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News & politics

Vertical Drinking

(43 Posts)
MT62 Sat 08-Aug-26 09:51:19

So I see Westminster council are trying to bring in rules, so that people can only sit down whilst drinking. They want people to order drinks on an app.

The whole idea of going drinking in a pub is to socialise & meet new people, especially if you have been working hard all week.
I don’t drink now, but back in the day when I did, that was the best thing about it, standing having a chat & laugh! I’d go to the loo, meet another bunch of people stood talking & join in if I knew someone in that crowd, ‘it’s called socialising’.
I met my future husband whilst stood at the bar. If I had of been hemmed into a corner I would never have met him I am sure of that.
If you want to sit in a group that is also fine, but most people are happy stood in their little groups.
The pub trade is already suffering & dwindling. So why can’t the government just leave well alone.
I didn’t catch why, but heard flats over pubs mentioned.
Easy one just don’t buy a house, flat near a pub. End of.

MaizieD Sat 08-Aug-26 10:11:30

You are misinformed, MT62.

For a start, this has nothing to do with 'the government' ( So why can’t the government just leave well alone. )

The proposal is on a draft policy document which has been put out for consultation by Westminster Council

I doubt it will come to anything

Full story here:

www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2026/aug/06/downing-street-stop-councils-restricting-standing-in-pubs

Tuliptree Sat 08-Aug-26 10:17:36

It’s a consultation and a suggestion to limit not abolish vertical drinking .Is it too much in News and Politics to expect accuracy? Or should we just have an Alternative News and Politics forum for threads where facts are an optional extra?

LemonJam Sat 08-Aug-26 10:39:39

MT62- you stated "So why can’t the government just leave well alone"

But the truth is "No 10 has vowed to confiscate powers from local councils which try to restrict customers from standing up while drinking in pubs or ordering at the bar".

Tuliptree Sat 08-Aug-26 10:43:09

‘the truth is ‘ what on earth has the truth to do with anything when there’s an opportunity to government bash?

GrannyGravy13 Sat 08-Aug-26 10:48:07

opportunity to government bash is that not allowed or is it off limits?

N & P threads are full of opposition bashing at the moment, I assume that is allowed.

Tuliptree Sat 08-Aug-26 11:11:39

GrannyGravy13

^opportunity to government bash^ is that not allowed or is it off limits?

N & P threads are full of opposition bashing at the moment, I assume that is allowed.

Government bash all you want when it’s based on facts it’s the made up stuff that the problem Can’t you see the difference?

LemonJam Sat 08-Aug-26 11:13:49

Sadly there are posters that like to bash the government with no factual basis whatsoever for their bashing -when in fact the government is doing the bang opposite of what the poster is bashing them for

As my Mum would say 'theres nowt so queer as folk'.

Magenta8 Sat 08-Aug-26 11:24:33

I personally would not like to see the end of vertical drinking. How else can you gauge when you have had enough if you are sitting down already?gringringrin

Tuliptree Sat 08-Aug-26 11:32:13

Magenta8

I personally would not like to see the end of vertical drinking. How else can you gauge when you have had enough if you are sitting down already?gringringrin

That’s happened to me twice ( that I can remember ) in a sitting down cocktail bar during happy hour. Standing up was quite a challenge.

Graphite Sat 08-Aug-26 11:35:12

In a nutshell, this about street drinking and the nuisance that can cause. If you have lived or worked in any major city or town you will probably have encountered it.

Westminster Council say:

[Our policy] on how licensed premises should operate and informs our decision on whether to issue a licence and on what conditions.

Our aim is to promote the four licensing objectives set out in the Licensing Act 2003:

• prevention of crime and disorder
• public safety
• prevention of public nuisance
• protection of children from harm

The policy seeks to balance the interests of business and residents to make sure that Westminster continues to offer a wide choice of high quality and well managed entertainment and cultural venues within an environment that is safe and attractive to residents, business and visitors.

What's wrong with that as an aim?

GrannyGravy13 Sat 08-Aug-26 11:55:47

I wasn’t government bashing Tuliptree I just queried whether or not it was allowed?

I have mostly been giving the N & P threads a miss lately, as they are getting more and more bizarre.

Tuliptree Sat 08-Aug-26 11:59:52

GrannyGravy13

I wasn’t government bashing Tuliptree I just queried whether or not it was allowed?

I have mostly been giving the N & P threads a miss lately, as they are getting more and more bizarre.

I never accused you of government bashing - I simply made a pretty obvious point that any such bashing should be based on the truth. Nothing bizarre about that. What is bizarrs is starting a thread based on a completely inaccurate misleading piece of information.

LemonJam Sat 08-Aug-26 12:09:04

This is a misleading News and Politics thread as the OP provides incorrect information ie "so why cant the government leave well alone".

Posters have picked up on this and highlighted the inaccurate information in a straight forward way.

GrannyGravy13 Sat 08-Aug-26 12:11:20

Against my better judgement I just googled this subject.

There are multiple reports across MSM including newspapers, TV news outlets etc., on this subject.

Even one No.10 intervenes over so called vertical drinking

So unless posters are expected to read every article on a subject they start a thread about, some inaccuracies will occur.

Jaxjacky Sat 08-Aug-26 12:14:10

Better than horizontal drinking I suppose, that would get messy.

Basgetti Sat 08-Aug-26 12:18:04

Not sure what the government has to do with this? Isn’t Westminster Council conservative?

LemonJam Sat 08-Aug-26 12:21:12

We all know newspapers and media sources well known to be unreliable, not always factual, biased and they are motivated to undermine a Labour government. Twas ever thus. Posters self select their preferred news and politics media sources with this knowledge and with their own bias.

It's not a problem surely though when posters highlight a factual error in an OP that is factually incorrect? So that the Labour government is not unfairly accused of something that is not factually incorrect?

OP inaccuracies of course can easily occur and can also be easily corrected.

Doodledog Sat 08-Aug-26 12:25:50

Who is assumed to 'allow' things on here, other than HQ?

People can disagree with a point, or challenge the accuracy of a statement, but not 'allow' or disallow anything, yet there are constant accusations that that is happening. It isn't.

LemonJam Sat 08-Aug-26 12:31:05

GG13 asked is government bashing allowed and the response was Government bash all you want when it’s based on facts it’s the made up stuff that the problem

So nobody has disallowed anything.

Doodledog Sat 08-Aug-26 12:33:15

No, nobody ever does, but the accusations keep coming when someone doesn't like being disagreed with.

Sunshinegirls Sat 08-Aug-26 12:43:13

It"s the same old same old on the N and P threads the ones who seem to know every detail of everything that's why imop hardly any new posters go onto argue the toss. Yet I see lots of new posters on other threads.

Sunshinegirls Sat 08-Aug-26 12:45:22

I think government and councils should leave things/people alone, if it's not broken don't try and fix it.

LemonJam Sat 08-Aug-26 12:46:46

If the OP came on to 'argue the toss' - posters have responded.

Everyone is entitled to their opinions.

MawsRosie Sat 08-Aug-26 12:49:27

Jaxjacky

Better than horizontal drinking I suppose, that would get messy.

gringrin
And how long before the vertical drinkers become horizontal ?

Such an unfortunate turn of phrase.