I feel I need to comment on the Andy Burnham proposal to reallow drinking alcohol in football stands. As it's just crazy to me. Not so much the idea itself - there are arguments for and against that, which I'll get to later. But the very fact that he's proposing it is insane.
This was my response on Twitter.
Here we have a Labour government that loves regulating things. (Part of a uniparty in general that loves regulation - just look at the recent Tory plans to dictate what people on benefits can and can't buy.) Yet, on this one issue they're taking the libertarian route.
It's so weird. I don't want to be overly negative, I'm sure Andy Burnham means well, but it's one of those decisions that makes you think, "These people just don't have a clue."
Normally I tend to come down on the libertarian side of things. My instincts are always to give adults the freedom to make their own decisions, as free from government as possible. (Just look at some of my recent blog posts on here.) However, on this issue, as much as I think it's a bit petty that grown men can't be trusted to have a beer whilst watching a football match, I know changing it will make things worse.
This is one issue where restrictions have clearly made things better. Back in the 1980s we used to have appalling hooliganism at English football games. We were notorious the world over for it. Today that isn't the case. Today it's a family-friendly environment. Perhaps slightly more raucous than a trip to the cinema. Safe for children, pensioners and women. (Sorry if that sounds a bit sexist, but women generally don't want to spend 90 minutes sat next to some random lout sloshing a pint about. Especially if they've paid £30 or £40 for a ticket, or they've brought their young children along.)
And this is the thing with the way things are now. People can still have a drink at the game. It's not like they can't. They can do it in the concourse. They can do down for a pint at halftime or before the game. Libertarian leanings aside it's perfectly fine and no one's really complaining about it. Sure, some fans would like to drink in the stands, but many others would not like the change.
A few months ago I was at a match and there was a fairly drunk guy sat a row behind us. He'd somehow managed to sneak his drink past the stewards and was drinking in the stands. Not only was he annoying, as he was loudly repeating himself over and over - as drunks do - but he also managed to spill his pint and soak the shoes of the people in front.
And it's not just the behaviour and wet feet that's annoying, but the fact that other people get annoyed in turn. So you're having to say, "Leave it, he's just a guy whose had a few too many drinks," to stop a confrontation from escalating. This is how fights start.
Again, it seems crazy. They regulate everything, but they want to repeal this. The people that don't want gambling ads on football shirts in case it has a bad impact on society are suddenly libertarian here.
I saw a quote from Andy Burnham where he said it wasn't "fair" that people at Rugby matches could drink when football fans couldn't. He also used the word "discrimination" lol. It's another reality meets idealism issue. Ideally football fans shouldn't be stopped from having a pint by the state, but realistically football isn't rugby. The rest of Europe don't dread and fear English rugby fans. The police don't have to line the streets on high alert when Yorkshire play Durham at cricket.
Even I can't make the argument that freedom is better here.
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