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Saturday 16 March 2013

Drink Real Ale You Know It Makes Sense


Alcohol is in the news again this week with different factions of our government disagreeing on whether to adopt a new policy to bring in a minimum price per unit of alcohol. Everyone seems to have their own opinion on this and I have mine.
Forget minimum pricing all that is needed is to restrict the availability of alcohol too licensed premises only and some regulated supermarkets, therefore no corner shops, no petrol stations, no newsagents selling booze to everyone and anyone all day long if they want it.  Supermarkets should only be allowed to sell alcohol between 11am to 10pm and they should not be allowed to buy big and sell cheap, get rid of these boxes of 12 cans that sell for a £5 or less, price it all in a sensible, reasonable manner and just restrict it and things will change.
When I was a lad you could only buy beer outside of a pub in an off-licence and we should go back to those days, I didn’t even know what binge-drinking was and that was often because I couldn’t get any beer or cider to drink at all because it was either closed or I wouldn’t be served because I was under age and they used to refuse you all the time.
24/7 living and the 24/7 availability just widens the scope and gives people too much freedom of choice. Sometimes choice is a bad thing especially where alcohol is concerned, it can be done if we just restrict choice a little bit and maybe the culture will change from this moronic idea of getting completely pissed before you even go out for an evening (personally I have never indulged in such stupidity) to a reasonable, sensible society that tolerates and accepts alcohol rather than abuses it on a daily basis.
 





Friday 8 March 2013

Heaven Knows I'm Miserable Now


I’ve had this idea in my head for some time but it only came to fruition when I was walking back home after a trip down to our local shops to buy something for dinner or maybe ‘tea’ if you live in the North Of England as I do. My idea is to list the top twenty things that annoy, frustrate or completely send me ‘bananas’ about living in our modern British society today. I’m sure I could list more and some of these may seem rather petty to you but these are my prejudices and mine alone….

1.       People who spit on the streets (a majority of these seem to include male teenagers, both young and old men and some smokers)
2.       People who litter (leave it on train seats, drop it on our streets or  just casually throw it out of a passing car window or even just dump an old sofa in a local hedgerow)
3.       People who have to sit on the outside of two seats on a train therefore making it plainly aware that you cannot sit next to them or ask them to move so you can sit on the empty window seat (this also includes people who deliberately leave their bags on the spare seat or pretend they are asleep and lie across two seats.. you’re pathetic !! )
4.       Dog owners that let their dogs just crap anywhere and leave it for others to walk in it (especially outside your house or in the middle of a pavement.. if you don’t want to pick it up then don’t get a dog, morons)
5.       People you turn their cars into something else (you know, blacked out windows, exhausts that sound like concord taking off, loud bass stereos that make your house walls vibrate and tyres that should only be allowed at Brands Hatch not for driving 30mph down a normal local side road)
6.       Children and Babies in pubs (not needed at all when you want a quiet pint and to escape the world, stick to a Hungry Hippo or something in that family outing vein)
7.       Blokes that stand on street corners or walk down the street drinking from cans of crap lager (why do you feel the need to do that ???)
8.       Blokes that wear flip-flops to go out (it’s not British, the local high street is not a beach, watch out for the dog shit...take ‘em off, you look ridiculous and you aren’t in Magaluf)
9.       People who illegally park cars on road junctions therefore obscuring the view of the sensible car driver turning either left or right into the next street
10.   Car drivers who refuse to indicate when they are turning (do you think can we actually read your minds !!!)
11.   People who use personal phones as mobile stereos or who appear to talk to themselves as they walk( I don’t want to listen to your personal taste in music and it also then confuses me as I think you are talking to me)
12.   People who have no volume control in conversations with others or when talking on their mobiles
13.   Any music that falls under these categories (Hardcore, Trance, Drum & Bass, UK Garage, Hi-NRG, Chiptune, Dub Step, Speed Garage, Hardstep, UK Funky etc etc … I feel so sorry that you decide to listen to such mindless garbage)
14.    TV Chefs (no more please I’ve had enough)
15.   The British fascination with Soap Operas (especially Eastenders which is just the most miserable, depressing bollocks that can be inflicted on a daily on a population)
16.   Large Indoor Shopping Centres or ‘Malls’ (Meadowhall, Westgate. The Trafford Centre… how many times does anybody need to visit a Next or a Primark, shop local you know it makes sense)
17.   The Americanization (is that a word ?) of British culture, take your Krispey Kreme doughnuts and shove ’em up your you know what !!
18.   The Conservative Party (personally I have never seen the point)
19.   Men with baseball caps and or hoods who have vicious untrained, unloved dogs and let them off the leash/lead in parks because it looks cool and tough to their mates and immediate family (you are numpty’s you really are)
20.   Pointless tattoos (you know the one’s I mean - they look shite)