[Falstaff]

London revelers mark drink ban with subway chaos - CNN.com

And I thought we Americans evented drunken stupidity, but I stand in awe of the sheer maginitude of this non-event. Nothing like a weekend in old London and a go at the train service. Whats next? Drink driving checkpoints at footy or Cricket tests?

[dj_stick]

idiots?

not drinking on public transport makes sense, melbourne has had that rule for years

[MIG-31]

ive been on the london subway in the past.. there is not much that smells worse than a drunks vomit.

This should of been introduced years ago..

after reading this:

Sailor Peter Moore, 35, from Brighton on the southern English coast, told the agency his night was "Drunken, I just downed a can of beer in 10 seconds. It's sweaty on there but I'm going round and round until I vomit."

If thats a representation of the brittish forces,then the uk don't have anything to brag about.. Pretty sad to be honest.

[Mousey]

Why can't some insane shit like that go down here?
It's so boring in west yorkshire lol

[mkk]

But how will the soccer crowds get home from the stadium?

[BlueMak]

It is sad that this is even an issue, that you have to ban drinking there.

I have said it before (to british friends of mine) and I will say it here, a large part of the british population has become alcoholics. And the government loves it. Easy to control masses.

[Vikingod]

Hell, at most places in the US it's illegal to drink in all public places, unless specifically designated (ie. events, etc.). It makes sense to me, and I've never run into trouble with it. It's one of those laws which I think is selectively enforced. If you're walking down the street pounding a 40oz, wrapping a bag around it will probably put you into compliance, unless of course you're loaded and making a scene.

[Zelig]

Originally Posted by Vikingod

Hell, at most places in the US it's illegal to drink in all public places, unless specifically designated (ie. events, etc.). It makes sense to me, and I've never run into trouble with it. It's one of those laws which I think is selectively enforced.

They're not very selective in enforcement here, being in public with open liquor is an automatic ~$450 fine.

[SFOSOK]

looks like we need some more subways here. Drunken spur of the moment events are always a good find

[Falstaff]

could be worse...
could be Russia..
I hear that you can still get Vodka on the street and alcoholism is still rampant everywhere...
perhaps drunken debauchery and irresponsible behavior is just one aspect of the freedoms we enjoy in our society.

[Wilier]

Originally Posted by BlueMak

I have said it before (to british friends of mine) and I will say it here, a large part of the british population has become alcoholics.

Erm....what??

Bit of sweeping statement there I think. If you consider that there are 60million people living in Britain I would suggest that there is probably only a very small percentage are actually alcoholics. Just because someone drinks, doesnt make them alcoholic!!

I'll admit that we do seem to have trouble at the moment with teenage kids hanging out in the street, and since the advent of cheap beer and alcopops, its a lot easier for them to get drunk and start causing trouble, but in realitly its probably no worse than it was when I was a kid.......just a lot easier to publicise.

[Al_Vampyre]

Originally Posted by Wilier

Erm....what??

Bit of sweeping statement there I think. If you consider that there are 60million people living in Britain I would suggest that there is probably only a very small percentage are actually alcoholics. Just because someone drinks, doesnt make them alcoholic!!

I'll admit that we do seem to have trouble at the moment with teenage kids hanging out in the street, and since the advent of cheap beer and alcopops, its a lot easier for them to get drunk and start causing trouble, but in realitly its probably no worse than it was when I was a kid.......just a lot easier to publicise.

Got it in one mate, almost all of Northern Europe has a drinking culture and a strong work ethic, Southern Europe has a weaker work ethic and a very much drunkeness is shameful culture.

Nothing has changed at all, it's just that we hear more about it, and more people have a chance to voice their opinion via the web than ever before.

[BlueMak]

Originally Posted by Wilier

Erm....what??

Bit of sweeping statement there I think. If you consider that there are 60million people living in Britain I would suggest that there is probably only a very small percentage are actually alcoholics. Just because someone drinks, doesnt make them alcoholic!!

I'll admit that we do seem to have trouble at the moment with teenage kids hanging out in the street, and since the advent of cheap beer and alcopops, its a lot easier for them to get drunk and start causing trouble, but in realitly its probably no worse than it was when I was a kid.......just a lot easier to publicise.

Actualy (though I don't remember the numbers) the limits for someone to be called an alcoholic from a technical point of view are very low, so yes, a very large percentage is. You don't have to get drunk every night to be one or to drink 10 pints a day. I even attended a 3 day seminar (I had to due to work) about this and they explained it all very clearly.

[BlueMak]

Originally Posted by Al_Vampyre

Got it in one mate, almost all of Northern Europe has a drinking culture and a strong work ethic, Southern Europe has a weaker work ethic and a very much drunkeness is shameful culture.

