No, I’m with you both on that. I definitely don’t condone the law being ignored by a section of society for profit but I don’t think the drunk and disorderly law should be ignored by individuals either.
I agree about wanting a more pleasant and safe environment for people at work/living in towns etc. I also agree there is a responsibility to uphold the law inside and outside licensed premises. I would welcome fall-down drunks being arrested and punished instead of being told to "move along mate” by officers but as it’s considered a minor offence it’s a wrist slapping or at worst a fine. The way things are these days, the Police couldn’t cope with the sheer volume of offenders on a typical Saturday night in town!
My point is that there is some personal responsibly here. Yes, the licensee is wrong to serve someone more booze but the person drinking to oblivion is the problem. If the law was upheld in the pubs the problem would probably just shift to drinking even more before they go out. Unless of course, they were not even allowed into the pubs/clubs when drunk and had a real risk of punishment if found drunk on the streets.
I do agree with most of your points Kevin, it’s just the “responsibility toward their safety” that tends to get me a bit rattled as I feel it’s our own responsibility to manage our behaviour.
