What's happening in Edinburgh to make very popular bloggers deride Scotland? Edinburgh council are planning mandatory courses for bar staff to ensure they will never ask customers if they would like the 'same again' and are to be told to offer a glass of water instead.
The move has been introduced as part of the Licencing (Scotland) Act which comes into force next week and is aimed at tackling binge drinking.
I'm all for tackling binge drinking but I think this is about 39 steps too far. Who thought up this ridiculous idea? Not only does it insult professional bar staff, who will move to areas where they can demonstrate their skills, and most of their customers, it will reduce the number of people visiting pubs and they will be off to the supermarket to buy a 'cerry oot'. I know I'd certainly feel less than pleased if a pub asked me if I wanted a glass of water. I'd be wondering if I looked as if I was about to have the proverbial heart attack.
Let's stop this nonsense now. People who want to drink alcohol will drink it. I fully support the clampdown on supermarkets BOGOFs and also pricing on cheap alcoholic drinks, but to introduce a policy such as this is allowing the government/council to take over more of my freedom. That's not what I want in my country.
The better pubs and restaurants put bottled water on tables. The customer pays if the seal is broken. A far better idea would be to put jugs/containers of our lovely Scottish tap water on each table and change it when each customer leaves, at no cost to the customer of course. Let me say here that I always ask for tap water in restaurants as bottled water has a chemical taste to me.
There is quite a bit of hypocrisy going on here. We have the Scottish government doing their utmost (and shouting rather too loud now but that's another story) about Diegeo wishing to move their bottling plant yet we have Edinburgh council thinking they have the answer to our alcohol problem. They don't.
People really have to stand up and be counted about this as it is the thin edge of the wedge. Will Edinburgers protest?
Source: Scotsman
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