Report to the People
22nd September 2003
Raising
a Glass to Sensible Drinking
1973
– Slade had three number one hits, the car to drive was an Austin Allegro and
the release of The Exorcist caused
terror and moral outrage throughout the land.
It
was also the year that Scotland’s licensing laws were last reviewed.
A
lot has changed in Scotland since the 70s.
Slade and the Allegro have been retired to VH-1 Classic Gold and the big
scrap yard in the sky respectively and anyone watching The Exorcist today would be forgiven for thinking it’s a comedy.
But
the laws which govern when and where we can have a drink have stood still and
now, some three decades on, look outdated and inadequate.
The
current system, for example, allows pubs to compete for customers –
particularly young customers – through cut-price promotions such as “happy
hours.” This results in so-called
binge drinking, which in turn leads to anti-social behaviour in our town and
city centres.
And
we’re talking about a lot more than some obscene drunken bellowing or the odd
fight in a taxi queue – as shameful as that sort of behaviour is.
72% of victims of serious crime reported that their assailant was under
the influence of drink. Indeed, 42%
of those accused of murder or culpable homicide were under the influence of
drink at the time they struck.
So,
to encourage responsible drinking and break the binge / brawl cycle, the
Scottish Parliament wants to modernise the licensing regime.
An independent committee set up to look at how this could be done has now reported and recommends a clear set of licensing principles – preventing crime and disorder; promoting public safety; preventing public nuisance; promoting health; and protecting children from harm – be introduced. Firm action against binge drinking is also called for, as is the abolition of fixed licensing hours and their replacement with a tailored "premises-by-premises" approach.
But,
giving the Executive’s response in Parliament last week, Justice Minister,
Cathy Jamieson, said that this did not amount to the green light for
round-the-clock drinking. There was
not, she said, either the desire or the evidence to
support 24-hour licensing.
Those
of us who want to enjoy a drink at a time which suits us should not have that
freedom denied just because the irresponsible minority have no idea how to
behave. But equally, communities
must be protected from anti-social behaviour.
How
we strike this balance will, I am sure, be a key question when these plans are
consulted upon. But, if it can be
struck, I’ll certainly raise a glass.
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