Nearly forty pubs closing every week
Yes but...
19 March, 2010 - 14:04
The number of bars and licensed cafes is increasing and the idea that pubs are some sort of community hub is a storyline in eastenders...
As a resident in a Muslim country, though not one of the stricter ones (there are plenty of bars etc in hotels) there's a lot to be said for it. When you see families with their kids out at midnight in parks or encounter large groups of youths or men without even the slightest sense of threat you do start to question what the levels of alcohol consumption seen in the UK add to society.
Not just alcohol either - somewhere in social liberalisation the boundaries of acceptable behaviour have been lost. When I come back to the UK and sit on a bus with my seven year old daughter only to have a couple of lads sit in the seat behind and swear as if their lives depended on at least two fucks and one cunt in each sentence, or I see advertising that is basically just soft-porn on display to anyone, regardless of their personal views or age, I really wonder when we decided this was a good thing.
Clearly there's a flip side in the Muslim world too - the darker side of the social respect is a level of official arbitrariness, censorship and repression.
But I do think there is a disturbing trend that because something is basically OK then it can't be limited or prevented from reaching extremes. Many people like to have boundaries and norms of behaviour. (And I don't mean the nannying that the Labour government has trademarked - if you have to make someone do it then you've got it wrong). But if western society can't find a way of imposing boundaries at the edge of the freedoms we enjoy then it's hardly surprising that people turn to political or religious groups that do.
I agree with pretty much all of that, Chris
19 March, 2010 - 14:39
But I do have to take issue with part of your first paragraph. There are many, many pubs that serve as a focus of their community. It's where people meet on neutral turf, unwind and exchange experiences and information. Sure, this doens't apply to the big drinking barns or the managed chain houses (as a rule) but there are pleny of them out there.
As far as the rest of your excellent post goes, it's all about respect. A lot of people feel entitled to it without ever having done anything to deserve it, yet those self same people seem unwilling to confer it on others.
There are many, many pubs
19 March, 2010 - 16:09
There are many, many pubs that serve as a focus of their community. It's where people meet on neutral turf, unwind and exchange experiences and information. Sure, this doens't apply to the big drinking barns or the managed chain houses (as a rule) but there are pleny of them out there.
Village near here bought the local pub to save it, very successfull and heart of village
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Yes well obviously...
20 March, 2010 - 10:36
... in places where a Friday night's entertainment involves lighting a torch and carrying a pitchfork in company with seventeen of your closest relatives by blood, marriage and most probably both, that's different.
OK yes I see it might be another story in some rural areas. And yes it's nice to have a decent pub nearby. Where the family lives in London has a village sort of atmosphere and you'll see several people you know between your house and the convenience store. It should be ideal territory for a community-oriented pub especially if it did food and was OK for kids and families.
But most of the people I know just don't have the lifestyle to support a pub in that community way. Kids, school, jobs, long hours - it's why people buy wine or beer to consume at home while they do things rather than take time in the evenings to sit in a pub.
I don't argue against the pubs, I just think they are trying to hold back the tide and it isn't all to do with tax and regulation.
As opposed to Wonderful West London?
20 March, 2010 - 13:21
A place where the idea of community has largely gone out the window. Sure, there's culture and entertainment but no space to beathe. Where you can wander down the high street and not see anyone you know. I'll pop into town later an it will take ages becuase I'll stop and have a few chats along the way. It's great.
Of course there's the tired, pathetic cliche of inbreds but just look at some of the stunded little retard shuffling down Uxbridge Road and tell me they come from a healthy gene pool.
Life's about people and community. Possibly the best decision I ever made was to leave London. Don't get me wrond, it's a great city and a wonderful place to visit, but you wouldn't want to live there.
Community pubs and responsibility
20 March, 2010 - 00:16
My own local is an excellent example of a community pub, they make enquiries and send out search parties if necessary if you don't turn up after a while. And recently a couple of hundred overwhelmed the crematorium for the service for a barmaid who had unfortunately died.
But it's not just about acceptable limits and respect. It's also about people not taking responsibility for their own actions and their impacts on others. And that includes corporates, most prominently those in the mass media markets.
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After Monday and Tuesday, even the calendar says W T F are the FA doing?
Those of us born in the 60s and later ...
21 March, 2010 - 09:23
... have got so used to being told what to do. We object to it but, in the end, we generally go along with it. I noticed it recently at a meeting where c80 of the blokes present were over 60. We were talking about getting CRB checks. Most of us (relitve) youngsters said "it's a waste of time, but we have to do it". It was the old boys who really objected to state prying.
Ah, you see, us born in the
24 March, 2010 - 00:20
Ah, you see, us born in the early 50's and growing up in the 60's aren't very tolerant of being told what to do by some idiots who think they know best and can control people's lives. They can only control the lives of the weak.
And CRB checks are a complete waste of time and money, although usefully they do offer employment opportunites for people to "work" in Crapita. Only used to cover people's arses. Of course, you can always just issue a waiver to save the time and money, and still probably cover your arse adequately anyway.
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After Monday and Tuesday, even the calendar says W T F are the FA doing?
They're outsourcing mayors now?
25 March, 2010 - 00:50
Jeez, I didn't know that. My lot will be on to that like a shot when they find out.
You're going for the sympathy vote though, and, to be fair, you have mine for that!
Can you TUPE a mayor?
Think it's still Crapita for CRB checks, unless they lost the contract recently. Although in theory CRB checks are a laudable idea for those involved with vulnerable adults and children, they don't really achieve anything very much.
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After Monday and Tuesday, even the calendar says W T F are the FA doing?
I feel I should point out, as
20 March, 2010 - 00:05
I feel I should point out, as your original post implies....that you might not actually have any pubs left to enjoy a pint in. Smokefree or otherwise.
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After Monday and Tuesday, even the calendar says W T F are the FA doing?
Reformed smokers are usually a sanctimonious bunch
22 March, 2010 - 02:09
...but not me. I find the whole intifada against tobacco to be deeply disturbing. In the USofA we have the same people demanding death by firing squad for possesion of a Marlboro, while extoling the virtues of smoking marijuana / pot / hemp, whatever. If you're happy to tax a legal product that produces vast revenue, what type of tosser are you that whines on forever about it's use ? Either ban the stuff, or shut up. Just an opinion mind.
Yes, and in response to central question..
22 March, 2010 - 21:26
Whilst I am slightly dubious as to the reality of such extremism in a pot smoker, I agree with general sentiment; like you I am a (currently) ex-smoker who finds the obsessive anti-smoking campaign an infringement on civil liberties.
And as Baz said, why not give people the option? The blanket ban is a pain in the arse, and inadvertently contributed to me starting smoking again.. since every fucker outside the pub was puffing, it seemed pointless not to join them.
In response to the original question about pubs.. I find Chris's comments disingenuous. Even in downtown Queens Park, the local pub serves as a social hub and is definitely the centre of activity for the area - a great meeting, debating and general wassailing place, as are countless pubs up and down the length and breadth of the holy sceptred British Isles. Communities need a centre and for centuries, the pub has been that heart.
fucking disgrace...I blame the tories..or the labourers.....or BazWot.