Wednesday, November 23, 2005

The Nation's Biggest Lock In.....

In a few hours time, the licencing laws will change so that pubs can stay open longer. They would have to apply for a licence that will be individually reviewed, but out of the quarter of a million pubs in this country, 60000 will get later licence, with around 359 opening for 24 hours a day.

In Liverpool, I cannot see where it'll make a huge difference except for the fact that Weatherspoons will be open for another hour or so. Most pubs in Liverpool already stay open to around 1 (well, the ones that I go to, anyway), and the Kray has been doing "all nighters" for years. Most people in my mind (myself included) don't have the stamina to drink constantly for 24 hours. So, as far as Liverpool is concerned, I can see no change.

In fact, we used to do something in the second year where we split into two nights out. Those of us who wanted to go to a club did so, and those of us who would rather play pool in Kiss The Red (now sadly shut) until 2am did so, and we met up at the end of the night for takeaway goodness.

Back home in North Wales, and the change is a lot more substansial. Where I live there are a handful of pubs, and about two or three clubs. Two of those clubs are effectively no-go areas, so that leaves the pubs and the clubs for a night out. At chucking out time, everybody heads to Broadway, where they pay £6, and listen to "music" which can induce a brain hemmorage, get pushed around by a pinball and, if you get lucky, declare your undying love for somebody you met three hours ago and head out for a quickie on Llandudno Promenade, by the kiddies paddling pool.

Now, hopefully, there'll be a change. If even one pub stays open later, that means people such as ourselves who "don't appreciate the joys of jungle-trance-hardcore" the can stay in the confindes of our the previous establishment, play pool, throw some darts, or do that lost art of socialising - talk.

It does drive me nuts that the only way for me to continue drinking after 11pm is by either paying for entry into a club, getting charged for overprice beer, or drinking at home. At times I look at my mate Sibz when we're in Broadway and we both say the same thing - "what the hell are we doing here?". With later opening hours, both me and Sibley (and probably a few others who have the dancing skills of a drowning spider) can stay in the pub, have a few more beers, and stumble home at some ungodly hour like the dance music tolerant amongst us.

Of course, it does mean that I'll have "a few more beers", but of all the time I've been drunk, I've only been sick in a club once (which I regret so bad), and that unfortunate time of waking up in Chester. Of course, not everybody is as good a drunk as me, and violence will occur. Only time will tell if this increase in licencing laws is a good thing.

But, just like a drunken "Lets jump into the sea!" call at 2am in January, I can see no wrong.