"‘Boozy Britain’ grapples with bottle; Libation lovers are decrying the latest moves" by Anthony Faiola, Washington Post | August 29, 2010
LONDON — The land that gave the world the 20-ounce pint of beer is in the throes of a loaded debate: Should government act to curb a dangerous culture of binge drinking, or is it simply British to get smashed?
It is no secret the residents of these isles like a drink or three....
Let me toast that WaPo insult, Englander!!
But even here, the national outcry is reaching a fevered pitch over lager lad hooligans and, increasingly, their female counterparts, ladettes, turning British cities and towns into what the new Conservative Prime Minister David Cameron denounced this month as “the wild west.’’
Concern over “boozy Britain’’ has been mounting for years, with attempts to curb binge drinking either backfiring or having little effect. But with late-night crime and alcohol-related hospitalizations surging, a fresh push is afoot for stronger local and national laws.
A ban on ladies nights and all-you-can-drink specials went into effect in April, as did a law forcing pubs and bars in England and Wales to offer smaller glass sizes to patrons.
Outraged politicians are seeking to roll back late-night serving hours and raise the price of notoriously cheap alcohol, which in supermarkets and convenience stores can cost less than a small bottle of Evian water....
If you keep the masses drunk they are less likely to organize and resist.
Commentaries are flying about how, and whether, government should handle the problem, with the BBC’s Radio 4 launching a program last month titled “Britain on the Bottle: Alcohol and the State.’’ Libation lovers are decrying the latest moves as nothing short of a Victorian conspiracy, defending heavy drinking as part of British culture....
And they are so proud, hic-cup.
Fintan O’Toole, the Irish-born author, penned a commentary in the Guardian newspaper suggesting that some nations are simply predisposed to heavy drinking and that the British (and the Irish) should not only accept but embrace it.
Imagine if he said that about certain races being predisposed to whatever.
Of course, you Brits are so bombed you wouldn't know an insult if it farted in your face.
Mark Hastings, who represents the British Beer and Pub Association, served the $44 billion-a-year industry’s opinion straight up. “Binge drinking is British,’’ he said. “Chaucer, Shakespeare. and Dickens are littered with references to heavy drinking. Harold lost the battle of Hastings because of a big night on the mead. You’re not going to change this by fiddling about with a few laws.’’
I agree laws will change nothing.
Now bottoms up and let's have another round!
Heeeeeeeyy!
Yet many here contend Britain is literally drinking itself to death....
Last call!!
Of course, you know how drunks can ramble off at the mouth:
"Far-right activists clash with police
LONDON — About 700 protesters from a far-right group clashed with hundreds of riot police in the city of Bradford yesterday. English Defense League activists threw bottles, rocks, and a smoke bomb at the riot police after the authorities penned in the protesters to keep them away from an opposing demonstration by a leftist group, United Against Fascism. Police said five people were arrested. The English Defense League opposes what it calls the spread of Islam, Sharia law, and Islamic extremism in England (AP)."
Yeah, yeah, whatever.
See: Europe Under an Iron Veil
So drunk you can't even fight your way through a thin piece of cloth?
