Not getting drunk on the bus is somehow a controversy in England

In this town – Vancouver - you can’t drink outside unless you’re naked.   Otherwise the police will be on you like stink on a monkey.  You can walk down the street with a blunt, but don’t dare carry around a beer.  That’s not just the norm here, but across North America.

In London, it’s different, there it’s perfectly kosher (maybe ‘halaal’ would be the better word nowadays) to get gooned on the bus.  I’ve done that with friends – it was fun, but disturbing.  I can see why Boris Johnson, in his first act as Mayor has banned it.  It makes sense.  Who wants to sit next to a drunk skinhead and his tall can of Nastro?

From the Mayor:

I’m determined to improve the safety and security of public transport in London and create a better environment for the millions of Londoners who rely on it. I firmly believe that if we drive out so called minor crime then we will be able to get a firm grip on more serious crime. That’s why from June 1st the drinking of alcohol will be banned from the tube, tram, bus, and Docklands Light Railway.

But for some reason this is controversial.  Unions, and assorted lefties are up in arms over banning drink on the bus.  Some oppose it because it’s more work for unionized staff, others oppose it because (horror of horrors) it might lead to a ban on public drunkenness.

This from a union boss is illustrative of the mentality:

“Our members are in a situation where it is difficult enough to get help from the British Transport police. They are going to have to face the wrath of people who are probably going to be drunk and angry at being forced off a train or bus and that is not right,” said a spokesman for the Rail and Maritime Transport union.

He added: “Train drivers, platform staff and bus drivers are not police. We were not consulted on this.

“It doesn’t seem to be very well thought out. We all want to improve passenger safety but the best way to do that is to talk to the people who work at the front line about the best way to do it.”

Keith Norman, the general secretary of Aslef, the train drivers’ union, said: “This augers rather badly for changes in tube laws if the mayor pulls policy announcements out of the hat without any consultation with the people he expects to enforce them.

“There’s only one person currently employed in tube trains at the moment and they have got quite enough to do with having to take on extra policing duties.”

i.e. – the unions don’t want laws to be enforced because doing so will make law-breakers tetchy.

Fortunately the winds are blowing Boris’ way, as with very little delay, the national Labour government has followed suit and banned liquor on all public transport UK-wide:

Travellers face a ban on drinking alcohol on trains, buses and trams across the country, it was revealed last night.

The drastic plan to cut loutish behaviour will be considered as part of a Government review aimed at making public transport safer.

It comes less than a week after Boris Johnson swept to victory in the London mayoral contest on the same policy – leading to claims that a desperate Labour Party is stealing Tory clothes. }

Announcing the review yesterday, Home Secretary Jacqui Smith said: “I understand people’s concerns about anti-social behaviour on public transport. We want to stamp out antisocial behaviour on our buses, trains and trams.

“If more powers are needed to protect staff and the travelling public, we will provide them.”

What’s Boris’ next controversial move?  A ban on rolling old men from their pension cheques?  A law against kamikaze attacks in Tube stations.  What an ogre!

Filed under: Uncategorized , Conservative, London, Politics