Your comments about EMRO

Mr M says."Who needs bars/clubs to be open till 7am. Other than Skanky Repribates. Decent people go home at a decent time".

John L says.. "I don't just blame the Hen and Stag parties, but I don't think they help. One reason I don't go to the Village anymore is due the violence and un-comfortable atmosphere caused by both the straight and gay youth. I think there should be a 21 age restriction in the Village with select bars catering for those from age 18. I have great respect for Churchill's and always have as they manage a great place for everyone2.

Doug E says  "will be gutting if we let them destroy our village like this just because of the trouble that stag and hen parties have brought"!

Darren B says..where can I sign up in SUPPORT of an EMRO ??....... the Canal street business owners have so brought it on themselves"..

Ian R says..Sorry guys but your responsible for this and for allowing all the Hen & Stag Parties in and spoiling something that used to be good, now you want us to help you when you wouldn't listen to us in the first place, My partner and I tried to get into a bar one night (G.A.Y) to be turn away because it's a gay bar and this was by a straight bouncer, yet seconds later you allow a hen party in .... you've made your bed now lay in it" !

Daniel O R says..standing outside New York last night and watched the 2am influx of pissed up people into the village, looking for more alcohol.........THIS is what they are talking about as the village is well known for it's late licences".

Russell Mc says.."This is piss poor reporting by Canal Street and clearly biased. The most important word in the report is "may". The Council have not said they WILL enforce this, it is simply one of many possibilities. Canal street has gone downhill over the years not just because of Hen & Stag parties. It is about the irresponsible behaviour of some of the bar and club owners. It is about making as much profit as possible no matter what the end cost. The owners are now screaming foul and attempting to gather the gay community behind them with spurious claims that the village community will be destroyed. This is utterly rubbish. The only thing they are concerned about is their end profit line. The only thing they care about regarding the LGBT "community" is how much cash they have in their pockets. CCTV cameras and extra lighting do not prevent alcohol related thuggery, anti social behaviour or accidents. It is people taking responsibility for their own alchohol consumption and Clubs and bars taking responsibility for how much they serve to people and how they conduct their business".

Guido B says..
"I don't go often to the village nowadays especially in the evening, due to the too many hen and stag parties (although it's still nice in a sunny afternoon), but I do remember far too many police officers fraternising and flirting with drunk "hens" or condoning abuse from drunk "soldiers", as they "fight for our country" (?) but then treating people like criminals if they were drinking outside 5 minutes past 23. Maybe if the police did they're job and stopped they're double standard behaviour the all atmosphere in the village would change. They are sent to the village to keep it safe not to cop off".

Paul S says.."
I have no objection to rampant hedonism, I like as good a time as anyone else, but what I see (as a resident of the Village) when I’m setting out for work around 5:30am, is people who haven’t yet gone home, and are incapable of getting there – either because they’ve spent up, or, because they’re so incapacitated for various reasons, they can’t remember where they live. Taxis won’t entertain them anyway, as they’re usually so spaced out, or have vomited, or soiled themselves in other ways.

If you need to stay out until 7am you have a problem – even at the weekends. People who can do so and hold down a job are few and far between. Whilst I don’t agree completely with the recent cap on benefits (one size doesn’t necessarily fit all), it doesn’t take an Einstein to see how the money is being spent by a large proportion of the Village’s denizens – and it’s not going towards the rent. Most of them are unemployed, and, frankly, unemployable. Coupled with ever increased licensing hours it’s a downward spiral from which it’s hard to escape.

There is hope though. Taurus prides itself on its community credentials, but do they stay open until 7am? No. Does Eden (another of my haunts)? No. Oscars (another)? No. There is a law of diminishing returns on how much it costs to keep a place open until 7am.
One has only to wander past Queer on a Sunday morning to observe the zombie like beings wincing in the daylight as they are ejected. It’s pitiful.

Let’s get real. Simply shut at (say) 4am. The financial loss to businesses  would be negligible to all concerned, and those who would otherwise be wandering the streets trying to get home might even achieve their ambition".

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Published: 25-Jul-2013: (1997)