Good Friday Drink Sales Ban

someoneok

On Wednesday, we went in to Dublin town and shot a video of people's stance on the drinking sales ban on Good Friday. Not one person was in agreement about the merits of the ban.

What do you all think about the ban and do you think the government is right to do the church's bidding?

#bintheban

It might have originally been brought into being because of religion, but I can't see any harm in the bars & bar workers getting a day off.
It's only 2 days a year!
And having said that, why do people not push for Xmas day opening?
Surely that's the same religious reasoning?

someoneok

What about the bar staff who don't want the day off? What about the staff who want to make money? Works both ways. I would say Christmas is the very same. Why should the government have the right to interfere with the free decisions of consenting people?

L1011

"its only 2 days a year!" isn't even a proper argument against it. Give a reason for there being any days a year. Bar staff get days off despite there being 363/364 days otherwise.

People go absolutely bloody mad in offlicences on the Thursday *because* of the ban and nothing else. Siege mentality and rebelliousness set in.

Remove the ban and year one will be mental in bars/clubs; and in year two it'll just be the Friday of a bank holiday weekend - dead. Issue gone.

Zaph

bubblypop wrote: »

It might have originally been brought into being because of religion, but I can't see any harm in the bars & bar workers getting a day off.
It's only 2 days a year!
And having said that, why do people not push for Xmas day opening?
Surely that's the same religious reasoning?

The difference between Good Friday and Christmas Day is that pretty much everywhere closes on Christmas Day, so it's not unrealistic to expect the pubs to be closed too. In addition, Christmas day is very much a day that people want to spend with their families rather than going to the pub, Good Friday is just another Friday.

L1011 wrote: »

People go absolutely bloody mad in offlicences on the Thursday *because* of the ban and nothing else. Siege mentality and rebelliousness set in.

The hardest day's work I ever did was one Holy Thursday in the off-licence of the supermarket I worked in when I was 17. There was a permanent queue way out the door all day long and we struggled to keep the shelves properly stocked. You'd swear that alcohol was being outlawed completely judging by the amount of booze some people bought.

Zaph

Zaph wrote: »

The difference between Good Friday and Christmas Day is that pretty much everywhere closes on Christmas Day, so it's not unrealistic to expect the pubs to be closed too. In addition, Christmas day is very much a day that people want to spend with their families rather than going to the pub, Good Friday is just another Friday.

Yea, for people that celebrate Christmas!
There is religions that don't, should they not be entitled to buy alcohol if they want to?

darlett

Reminds me of the silliness of the pubs closing from 2pm to 4pm on a Sunday. As a teen used to travel up regularly on a Sunday to the city with a group from my town to watch Meath in Croke Park. The group would get there early to get a few drinks in the pubs nearby from 12pm opening time and invariably there would be a lock-in from 2pm. On more than one occasion I left to grab a sandwich to ease my hunger and stem the drinking and then faced the gauntlet of questions from the bouncers-guarding a supposedly closed public house eh...- before getting back into the pub to join my dad. Good 'ol Catholic Ireland pretending that we were off the booze from 2pm to 4pm of a Sunday. Like WTF.

Victor

Given the way some people drink, I'm not sure that a 4-day weekend is a good thing.

Arkady

I'd say the emergency services and the street cleaners are glad to get a break from the urine, puke, and blood soiled streets for one night in the year. Ireland's addiction and love affair with alcohol is not a happy one. Is it really such a hardship to get pissed at home for one day ?

L1011

Arkady wrote: »

I'd say the emergency services and the street cleaners are glad to get a break from the urine, puke, and blood soiled streets for one night in the year. Ireland's addiction and love affair with alcohol is not a happy one. Is it really such a hardship to get pissed at home for one day ?

If it was a normal Friday of a bank holiday weekend the streets would be empty as nobody goes out.

Instead they stay home, get pissed, get in fights and clog the A&Es to a level unheard of for any other bank holiday Friday.

It is a pointless, backward, cowtowing and utterly futile law and the justifications for it are always pathetic and ill thought out at best. As soon as "its only one day" or similar is mentioned its quite clear the person making the argument hasn't got any points at all.

