As with a few of my previous postings tonights ramblings are brought to you by Davenelli's Coalition For Fun & Freedom.
Well kids it looks like our democratically elected nanny state have finally done it and decided that they do not need to listen to those that they have been elected to represent. The city fathers, led by Cllr Gordon MacDiarmid, have decided that despite the threat of legal action from publicans in the city they are going to attempt to push through their blanket ban on glass in licensed premises from January 2007. Indeed Cllr MacDiarmid (pictured above) has stated publically that "we (the council committee) feel entirely on safe grounds legally" with this policy.
As with the Scottish Executives "smoking ban" this move appears to be ill conceived and short-sighted. Whilst beer is generally my drink of choice I am no stranger to sharing a nice bottle of Rioja. This is especially true when dining out. Under the councils proposals if I were to order a bottle of wine then the bottle could not stay on my table. The staff would top up my plastic tumbler then remove the bottle to the sanctuary of the bar.
What the fuck is that all about? I am thirty five years old, I have a job, children, own my home, pay my taxes and yet the city fathers do not feel that I can be trusted to pour my own drink from the bottle of wine that I have just paid well over the odds to enjoy. My children are 3 & 5 and I trust them to drink from glass.
Yes I accept that over the years there have been a number of glass attacks in the city. I had the misfortune of witnessing one a decade ago when my friend was on the receiving end of a beer glass. I also had the unenviable task of accompanying him to the hospital, phoning his partner and mother, giving statements to the police etc. However in spite of this I feel that the council's plan is simply a knee-jerk reaction to a sympton rather than the cause of the problem.
In the past 20 years Glasgow City Council has spent a tremendous ammount of time and effort trying to modernise and regenrate the city. To this end the emphasis was been placed on culture & tourism. In 1990 Glasgow was crowned European City Of Culture, a crown it wore with pride and no little panache. The city was vibrant and regained a huge ammount of the confidence it had lost when the traditional heavy industries that had sustained it for a century had so rapidly gone into decline. In the twelve months that the city embraced the title much work was done to throw off the hard living, hard drinking image that the city had become infamous for. As the ship yards, steel works & coal mines closed the city underwent a long period of navel gazing before picking itself up, dusting itself off and pursuing new softer industries to replace those it had lost.
Major employers finally filled the void and so the city was reborn with a new fluffier image. The result of this was many accolades from travel writers & guidebooks from around the world. Each one of these testimonies cited the spirit, humour and warmth of the citizens along with the beauty of the architecture as the main reasons for the enjoyable stay that they had enjoyed.
Well now thanks to the work of Cllr Gordan MacDiarmid the city runs the risk of becoming a laughing stock. I'd say cheers Gordon and clink glasses but as we will soon be drinking from plastic I guess a dull thud would be more appropriate.
Has anyone at the council even considered the enviromental effect of this move? No, I expect not.
I have been dared to start a political campaign against the nanny state. I'm not sure that I have the time or inclination to pursue this route. What I would say is that when you have the chance question your elected member (and how appropriate is that word?) on their motives. Not just in respect of foolhardy schemes such as this but also ask them why they do the job in the first place. I'm sure their answers will reveal quite a lot about their personalities.
A good article about the "proposed" glass ban can be read here
Cllr MacDiarmid can be contacted on 0141 287 0479 or by e-mail at
If you decide to contact Cllr MacDiarmid I would request that you remember he is a democratically elected member. Please also ensure that you use a level of respect appropriate to a man in his position.
Scotland With Style, My Arse!
And whatever you do don't get me started on beer gardens...
3 comments:
Lets just take a look at Cllr MacDiarmid, shall we?
When was the last time he got a blow job, you reckon?
I suspect it may have been a while.
I reckon he just needs a good gobble every now and again. That would put everything into perspective for him.
"Glasses in pubs? Eh, aye, whatever, I don't really gie a fuck aboot that shite now."
I am almost willing to put next months pay on this.
I am not, however, volunteering to help the cooncillor out in the BJ department.
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