Matthew Steeples condemns the government’s ludicrous new 10pm bar, pub and restaurant curfew and slams the snitch culture of the next likely lockdown
Like sheep we’re being herded towards another lockdown. Our Prime Minister doesn’t dare force us into the pen in one fell swoop, so like the true coward that this miserable cretin is, Bosie The Clown is beginning by slamming closed the doors of bars, pubs and restaurants from 10pm tonight.
Of this strange move (and remember it is not 10pm last orders, but 10pm lights out), one London restaurant owner – who quite rightly wished to remain anonymous given the snitch culture that he expects to start tonight from busybody neighbours and over zealous police officers – told The Steeple Times that though he will abide by the rules, he could not understand the reasoning for them. He commented:
“Why 10pm? Why are bars, pubs and restaurants lumped together? A restaurant with social distancing should be allowed to trade normal hours. Restaurants are primarily about dining rather than drinking and eating involves sitting at tables and not moving. Since seating can be managed and guests can be controlled, what difference does getting rid of them before 10pm or 12 midnight make to the virus? Not much, but what difference does it make to the business… The answer: The fine line between profit and loss.”
Another, the owner of a busy bar and dining spot, added:
“This is another blow to an already damaged sector. We effectively will now have to take last orders for food at around 8.30pm and as 20% of our custom for dinks comes post 10pm, our business just won’t work. That this is going to be in place over our busiest period, Christmas, and for 6 months minimum is a killer. Will we last? I don’t know, but if we close completely, I will have to let 34 people go.”
Just as with the ludicrous rule of seven children not being allowed to gather to feed a duck, whilst thirty men can assemble to shoot it, here is a new draconian imposition that will inevitably not actually achieve anything except damage to the already crippled hospitality sector.
Coronavirus is spreading not because people are dining and drinking in carefully arranged spaces, but more so in care homes and student housing. The numbers suggest that it is the old and the young that are the primary ‘superspreaders’ and not in fact middle aged restaurant goers.
Moving from ‘Eat Out to Help Out’ to ‘Drink Up and Piss Off’ is, in my view, simply stage one of further restrictions on our freedom and a death knell for a significant contributing sector of the economy. We must call out this rudderless government’s totalitarian tactic for what it is and rise up and resist it. Now is the time to support your local venues – but remember: Go early, go often and watch out for the snitches in your midst.
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A very good article and I completely concur.
It is an absolute disgrace that restaurants and their customers are being penalised in this way