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24 Hour Licensing

Author Message
Michael Richards
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Posted on Thursday, 20 January, 2005 - 09:50 am:   

From The Dartmouth Arms
It will soon be time for us to transfer our licence to the new regime. This gives us and every other pub, a chance to vary our current hours. What do people in Forest Hill want? At present we are thinking of applying for a midnight closing time seven days per week with perhaps a 1am closure on Friday and Saturdays. Is there a demand or perhaps strong opposition to this?
Lee
Joined N/A
Posted on Thursday, 20 January, 2005 - 11:20 am:   

I for one would support longer hours - I think the relaxed atmosphere that currently reigns in the DA would only be improved by being able to go home when you want - not when everyone else does.
BaggyDave
Joined N/A
Posted on Thursday, 20 January, 2005 - 12:25 pm:   

It would be good if my pub opened for one hour let alone 24 hours (Moor Park Tavern - RIP-)

But to be serious depends on your clientele and the general change in pub culture. Old gits like me probably want to be tucked in bed by 12 most nights and only occasionally want to stay out later. But having lived in Scotland once upon a time where there was no urgent hurry to get one in before closing time, you just got used to going out to the pub later. I don't know whether the sales of alcohol increased, just more spread out. And it put an end to a lot of the trouble that used to be seen in Scotland when drinking hours were controlled more (same with English licensing laws when we introduced all afternoon drinking). I think it would be a good thing for the area, but a commercial decision. Anyone remember the Gin Palace on the Old Kent Road that used to open all night - now knocked down and turned into a block of flats (sounds familiar). But perhaps an unfair comparison.
Mistral
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Posted on Thursday, 20 January, 2005 - 01:02 pm:   

I also think longer hours are better. It will hopefully start to change the British drinking culture from the 'gotta get as much down me before closing time' to a more European way of drinking.
Newman
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Posted on Thursday, 20 January, 2005 - 01:13 pm:   

Or will it just encourage the binge drinkers, lager louts or whatever you want to call them to drink even more and cause increasing amounts of trouble? I agree that the hours should be extended to at least midnoight, but am not so sure that 24 hours is a good thing, as too many people in this country abuse alcohol and giving them access to unlimited amounts of booze seems to be asking for disaster.

You only have to take a look at Dave, Captain Peacock et al to see that it doesn't work - you should see the carnage that ensues on the posh estate when that lot get access to unlimited amounts of veggie beer.
megan
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Posted on Thursday, 20 January, 2005 - 01:32 pm:   

I agree I think extended hours for somewhere like Dartmouth Arms is fine but what about a pub like Bar Capitol where the average drinkers age is 16!! I don't think it will work.
Newman
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Posted on Thursday, 20 January, 2005 - 01:37 pm:   

I dread to think what that place would be like with 24 hour opening.
KK
Joined N/A
Posted on Thursday, 20 January, 2005 - 02:01 pm:   

As a Darty regular I'd fully support extended hours, although I'm not sure my Monday morning hangovers would agree with me.

Perhaps you could refuse to serve tequilla on a Sunday?
KK
Joined N/A
Posted on Thursday, 20 January, 2005 - 02:04 pm:   

BTW - did anyone spot the celeb in the Darty on Sunday? Either Trevor or Simon (can't remember which was which!) from the "swing your pants" school of fame.
pippa
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Posted on Thursday, 20 January, 2005 - 02:06 pm:   

wow you are definately a celeb spotter aren't you!!!
Newman
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Posted on Thursday, 20 January, 2005 - 02:11 pm:   

Were you on the tequilla that day, KK?
pippa
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Posted on Thursday, 20 January, 2005 - 02:21 pm:   

Next you will be spotting celebs from Chuckle Vision!
Newman
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Posted on Thursday, 20 January, 2005 - 02:31 pm:   

Actually, pippa, I seem to recall Dave mentioning that he plays badminton with one of the Chuckle Brothers when the bloke from Status Quo can't make it.
pippa
Joined N/A
Posted on Thursday, 20 January, 2005 - 02:35 pm:   

How lucky is Dave! Perhaps I'll ask him if he can get a number for me!
Newman
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Posted on Thursday, 20 January, 2005 - 02:41 pm:   

I believe it's the small one of the two, the one who kept getting in to amusing scrapes...was his name Barry? Anyhoo, I digress...The thought of Dave and Barry Chuckle on a veggie beer bender after a particularly good game of badminton truly sends a shiver down the spine.
PVP
Joined N/A
Posted on Thursday, 20 January, 2005 - 02:51 pm:   

Chuckle bro.s seen in Forest Hill?


House prices just fell 25%.
Michael Richards
Joined N/A
Posted on Thursday, 20 January, 2005 - 03:46 pm:   

I like the idea of flexible drinking hours and would really like a licence that allows us to close when everyone wants to go home - which would probably be much earlier than everyone fears. It seems to me that the label '24 hour licensing' is currently being used to scare people into thinking only chaos will result from any change at all.
Some local councils are reacting to this by creating policies to restrict the drinking extensions as much as possible. If, for example, a blanket midnight closing time is applied to the borough, then the spilling out problem is just moved to a later, more unsociable and presumably more drunken time.
I hope Lewisham has more vision.
Charles
Joined N/A
Posted on Thursday, 20 January, 2005 - 04:16 pm:   

