A British Day of Thanksgiving?

Only a few days until Britain finally makes the long overdue move to join the rest of civilized Europe and extend pub licensing hours past 11PM. Now revelers in the UK won't necessarily be forced to leave the comfortable environs of the local in favour of the darkness of ridiculous clubs. And surely it is ironic that opening night, as it were, is set to begin this American Thanksgiving? I count this all as an eminently good thing.

So does Tim Hames at the Times in a delightful column today that makes all the right points to the naysayers:

The real issue, nonetheless, is not whether licensing reform leads to “more drinking”, but can it, as it should, in time result in different drinking and in better drinking? The true test is whether the English will come to appreciate that drinking no longer needs to be a sprint, that it is permissible to be seated while imbibing alcohol and that, if one must mix chicken vindaloo with lager, it is better to ingest the former before the later and not, as has become the norm, vice versa.

Well done in following through on these proposals, merry England. And further congratulations on not listening to the advice of Police Chief Clive Wolfendale on the advent of a 7 pound pint! Yoikes.