Do my eyes deceive me? Have I read
this correctly?
For years and years…as long as I can remember, actually…any trip to London that involved a night out included hearing
the words “Last orders!” barked across the smoky pub. This was usually followed by a stampede of besotted young British
men to the bar where they refilled beer glasses, occasionally several times a minute, and pouring pints down their
gullets like the end of the world was nigh. The term for this is binge drinking. And the British government said it
finally has had enough. They finally realized, like almost any Western government that tries to control alcohol has,
that the best intentions of mice and men…can never stand up against the opportunity to get wasted.
And so on this November 24, barring some kind of last minute hissy fit by
Conservatives, the British
government, will allow pubs to remain open longer, even up to 24 hours a day, if they can get local government
approval. A 24-hour bar in Britain? I can already hear my British friends’ reaction to that: Cheers, mate!