Would Ireland be a better place without gambling and with alcohol-free pubs

buccsboyo

Hey guys,
Just taught I would throw 2 Q's out there for your opinion.

Would Ireland be a better place without alcohol in our world famous pubs which are renowned for being centers of the community and great social venues.

Would Ireland be a better place if there was no internet gambling ,no bookmakers on every street and no betting at our horse and greyhound racing venues like in Dubai ?

dr.bollocko

No. I'd have to move.

TPD

There's no point saying 'no alcohol in pubs' - just say 'no pubs'. Theyre hardly going to stay open when their only attraction leaves.

Hagar

I'll bet you a pint it would be.

fintonie

lots of times I pondered these questions over a pint I baught with my winnings,

my answer was burn them all to the ground

No betting or drinking, that sounds like one of them nightmares that you wake up from in the middle of the night covered in sweat and it takes a few minutes to realize its not real.

phasers

dr.bollocko wrote: »

No. I'd have to move.

So yes then.

ADTR

No.

dr.bollocko

phasers wrote: »

So yes then.

I may be bad but..... so's your face.
Damn.

Thoie

I can't think of any country (except maybe the Vatican, and I'm sure not all that wine gets transubstantiated) that doesn't have places that sell alcohol, and some kind of gambling (legal or not). Even in Muslim states, where they are frowned upon, there's always a blackmarket for these things.

So it depends on what you mean by better. Would there be less puke and pee on the streets on Saturday mornings in town centres if there were no pubs? Probably. Would the Irish suddenly turn into a nation of erudite scholars that spend their evenings sitting around being polite and scholarly over a glass of brandy? Unlikely.

Shacklebolt

Nope because then everything would be driven underground. If Rex Banner can't stop it nobody can.

renraw

buccsboyo wrote: »

Hey guys,
Just taught I would throw 2 Q's out there for your opinion.

Would Ireland be a better place without alcohol in our world famous pubs which are renowned for being centers of the community and great social venues.

Would Ireland be a better place if there was no internet gambling ,no bookmakers on every street and no betting at our horse and greyhound racing venues like in Dubai ?

thats almost blasphemous...no pubs or gambling...Id move to straight away

DamoDLK

ah jaysus can you imagine the amount of sober moaning that would be going on... it would become like the 1o'clock new 24/7 oh the recession this, the recession that... you'd miss the drunken ramblings..

dny123456

Thoie wrote: »

Would the Irish suddenly turn into a nation of erudite scholars that spend their evenings sitting around being polite and scholarly over a glass of brandy? Unlikely.

You know brandy is alcohol right?

TheMilkyPirate

What makes you think it would be a better place. Your taking away the biggest social element in the country, Pubs.

Plus gambling is always fun.

_SONIC_

it would never work and theyre be mass riots!!

+ you would be giving gangsters and scum even more money as it would be another prohibition!!!

Karl Hungus

buccsboyo wrote: »

Hey guys,
Just taught I would throw 2 Q's out there for your opinion.

Would Ireland be a better place without alcohol in our world famous pubs which are renowned for being centers of the community and great social venues.

Would Ireland be a better place if there was no internet gambling ,no bookmakers on every street and no betting at our horse and greyhound racing venues like in Dubai ?

...

This is like a Karl Pilkington question in some alternate universe where Karl Pilkington isn't funny.

buccsboyo

Thoie wrote: »

I can't think of any country (except maybe the Vatican, and I'm sure not all that wine gets transubstantiated) that doesn't have places that sell alcohol, and some kind of gambling (legal or not). Even in Muslim states, where they are frowned upon, there's always a blackmarket for these things.

So it depends on what you mean by better. Would there be less puke and pee on the streets on Saturday mornings in town centres if there were no pubs? Probably. Would the Irish suddenly turn into a nation of erudite scholars that spend their evenings sitting around being polite and scholarly over a glass of brandy? Unlikely.

Why cant we be a nation of erudite scholars ? When my son looks me in the eye I would prefer him to see an erudite scholar than a man whose only conviction is that he knew who would win the 2:10 at Naas. How about a nation that doesn't sit around but gets out and gets involved in the community through for instance sports or the arts . How about having a nation of people who love inventing things imagine us all like Doc Brown in Back to the Future trying to invent things in our garages

Shacklebolt wrote: »

Nope because then everything would be driven underground. If Rex Banner can't stop it nobody can.