Within two years of it being removed nobody will even remember the sodding law existed and the problems it brought will be gone. I suspect the drinks industry are quite happy for it to remain, though.

CiniO

IMO any restriction on alcohol sales is bad and unnecessary. It's just way of limiting our freedom.
And I mean both 2 days a year, as well as time limits during each day.
There should be no restrictions and alcohol should be available for sale 24h a day all year round. I can't see any reasons not to.

Losty Dublin

bubblypop wrote: »

There is religions that don't, should they not be entitled to buy alcohol if they want to?

What religions would you be talking about here? Muslims don't partake of drink and we've badly 1,000 Jews here. Indeed, Muslim dominated states ban or seriously curtail the sale of alcohol so if anything they'd want more Good Friday type bans

Losty Dublin

Losty Dublin wrote: »

What religions would you be talking about here? Muslims don't partake of drink and we've badly 1,000 Jews here. Indeed, Muslim dominated states ban or seriously curtail the sale of alcohol so if anything they'd want more Good Friday type bans

The point I was making is that if people disagree with the good Friday ban on the basis that it's a religious holiday, then by the same token they should disagree with the Christmas day ban on alcohol sales.

robman60

As a whole I think it's positive that we get a few days off from the national embarrassment that is our relationship with alcohol. The Christmas Day closure is essential imo because at least it means parents can't abandon their kids on Christmas Day. I'm sure bar staff appreciate not having to spend their Christmas Day working too.

As for Good Friday, the religious connotations are somewhat of a non-issue for me. I do, however, think that it cannot be a bad thing to have another day where the pubs are empty.

L1011

robman60 wrote: »

As a whole I think it's positive that we get a few days off from the national embarrassment that is our relationship with alcohol. The Christmas Day closure is essential imo because at least it means parents can't abandon their kids on Christmas Day. I'm sure bar staff appreciate not having to spend their Christmas Day working too.

As for Good Friday, the religious connotations are somewhat of a non-issue for me. I do, however, think that it cannot be a bad thing to have another day where the pubs are empty.

How does encouraging panic buying and increased consumption do any of what you claim?

I doubt many or any bars would open in Christmas even if allowed

athtrasna

robman60 wrote: »

As a whole I think it's positive that we get a few days off from the national embarrassment that is our relationship with alcohol. The Christmas Day closure is essential imo because at least it means parents can't abandon their kids on Christmas Day. I'm sure bar staff appreciate not having to spend their Christmas Day working too.

As for Good Friday, the religious connotations are somewhat of a non-issue for me. I do, however, think that it cannot be a bad thing to have another day where the pubs are empty.

Personally I think it's a national embarrassment that due to the influence of certain religions pubs are forced to close today. Tourists are bamboozled that our beloved Irish pubs are closed, it's a bad reflection on our country imo. Last year I met a stag group from the UK who were horrified that Dublin was dry on good Friday. They were staying in an apartment so didn't even have access to a hotel bar. Bad for our economy!

Birdie Num Num

athtrasna wrote: »

Personally I think it's a national embarrassment that due to the influence of certain religions pubs are forced to close today. Tourists are bamboozled that our beloved Irish pubs are closed, it's a bad reflection on our country imo. Last year I met a stag group from the UK who were horrified that Dublin was dry on good Friday. They were staying in an apartment so didn't even have access to a hotel bar. Bad for our economy!

Rubbish. Have you been to other countries and experienced religious festivals or been inconvenienced by siesta in say Italy? Have no problem with Good Friday alcohol sales ban. Have no issue that the root of the ban is for religious reasons. People are not banned from consuming alcohol on Good Friday. Consuming it is their own personal choice.

Mena

robman60 wrote: »

The Christmas Day closure is essential imo because at least it means parents can't abandon their kids on Christmas Day.

Think this through a little. Still make sense?

Dravokivich

Birdie Num Num wrote: »

Rubbish. Have you been to other countries and experienced religious festivals or been inconvenienced by siesta in say Italy? Have no problem with Good Friday alcohol sales ban. Have no issue that the root of the ban is for religious reasons. People are not banned from consuming alcohol on Good Friday. Consuming it is their own personal choice.

We are prevented from being consumers. Why should I have to keep up with whenever this good Friday crap comes up because its a different date each year. Screw that.

