Fucking eedjits, what right do any of these politicos have to dictate to the rest of us where and when we can purchase/consume a bevvy, considering it was themmuns that drove us to drink in the first place?
Oh, thats right, they know what is actually good for our moral guidance. Wankers.
Apologies for the profanity B. I will comment a bit more meaningfully tomorrow, once I have SOBERED UP! (see, I'm learning!)

Beano-

This is one of those rare occasions when I actually agree with you! The position taken up by the politicians is ludicrous and illiberal. It is not the people who have spoken- it is the FRLT, an organisation whose raison d'etre is to (legitmately) look after its own members' interests.

God forbid that real people, rather than to large chains, could afford to open a pub. And imagine the havoc that would be caused if you could pick up a six-pack from Spar instead of having to drive miles to Sainsbury's or Winemark.

Politicians need to start listening to real people, not the moneyed interest groups whispering in their ears.

If I was a member of FRLT I would be in two minds about this.

The main threat to them is that the big chains move over from GB. JD Wetherspoons, All Bar One, Slug & Lettuce etc. etc., there are, to the best of my knowledge no such chains in ROI If they could obtain licenses willy nilly, they would set up everywhere, every high street in every town would become a battleground between the big operators. Just like what has happened here in England. More and more young people would come into the towns from outside, get smashed and create an environment wherby more mature drinkers feel threatened and stop going out for a pint, opting instead for a bevvy at home.

On the other hand, it could be seen as a challenge to be met and overcome. Local operators will never be able to compete in terms of price with the chains from here, so they need to lift their game in terms of service, whats on offer, quality of staff, and their deadliest waepon HOSPITALITY. The chains are very tightly controlled by head office. As the geezer in The Sopranos said, "every coffee bean has to be accounted for" . Yes, their drinks and food can be cheaper, but if you have reason to make a legitimate complaint over the quality of a meal or a pint for example, a genuine bar owner/manager will replace it without question, or offer refund, or do what they can to make amends, rather than worrying about what the stock taker will think, and acting accordingly.

I think such a move would open up the market for small operators to do amazing things in ingenious ways. The cartel-like control that FRLT members currently hold would be smashed and the wee man who has good ideas can earn a crust. IF they can take on the big players at their own game.

I can think of loads of pubs who have little to fear from these chains, but I can also think of a few that should be shitting themselves.

Politicians of all hues are against this simply because of the current popularity of the anti-binge drinking crusade that is a too little too late approach from HMG in response to the saturation of town centres with drinking circuits. People go from pub to pub, club to club, searching out the cheapest way to get shitfaced. The result is a massive overburden on the emergency services who have to actually deal with the effects of spreadsheet driven alcohol marketing by the big companies.