My right to buy a drink whenever I damn well please

Well OK that might be a bit strong.

It seems we might be on the verge of another overhaul of the licensing laws, partly on the basis that 24 hour licenses are creating more problems than they have solved. I never really bought the idea that introducing 24 hour licensing was going to reduce crime in any meaningful way. Did anyone, really? I suppose hindsight's a wonderful thing, but surely it was obvious that at the very best people were going to drink the same amount as before, just take a bit longer to do it (and remember in most cases we're only talking about an hour or two extra, anyway). In any case, the vast majority of pubs still shut at the same time they always did, according to this story at least.

But the real point is that would be ridiculous to go back to making almost everywhere shut at 11pm. People will still carry on drinking as much as they do now, surely, just in slightly different places (e.g. hideous niteklubs)? Will chucking everyone out at 11 once again really lead to less problems? I seem to remember staggering closing times was one of the main points from a crime prevention point of view - although perhaps this really hasn't worked, as the police seem to be suggesting.

It just seems like a step back to the 1950s, and would be frankly pathetic compared to the situation in most other European countries. What sort of modern, forward looking country (TM basically every politician) doesn't trust it's citizens enough to let them buy a beer or two at 12.30 in the morning, if they want to?