually.

It suddenly occurred to me, though, that there is a way around the current licensing laws. We shop online at Tesco.com. Now, we can order alcohol as part of our regular shop, and we do. We can order this at any time of day or night. We can also arrange for it to be delivered in any delivery slot, including early morning (9 to 11 at Tesco), earlier than you can legally buy alcohol (10.30). Now, I've only ever ordered shopping at least a day in advance. The delivery slots are normally all gone for the next day, anyway. But I'm now wondering whether, if I go online after I've come back from the pub, and I order online in the early hours of the morning for an order containing alcohol to be delivered between 9am and 11am the same day, if the slot is available, whether, technically, I can circumvent the licensing laws. It would be after midnight, and I would be having booze delivered at 9am, possibly.

I'd never bother, but I like the idea that I can circumvent authority like that!!

3 Comments:

Anonymous Anonymous said...

This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.

7:50 pm  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Good point, good point. *hic*

10:08 am  
Blogger Misty said...

Now that's what I call thinking!

Brilliant :)

5:17 pm  

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