Nothing has changed at all, it's just that we hear more about it, and more people have a chance to voice their opinion via the web than ever before.

That is more like ignorance and stereotypes than true. Southern Europe doesn't have weaker work ethic, they have different culture and more relaxed views on the matter.
Drunkeness is not particularly looked in a good eye, but I don't know if I would go as far as saying it a shameful culture.
Of course it can depend from country to country and even region to region.

About my previous comments, I didn't base any of them on my online experience but on my 10 years of living in the UK.

It's all quite clear, letting the populace become addicted to alchohol, to easier control them, plus of course higher income for the government.

When people (at any country) at the end of the day decide to get drunk or go to the pub for few drinks instead of doing things like discussing current affairs, when in some countries many people will have as a plan to have fun to purposely(sp?) go out to get drunk, even "just" once a week, than to deal with say politics, then there is a huge problem and surrender of power to the people in "control".

More people wanting to get away from the problems by drinking (or using weed or whatever), less people question authority. Very simple.

[Wilier]

Originally Posted by BlueMak

About my previous comments, I didn't base any of them on my online experience but on my 10 years of living in the UK.

I dont wish to sound pedantic, but Im basing my comments on 37 years of living in this countyr.
Think back to the days of the skins and rockers in the 70's, they were openly drinking and taking drugs in the streets, running fights in Cleethorpes and other towns. Football hooliganism in the 80's was shockingly violent, smashing up town centers etc, again fueled by drink and drugs.
Believe me, the problem is no worse now than it was 20 years ago when I was a kid......its just better publicised.

Originally Posted by BlueMak

It's all quite clear, letting the populace become addicted to alchohol, to easier control them, plus of course higher income for the government.

Your joking right? Your saying that the government is allowing, even encouraging the whole country to become addicted to alcohol so they are easier to control?

Originally Posted by BlueMak

When people (at any country) at the end of the day decide to get drunk or go to the pub for few drinks instead of doing things like discussing current affairs, when in some countries many people will have as a plan to have fun to purposely(sp?) go out to get drunk, even "just" once a week, than to deal with say politics, then there is a huge problem and surrender of power to the people in "control".

More people wanting to get away from the problems by drinking (or using weed or whatever), less people question authority. Very simple.

Again, Im sorry, but your joking, right?
Your saying that because I choose to have a few drinks on a Saturday evening with friends at a BBQ, that Im completely ignoring all the problems of the country??
The fact that my children are happily running around in the garden with our friends kids, we are all eating nice food and having a few glasses of wine or beer and yes, I'll admit it, probably getting a bit drunk, means that I can be swayed to whatever our government wishes??

I dont drink because I wish to "get away from the problems". I drink because I enjoy it. You cant beat a good bottle of red with a nicely cooked steak and salad, and I think you may even find that after a few glasses, the conversation may even to turn to politics *shudder* maybe only briefly, but we may just chat about Mr Brown's policies for a while (before invariable returning to chat about sport and sex!!)

No offence mate, but your living in a dream world.

[BlueMak]

If you say so, but yes, I am saying that.

[Al_Vampyre]

Originally Posted by BlueMak

That is more like ignorance and stereotypes than true. Southern Europe doesn't have weaker work ethic, they have different culture and more relaxed views on the matter.

On one hand you're saying ignorance and stereotypes, and on the other hand you're saying different culture and more relaxed views on the matter

I'm not going to slag anyone off, especially the southern europeans whom I think have got exactly the right work ethic (more relaxed - work isn't the be all and end all of life itself etc) and I have worked in France and Italy for periods of my life, but if you are looking at the delta between work ethics.

Northern Europeans = Work Obsessed = More likely to drink for relaxation/stress relief
Southern Europeans = Not Work Obsesed = More likely to drink for entirely social reasons

Nowhere did I claim that having a stronger work ethic was better than having a weaker work ethic...

[BlueMak]

Drinking has nothing to do with work ethics. As you said southern europeans do drink for (most of the times) entired social reasons, but that has nothing to do with any ethics over work.

[Al_Vampyre]

Originally Posted by BlueMak

Drinking has nothing to do with work ethics. As you said southern europeans do drink for (most of the times) entired social reasons, but that has nothing to do with any ethics over work.

They may well not be connected to each other but I wouldn't be surprised if they has a mutual connection with social convention, social conventions define a lot of how we live our lives.

In my experience the convention in Northern Europe is to go out with the intention of getting 'merry' and all too often that steps over the line into drunkeness. In Southern Europe the convention is to go out with the intention of socialising in a public place where alcohol is served, but most people are just as likely to end up drinking coffee as drinking beer.

[BlueMak]

That's my experience too.