BBC News:Child-Friendly Pubs:
The company appears to be responding to changes in the law that are transforming Britain’s pub culture.
New rules introduced in 2005 allow publicans to choose whether or not they admit under-14s. And the ban on smoking in public places have made pubs even more welcoming to families with children.
I’ve never really understood the insistence on making alcohol consumption only for adults, not only to do but also for viewing. We’ve had draconian alcohol control laws here for years and the result has been our parks filled with teens bearing cider, binge drinking before closing time and people wanting to get a “few in” before they “had out”.
But some people want to keep the local boozer for adults only, presumably so they can spend an afternoon dribbling into the sawdust. That’s fine. But there’s not really any way to play both fields. Some places, like Wetherspoons, think that limiting the adults to two drinks will force them to push off with their unwelcome offspring. Charming. Compare this to, for example, La Mon. They not only have a childrens area but they dig out a bouncy castle and face painting. I find that infinitely more appealing than being treated like cattle: come on in, eat, drink, pay your money and get the fuck out.
Keeping alcohol away from children is no way to protect children. We need to be opposed to alcohol ignorance (and let’s go one better and instead of promoting sex education, let’s try to stamp out sexual ignorance). I was the only one of my friends who didn’t drink and the drinking started at 11 back then. Christmas 1983, I spent a week in Bulgaria on a school trip. One of the lads from my class brought a bottle of wine in his luggage. We were first years in a Grammar School. Ridiculous I know but that’s the facts. Even with alcohol criminalised, we had access to it. There was always booze in my parents house too, growing up. I firmly believe that because my parents had a open attitude about alcohol that I didn’t see it as anything special; it wasn’t to be my area of rebellion.
Can we get over it now? The treatment of alcohol as something mystical?