It’s not exactly a surprise that local authorities are overstepping the mark with alcohol control zones – extending them over whole areas rather than just obvious disorder hotspots, and using them to confiscate closed containers from people who have done nothing wrong. Indeed, I predicted this back in 1996. Any law that outlaws a wide swathe of activities, but relies on the goodwill of the authorities to ensure that in many circumstances it is not enforced, is fundamentally flawed. There are already plenty of laws on the statute book that allow the prosecution of people for alcohol-related disorder without any need for these sinister, totalitarian control zones. And is alcohol such a bad substance that people should be prohibited from drinking it in public anyway?
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I rather get the feeling that the government would prefer it if we all stayed indoors to drink and smoke (unless of course you happen to have made the mistake of having children, in which case, your time is coming..) because they certainly don't seem to like the idea of us going to the pub either, assuming you can find one.
ReplyDeleteActually, scratch that, I think what really want to do is send us all to bed without any supper..