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REDBRIDGE: Pro-booze campaigners to hold 'party protest' on tube
8:11am Monday 19th May 2008
Comments (17)Campaigners furious at Mayor Boris Johnson's plan to ban alcohol on London's trains and buses are to hold a unique alcohol-fuelled party on the last day before the law changes.
Earlier this month the new mayor caused a stir when he announced that from Sunday June 1 it would be illegal to consume or carry alcohol on London's transport network.
In response, campaigners, led by web developer James Darling, 20, from Snaresbrook, are to hold their own party on Circle Line trains on the evening of Saturday May 31 to protest against the changes.
Mr Darling said he wanted the event to be a "civilised" affair, stressing the importance of responsible drinking and gentlemanly behaviour.
He is also encouraging all attendees to don formal dinner wear.
At least 500 people from across London have already pledged to attend, with the numbers steadily rising by the day.
A spokesman for Transport for London said it would monitor the situation.
He added: "We ask that all our passengers act responsibly and considerately towards other passengers when travelling on public transport."
Mr Johnson said the ban was introduced to help reduce incidents of anti-social beahviour on trains and buses.
He added: "I am 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."
The Last Orders on the Underground' protest starts at Liverpool Street station at 9pm, on the clockwise platform of the Circle Line.
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Jeff, London says...
12:15pm Mon 19 May 08
If this is the sort of thing Boris is going to fob us off with we're in for a very long - and fruitless - four years!
Tigs, says...
12:22pm Mon 19 May 08
Jeff, London says...
1:10pm Mon 19 May 08
Surely most drunk people on trains have just rolled out of a pub somewhere late at night.
And who's going to enforce it anyway?
Sounds like headline-grabbing political opportunism to me.
Not that I'm particularly surprised.
Mike, London says...
2:20pm Mon 19 May 08
We don't allow smoking on the trains and even Ken ran expensive campaigns to get people to turn down their ipods.
What this will stop is under-age drinkers who can't get served in pubs and spend their drinking time on the underground.
Jeff, London says...
2:49pm Mon 19 May 08
This won't stop under-age kids drinking, it will just stop them drinking on the tube.
In other words, it's a policy to win votes/support without actually tackling the real problem.
Livingstone got pilloried because he had long-term goals and the voting public are notoriously impatient.
But, if you ask me, this is far worse: short-sighted 'solutions' that will paint an artificial picture, simply shifting a problem away from the eyes of the people Boris thinks matter (the voters).
Meanwhile, anti-social behaviour, inner city poverty and under-age drinking continues to grow.
But as long as it's not on the tube eh?
Ridiculous.
Jock, London says...
4:26pm Mon 19 May 08
I get fed up with the number of arseholes clambering onto the Northern line between Balham & Stockwell, swearing, acting like total prats, and leaving empty cans and bottles everywhere. Happens every Friday and Saturday, and sadly there's no escape from it...
Itso, says...
8:10pm Mon 19 May 08
Jock, London says...
12:47am Tue 20 May 08
Itso wrote:I believe sarcasm is the lowest form of wit. Stick at it, in 20 years you might be the next Jim Davidson.
I'm all for the alcohol ban on the Tube too, because i hate to travel on the tube, and i have to listen to somebody how he can swear, or to kick all his rubbish ( cans, bottles ).I don't support this kind of behaviour! it is stupid, i think.
Cowardly Local Londoner, Richmond says...
10:44am Tue 20 May 08
Yes, these are rhetorical questions. If you don't know the answer then perhaps you should roll your Daily Mail up and smack it across your forehead a couple of times.
Anyhow, this article is so full of literal factual inaccuracies it may as well have been issued from Boris' press department. This isn't a protest (it's a party). We're not campaigners (we're Londoners). Nobody's furious (we're jovial). The fact that these points were missed if not outright obscured by the sensationalist nature of the article (and you can confirm how inaccurate they were just by visiting the website of the events in question) really highlights how the press would rather continue to pigeon hole and subscribe to preconceived notions of good vs bad. Sometimes things we do are neither, or it's all in the eye of the beholder.
That is all.
Frances, London says...
10:46am Tue 20 May 08
Hate to point out the "this is not a protest" line ("* This is not a protest. We are not demonstrating support or hatred to the drinking ban, it is a more complicated issue than that, a discussion to be had more... sober. The drinking ban is a fact, and this is just making the most of the current law and social situation whilst we can.") on the event facebook page.
Claig, London Suburbs says...
1:46pm Tue 20 May 08
Everyone knows drinking should be done in your home or expensive bars. This type of drinker can handle their drink.
I only wish BJ had gone further and introduced an income test for the use of public transport.
P1ssed up!!, Platform1 says...
6:50pm Tue 20 May 08
Can someone spare a thought for all the homeless alcoholics that will be seriously inconvenienced by this barbaric, new legislation.
Simon Smiler, London says...
12:39pm Fri 23 May 08
Also, what about other operator's trains travelling on tracks shared with LU trains (and over which LU has jurisdiction eg: parts of the Metropolitan and District Lines) - would any on-train refreshment offered by the other railway operators be subject to this ban?
Simon
kerry livermore, London, England says...
4:00pm Tue 27 May 08
Aerial, London says...
2:55pm Wed 28 May 08
simon smiler, London says...
9:34pm Sat 31 May 08
Simon Smiler wrote:sorry, scrap the first paragraph, as new information makes it quite clear that the ban only involves drinking the stuff or carrying open bottles / cans.
My primary concern relates to the carrying of alcohol - what if a person
bought some alcohol earlier in the day and was just traveling home - without
any intention of consuming the alcoholic beverage whilst travelling? Also,
what about other operator's trains travelling on tracks shared with LU trains
(and over which LU has jurisdiction eg: parts of the Metropolitan and District
Lines) - would any on-train refreshment offered by the other railway operators
be subject to this ban? Simon
Simon
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Tigs, says...
11:59am Mon 19 May 08
Personally I can't wait for Boris' idea to come into force!! No I'm not a killjoy but something has to start being done about the levels of violence that is created by alcohol and those that can neither drink responsibly or handle their booze!