It would be nice to have some more leeway in the evenings, and a little more time to digest before climbing back up the hill. Last time we were in the Dartmouth our lazy party of non-binge drinkers was the last to leave. I'm all for midnight closing. It's the big-shed, discount drinking factories that cause problems, not small gastro-pubs.
ALLIE
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Posted on Friday, 21 January, 2005 - 12:33 am:   

Judging by the times of the post, all you lot work for SE23.com or unemployed - that's handy.
julianm
Joined N/A
Posted on Friday, 21 January, 2005 - 07:04 am:   

Nah, it's a bit of light relief at work.
Newman
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Posted on Friday, 21 January, 2005 - 08:55 am:   

ALLIE, can't speak for Dave (think he's retired) but I don't work for se23.com and am not unemployed. Judging by the time of your post, it would seem that you have no life?
pippa
Joined N/A
Posted on Friday, 21 January, 2005 - 10:16 am:   

I have a brilliant job it just breaks the day up. Perhaps you should get something that breaks your evening up!!!!
Newman
Joined N/A
Posted on Friday, 21 January, 2005 - 10:26 am:   

Well said, pippa. What do you do for a living, ALLIE? Do your bosses keep you in chains in the basement, away from all forms of communication with the outside world, only letting you out for your lunch break if you're lucky? And jealous of those of us who have access to the Internet during working hours, you post stupid comments during the early hours and no doubt go to sleep feeling very pleased with yourself.
BaggyDave
Joined N/A
Posted on Friday, 21 January, 2005 - 10:40 am:   

Calm down
Calm down
leave the insults for me guys
Thanks Newman, spot on as usual. I do indeed act as if I'm retired, we all act this way in the parallel universe known as the posh estate (a corner of a foreign field that is forever (middle) England to quote Brooks)
A poem I memorised for my English Lit O level - now that gives my age away but this is really off track.
On track is that if publicans refused to sell to underage kids, and those too pished to stand up, and the industry didn't encourage kids to get tanked up on alco-pops before they went out then we probably would not be having the current discussions about binge and 24 hour drinking. Not really relevant to the Dartmouth Arms debate. Or am I getting old and reactionary (and as I am apparently retired and did my o levels at night school after I was made to leave school at 14 and go down the mill/pit/docks/chimneys then that would be correct.
Newman
Joined N/A
Posted on Friday, 21 January, 2005 - 10:52 am:   

Morning, Dave, in an ideal world publicans would refuse to sell to underage kids or those just the right side of the age barrier who can't handle their booze. But, speaking as someone who had the misfortune to find himself in one of those godawful theme pubs over Christmas, sadly many of them don't.

Had to laugh at a report on the news this morning that certain pub/bar chains etc are up in arms at the suggestion that they should pay more towards the policing costs when/if this 24 hour thing is up and running. This is aimed at those pubs which offer drinks promotions etc - again, they encourage binge drinking but don't anything to do with the consequences. Tony Blair's Britain, eh?

Still, I'll bet it wasn't like that in your day, Dave. Kids were put down pit or up a chimney as soon as they were knee high and married off to the highest bidder once they were in the teens. Bring back national service, I say, that'll teach all these young whippersnappers who can't handle their drink a lesson.
BaggyDave
Joined N/A
Posted on Friday, 21 January, 2005 - 11:58 am:   

Too right Newman, as a veteren of Aden, the Suez crisis, an 'observer' in Nam and an advisor in the Falklands I totally agree. And I remember back to the Empire when we were all proud to be British, and with our rum ration and having to drink beer as water from the pump was contaminated with cholera we could take our booze. It all started to go wrong when women started to work in the munitions factories in the great war. All down hill from there. Don't get me started
Newman
Joined N/A
Posted on Friday, 21 January, 2005 - 12:20 pm:   

The great war...brings back such good memories, apart from the bit where the Americans came over and took all our women, of course! Churchill, now there was a Prime Minister - you wouldn't catch him trying to turn our green and pleasant land in to a mass of tacky casinos and all night drinking dens.

Think we've wandered off topic a bit, dave, but in summary: extending the drinking hours on the posh side of town - good; doing the same on the vibrant side of town - not so good, as the likes of me will only abuse it, stay out drinking all hours, end up losing my job and flat as a result and spend the rest of my days as one of those beggars that the 'FH is a sordid grief hole' bridgade are so scared of.
BaggyDave
Joined N/A
Posted on Friday, 21 January, 2005 - 01:21 pm:   

I'll see you in a pile of vomit and urine then Newman ("I love you, your my bez mate, have you got 10p for a cuppa tea mista")

While I'm on the subject of Tenants special the offie over the road from the station would make a good pub, interesting music on the radio, cosmopolitan clientele, and red stripe under a pound a can. Bargain.

Don't know what on earth the Dartmouth Arms are making of this. Think we've probably exhausted this one. Perhaps a new thread would be: anyone got any ideas for a remotely interesting thread? Or perhaps me, thee, toffee, Pippa, Jack. Allie? and a few selected others can have our own love-in chat room. Sorry Hiltop you are not in our gang.
Newman
Joined N/A
Posted on Friday, 21 January, 2005 - 01:28 pm:   

Good idea, I'm going to set up a thread for you, me, TJ, pippa etc, where we can make numerous silly comments interspersed with the occasional good point about life in the area. See you there.
pippa
Joined N/A
Posted on Friday, 21 January, 2005 - 01:32 pm:   

Definately the way forward!
Newman
Joined N/A
Posted on Saturday, 22 January, 2005 - 12:46 am:   

It's this thread funnily enough! Where are the comments?


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