Bingeing poms

The new Licensing Act came into force in November amid a blaze of publicity. To its supporters the new act achieves two objectives; liberalisation and tough penalties for any antisocial behaviour. Opponents, however, see the legislation as a disaster, giving a society notorious for its habit of binge drinking licence to drink longer and in greater volume. The liberalisation, in their view, far from bringing to the UK a Mediterranean "cafe culture", creates a ticking time bomb of health, economic and social problems. At the heart of these issues is alcohol, the oldest and most widely cons...