Radio 2 in the Park 2024

[Lucinda]

Boris Johnson seems to be making a half-arsed attempt to raise the drinking age.

http://www.thisislondon.co.uk/standard/article-23517283-details/Mayor+backs+ban+on+alcohol+for+under-21s/article.do

He wants shops to voluntarily agree to not sell alcohol to under 21s, starting in... Croydon. This effectively criminalises 18-20 year olds and is suggesting that we're all drunken yobs. It also assumes that at the age of 21 people will magically mature and stop being drunken yobs. It is not going to stop anyone from drinking - bars and pubs (the ones that aren't yet over 21) will still be allowed to sell alcohol to 18 year olds and it won't be illegal to get someone else to buy the alcohol for you.

As some of you will know, I don't personally drink much, however this feels like another example of my age group being stereotyped and criminalised. Not all young people are lager-drinking knife wielding delinquents.

The Government and the London Mayor need to tackle the real issues, not just try to push the blame on shops.

[DC]

what a knob. think about it, when they show people fighting say for instance on broad street. they look mostly in their mid 20's. yes there is a problem with some underage chavs drinking, but ruining my fun when i'm doing nothing wrong wont stop it. the massive problem with people like him is that they haven't grew up in the real world. yet they are allowed to make decisions, no questions asked, on issues they don't understand.

[Guest]

As far as I can tell, it will only be voluntary for shop owners and supermarkets to deny selling alcohol to those under the age of 21 if they absolutely desire, which, in all likelihood, they will not (£££). If there is a will for those under 21 not to legally be allowed to consume alcohol, it will take stronger measures than a voluntary scheme to outlaw it and central government has greater priorities at the moment, like how to make the poor poorer and the rich richer.

[Lucinda]

Someone on the Facebook group about it made the point that the local papers may hound shop owners who don't agree to participate as encouraging loutish behaviour, even though they won't want to do it because of the loss of sales.

The other day two policemen got mobbed by about 30 people in central Croydon and the two men they arrested in connection were 34 and 38, so it's clearly not just young people who are irresponsible and part of a wider problem. Like DC said, there's plenty of drunken louts in their mid 20s and older.

[sinister]

Cleansing by thermonuclear device is the only real answer to the Croydon problem.

[superchris0110]

Well if this scheme works, expect to see the government adopt it and apply it to the rest of England.

However, it wont work so that wont happen. You only have to look across the pond where kids under the drinking age get just as pissed up as they do over here. Now if you look onto the continent... how many stories do you hear of underage drink problems? The governments across continental Europe have learnt to deal with the problem where it starts and not impose useless restrictions on adults!

Anyway, if this actually goes ahead in London, has Boris forgotton that there is actually a world outside London? If they cant get their alcohol in London, just a short trip outside London and they will get their alcohol there!

[Rik]

wha is borris' problem with drink, its not healthy to have such a severe hunch what with the thing about the alcohol tube ban and now this.

im sure there will be some people who disagree with him proposing 2 non priority laws in just a few months.

[YoppaDo]

Oh Boris, Boris, Boris. Why?

There's no problem with the age limit as it is. He fails to see that a lot of the binge drinking is coming from under 18's. No age limit will ever stop youths getting hold of alcohol or cigarettes for that matter.

[Jono]

Focus on knife crime. Not these silly petty ideas.

[SEANN]

Focusing will never help, our government are not problem solvers, they're tax raisers.

[phoenix]

Here it is federal law that alclohol is not to be sold to anyone under 21 and they go crazy carding people.

However, most 15-17 years olds are "drunken yobs" (great expression by the way). Underage drinking is a huge problem here. If you buy drinks for the underage you can be fined $2000+ and serve a jail sentence. But people do it all the time.

When you turn 21 the first thing that happens is that younger people start bugging you to buy them drinks. Thats how you know youre truly an adult. Pathetic, I know. I always refused. I'm not into that.

I think the drinking age should be 25 or something.

[Lucinda]

Continental Europe, they have an entirely different attitude to alcohol. The drinking age in a lot of countries is 16, but I never saw them ID anyone when I was 15/16 in France/Spain/Greece. They obviously have crime problems but binge drinking isn't really a cultural thing like it is here. It's more about enjoying what you're drinking than getting as much as possible down you.

Yeah, Croydon is a rubbish place to choose, because it's on the edge of London anyway, so a few miles and you're outside the jurisdiction of Boris.

I think I'll buy myself one of these: http://361107.spreadshirt.net/en/GB/Shop/Article/Index/article/Short-Sleeved-Laydeez-I-Didnt-Vote-Boris-Black-T-shirt-6612303#

[superchris0110]

Continental Europe, they have an entirely different attitude to alcohol. The drinking age in a lot of countries is 16, but I never saw them ID anyone when I was 15/16 in France/Spain/Greece. They obviously have crime problems but binge drinking isn't really a cultural thing like it is here. It's more about enjoying what you're drinking than getting as much as possible down you.

Yeah, Croydon is a rubbish place to choose, because it's on the edge of London anyway, so a few miles and you're outside the jurisdiction of Boris.

I think I'll buy myself one of these: http://361107.spreadshirt.net/en/GB/Shop/Article/Index/article/Short-Sleeved-Laydeez-I-Didnt-Vote-Boris-Black-T-shirt-6612303#

Thats because they are brought up to respect it. Here parents get a slap on the back of the wrist for providing a glass of wine to their kids in a controlled environment, with a meal. Same issue on the continent... no because its the norm to have a glass of wine/beer with your meal at 12 or whatever, and they dont seem to have the same problem.

Raising the age will if not have an affect, will simply worsen the problem as seen in the US. Thats not to say lowering it will change the situation as it wont. It will take years to change the current situation!