Friday 26 February 2010

No Point In Appeasement...

Publicans believe they are doing their bit to combat binge drinking and blame cheap deals at supermarkets for south Essex’s alarming drink related hospital admissions.
I love that word: 'believe'.

Not 'claim' or 'say' or 'state'. Believe.

So the Righteous can then point this out as another mistaken belief, like the fallacy that the earth isn't warming. See, they can say, these people are mistaken. We're the ones who know best. Trust us!
Many establishments in Southend are taking precautions, such as training staff to spot potential risks before they become a problem.

Ben Levy, owner of Element nightclub in Alexandra Street, said: “Our staff are all trained not to serve anyone who seems intoxicated and to closely monitor those who are.

“We do not do special drinks promotions because not only do people get too drunk, but they also end up spending less per-head than if the drinks were normal price.”
You and the others are wasting your time in trying to prove to people like the Righteous that you are co-operating with them.

And don't bother trying to blame others, either:
Simon Patterson, owner of Chinnery’s, on the seafront, and chairman of Southend Pub and Clubwatch, which represents 32 licensees across the town centre, said measures have been taken to fight the problems.

He said: “Two years ago, we had a consensus in the watch to charge nothing less than £1.50 for a drink to try to stop bingeing.

“It works quite well, as there are no inclusive deals. They’ve all gone from our members’ premises, but you can’t stop people going to supermarkets.

“Pubs and clubs are doing their bit to make it a better place and it’s time supermarkets did the same. ”
There's an old saying: 'You can't reason someone out of a position, if reason didn't get them there to start with...'

4 comments:

TDK said...

You can't reason someone out of a position, if reason didn't get them there to start with

It's in the interests of publicans to increase the costs of competitors. That they are attempting to do so through legislative means is unsurprising.

There is a logic in what they do. The failure is in the media's inability to call them out on it

Clarissa said...

"Two years ago, we had a consensus in the watch to charge nothing less than £1.50 for a drink to try to stop bingeing."

Does this mean I can report them to the Competition Commission then for price fixing?

JuliaM said...

"There is a logic in what they do. The failure is in the media's inability to call them out on it"

I've long ago ceased to expect the media to do anything more than a half-assed job...

"Does this mean I can report them to the Competition Commission then for price fixing?"

Would be nice to think so!

Furor Teutonicus said...

Ben Levy, owner of Element nightclub in Alexandra Street, said: “Our staff are all trained not to serve anyone who seems intoxicated".

Oh well yippity dooo. This pratt DOES know it is illegal to serve people who are obviously drunk, does he not?

In which case, if his staff are NOT "trained", his licence is on a VERY thin thread. (How "trained" do you have to be to spot a fucking drunk any way??)