To Elland Back

I think Christians have a clearer doctrine about eating meat on Good Friday, but there is no ban on butchers opening

Birdie Num Num

Dravokivich wrote: »

We are prevented from being consumers. Why should I have to keep up with whenever this good Friday crap comes up because its a different date each year. Screw that.

Does that stretch to not being able to go to the bank because it might be closed or inhibiting you from being a consumer of stamps if your post office is closed? Would you rather the whole inconvenience of Easter, Christmas, St. Patrick's day etc. was scrapped too, so you are not prevented from being a consumer of some stuff, or even prevented from going to work when all that crap comes up?

Hotblack Desiato

Birdie Num Num wrote: »

Consuming it is their own personal choice.

But buying it is not. Ridiculous post.

Atomic Pineapple

Dravokivich wrote: »

We are prevented from being consumers. Why should I have to keep up with whenever this good Friday crap comes up because its a different date each year. Screw that.

I think the bigger issue is that businesses are being forced to close when they don't want to because of the interests of a religion. If a business wants to open they should not be hampered from doing so because of any religious or non religious belief.

Those who don't want to open don't have to but those who do want to open should be allowed to do so.

I can go get a burger today from a take away if I want but I can't go to a pub or an off licence even though they want to open, crazy.

Valetta

Atomic Pineapple wrote: »

I think the bigger issue is that businesses are being forced to close when they don't want to because of the interests of a religion. If a business wants to open they should not be hampered from doing so because of any religious or non religious belief.

Those who don't want to open don't have to but those who do want to open should be allowed to do so.

I can go get a burger today from a take away if I want but I can't go to a pub or an off licence even though they want to open, crazy.

Where are you getting that they want to open?

The only thing I hears was the head guy from the LVA saying they thought it was a good thing and would not lobby to have the ban removed.

Don't have a link, but he was on the radio a couple of weeks ago discussing the topic.

L1011

Valetta wrote: »

Where are you getting that they want to open?

The only thing I hears was the head guy from the LVA saying they thought it was a good thing and would not lobby to have the ban removed.

Don't have a link, but he was on the radio a couple of weeks ago discussing the topic.

The same LVA who have posters up calling for this to be the last year of the ban? The same LVA who have been lobbying to have it removed for decades? The same LVA who attempted (and didn't really succeed) to get a twitter campaign against it?

I think you're a bit mistaken.

someoneok

Fairly certain this press release shows that the LVA are against the ban.
http://www.lva.ie/press/press-release-abouttime-the-last-long-good-friday/

Ursus Horribilis

I'm not sure what it achieves. People who are observing Good Friday won't be drinking anyway, regardless of what the law is. The ones who want to drink today will have stocked up in advance. So basically, something that can be purchased every other day of the year is taken away from people because of an old law that was made in an Ireland that was very different to now.

Valetta

L1011 wrote: »

The same LVA who have posters up calling for this to be the last year of the ban? The same LVA who have been lobbying to have it removed for decades? The same LVA who attempted (and didn't really succeed) to get a twitter campaign against it?

I think you're a bit mistaken.

Apologies. I stand corrected.

Must have been half cut when I heard yer man on the wireless. -:)

Birdie Num Num

Atomic Pineapple wrote: »

I think the bigger issue is that businesses are being forced to close when they don't want to because of the interests of a religion. If a business wants to open they should not be hampered from doing so because of any religious or non religious belief.

Those who don't want to open don't have to but those who do want to open should be allowed to do so.

I can go get a burger today from a take away if I want but I can't go to a pub or an off licence even though they want to open, crazy.

Pure off the wall lunacy.

But it's the law. There are opening times for drink sales and there are closing times. All within the law. Pure and simple. Plenty like to take a pop at religion because of it, it's no different a day to Ash Wednesday in terms of abstinence but it doesn't mean it against the law to sell alcohol on that day.

Great for some to have the day off although it's not officially a public holiday. I'd be fairly sure if the pubs were open it would become a very normal Friday very quickly. Probably negative for drink sales overall over the period and would soon become a regular trading / business day across the board. Very convenient for going to the pub but not having the day off could be somewhat of a inconvenience.