36 Hour Drinking

Street Drinking: This year the public houses should be licensed to stay open for thirty six hours but should alcohol be allowed on the streets and is there a need for strict security on the streets?

I think that people should be allowed to drink on the streets because the celebrations are a once in a lifetime experience and a lot of people will be outside for fireworks and other outdoor celebrations. But of course security is needed - for two main reasons: number one to supervise the celebrations taking place and number two to make sure that no fights break out.

Supervision of Celebrations: People are needed to supervise celebrations especially ones that incorporate fireworks. Also people should not be allowed to drink to ensure that they will to be able to do their job properly.

Supervision to stop Fights: When people are drinking they might say something and cause a fight so plenty of security is needed to make sure nothing happens that could end in tragedy and to prevent fighting in the first place. Glasses and glass bottles are dangerous so plastic containers should be used.

Opinions on 36 Hour Drinking:

I think the idea of 36 hour drinking in pubs is brilliant. Fair play to the publicans for opening on this special night and providing for the public. Everywhere else is closing for the night because they cannot find staff and when they do they cannot afford them. The people can now rely on pubs as a place they can go to socialise with their family and friends and have the crack while they have a few drinks.

The pubs are opening for 36 hours for the Millennium. Why? People think it's brilliant but what is it going to achieve? I think it will cause street riots and that people will be uncontrollable.

In the first place adults are going to head to the pub, but what is going to facilitate teenagers. Publicans are eager to make money by opening for 36 hours so on the night of celebration they are not going to turn anybody away. There is so much talk about staff and wages. Who is going to run the bars and how many will run them? Nobody will work on New Year's Eve for anything less than £500. Publicans think it's great advertising 36 hour drinking but who are they going to employ for the night and how much will they be paying? I think that there will be no stopping under age drinking that night and everybody will be so engrossed in their own celebrations they won't think twice about any teenager and what they are getting up to. What do you think?.

Many people feel that 36 hour drinking for the millennium is a bad thing and that people could celebrate in a much healthier way. Huge parties, concerts and week long festivals have been organised and many feel that without drink they wouldn't be as much fun.

However, I feel that if 36 hour drinking was to be allowed that the amount of drink consumed would lessen considerably. The local pubs would be open for longer and the conception of having to drink and drink until the pubs close would fade, in other words, the necessity to drink excessively wouldn't be there. There wouldn't be an apprehension of 'running out of drink'.

The millennium is a once in a life time opportunity for massive celebrations and it is my strong feeling that the rules and laws governing the pub opening hours should be bent on such a rare and unique occasion. There is however a feeling from some people that the pubs are taking advantage of the millennium and as well as opening 36 hours for the millennium they will also charge outrageous prices for drinks etc.

There is the issue of staff . For every party and festival organised there is staff needed to clean up after the night / nights. People must be employed to serve drinks and food and to take the money on the night. In Ireland at the moment there is huge controversy over the prices that people should be paid - the figures are varying between £40 - £150 per hour. These prices may seem steep but the workers are giving up the only millennium night of their lives.