Against the Booze Bans - and the Hyperregulation of Public SpaceMayor of London Boris Johnson has claimed the banning of alcohol on the London Tube as one of the great successes of his first 100 days in office. But it isn't just Boris - and it isn't just London. There has been a creeping introduction of alcohol bans in public spaces all around the UK - and throughout many other countries, from town centres in the Czech Republic, to beaches in New Zealand, Australia and the USA.
The Manifesto Club is launching a campaign Against the Booze Bans and the Hyperregulation of Public Space.
These bans are not the result of public demand, but the petty and anti-social concerns of police, politicians and local government, who are disconnected from the public. They see grown-ups regulating their own public life and imagine a threat to social cohesion and law and order. This runs hand in hand with an infantilising culture around alcohol – with the (UK) National Union of Students campaigning against student drinking, and the UK government considering raising the age at which young people can buy alcohol from 18 (when they can already vote!) to 21.
We believe public space should be exactly that - a place where we can come together as a public - to argue and campaign, to pursue our common goals, to chat with friends and socialise. It is a space in which we, the public, should set the rules.
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