ImagesBrighton pictures of the week 24-1-2005

IMAGESBRIGHTON photography by david gray
	O U T D O O R D R I N K I N G
	P I C T U R E S O F T H E W E E K 2 4 - 1 - 2 0 0 5

There's a lot of fuss at the moment about the English and alcohol. The government is to allow pubs to open longer, provided their neighbours don't object to the local council granting a licence. The brewers are delighted, of course, but many people are worried about an increase in the already high incidence of drink-related illness and violence. There is also a class issue here. The British establishment has a longstanding and visceral fear of the working class and drink, a memory of drunken London mobs in the 19th century and earlier. This was why the ludicrously nannyish and restrictive licencing system was introduced in the first place during the First World War. Alcohol does cause problems across all classes in England, but most people can and do enjoy their drink cheerfully at any time of the day. This week's pictures of outdoor drinking show them, with one exception, doing just that.

Hair-braiding girl on Brighton beach in May 1999 (image 1378-1)

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