Fair enough prohibition didnt work in the US but we could at least remove it from the centre of our society.I have a friend in college from China who came to Ireland last Sept to study, up until this he had never left China, and at the start of the year we chatted about cultural differences and I asked him whether people drank much in China he said "A small group of people do but society view them as .." and he couldnt think of the direct English translation so he looked at the dictonary on his phone and said " the nearest English word to it would be "degenerates"

galwayrush

Live in a Taliban / Shaira Law controlled area for a while and then report back.

bleg

**** off you puritan!

fintonie

galwayrush wrote: »

Live in a Taliban / Shaira Law controlled area for a while and then report back.

that is if you get out :eek:

Capt'n Midnight

let's ban cigarettes and caffine first and see how that goes

fintonie

IM SICK OF THIS IM GOING FOR A PINT

buccsboyo

galwayrush wrote: »

Live in a Taliban / Shaira Law controlled area for a while and then report back.

bleg wrote: »

**** off you puritan!

Sorry dudes but I am an atheist who wants to facilitate the nurturing of human potential not stifle it.

fifth

For some people yeah, for me, no!

buccsboyo

Capt'n Midnight wrote: »

let's ban cigarettes and caffine first and see how that goes

Neither of these alter your sense of reality like alcohol. Sure neither of these are that good for your health but one thing I am proud off as an Irishman is that we were the first country in the world to ban smoking in public places and are constantly pushing ourselves to remove tobacco from our society and helping those with an addiction to quit.

Karl Hungus

buccsboyo wrote: »

Sorry dudes but I am an atheist who wants to facilitate the nurturing of human potential not stifle it.

Van Gogh was off his tits most of the time, but still reached a far greater potential than most artists. So I don't believe someone's potential depends on whether or not they enjoy a tipple.

I'm just going to Godwin this one right now and point out that Hitler didn't drink.

orourkeda

Life simply is not worth living without a scoop and a bet.

fintonie

ahhhhhhhhhhh jasus I need a fag now

Karl Hungus

Honestly, I don't want to live in an Ireland where drink, gambling and things that are bad for you are illegal. I just don't think I could get used to the three seashells.

wes

Nope, would just go underground, and we will have a whole bunch of extra people dieing of dodgy bootleg booze.

Now drunken louts wandering around town at 2 am are a annoyance, with the puking and the occasional fight, it is ultimately there own choice to binge drink and I see no reason to take this choice away from people, for the most part. Even if it does clog up AE rooms, however they should be charged for this clogging imho.

Now, I think trying to change the drinking culture, would be a more fruitful plan, as changing the drinking culture (while difficult), would be far more likely than essentially removing it completely.

As for gambling, if people want to piss away there hard earned money, there more than welcome to do so, as long as it doesn't effect me, then I see no reason to take away there freedom to blow there money away on gambling.

buccsboyo

Capt'n Midnight wrote: »

let's ban cigarettes and caffine first and see how that goes

Karl Hungus wrote: »

Van Gogh was off his tits most of the time, but still reached a far greater potential than most artists. So I don't believe someone's potential depends on whether or not they enjoy a tipple.

I'm just going to Godwin this one right now and point out that Hitler didn't drink.

So if we all went out and got drunk on Sunday night and turned up for work on Monday morning we would perform better than if we didnt ?

Thats the kind of typical Irish cop-out where we glorify a guy who can go out a drink a feed of pints and get up and score a goal on Sunday morning. We even name airports after alcoholics, imagine how good that guy could have been if he did'nt drink.

Dude I am just challenging a societal norm that makes no positive contribution to society.

freyners

no to both, especially alcohol. truth is that many people are demonised for drinking when in fact most people are responsible drinkers. I turned 18 a few months back and i drink but i know my limits, so do most of my friends. of course some people abuse it, but some people abuse cough medicine, should we ban that too?????????

Gambling isnt my thing but the truth is it is unbannable, there will always be illegal gambling and think of the millions it brings into ireland, how much money was made during the galway races for example

Karl Hungus

buccsboyo wrote: »

So if we all went out and got drunk on Sunday night and turned up for work on Monday morning we would perform better than if we didnt ?

Yeah, cos that's clearly what I said. :rolleyes:

Arguing points that weren't made for the lose! :pac:

Hank Scorpio

freyners wrote: »

no to both, especially alcohol. truth is that many people are demonised for drinking when in fact most people are responsible drinkers. I turned 18 a few months back and i drink but i know my limits, so do most of my friends. of course some people abuse it, but some people abuse cough medicine, should we ban that too?????????

Gambling isnt my thing but the truth is it is unbannable, there will always be illegal gambling and think of the millions it brings into ireland, how much money was made during the galway races for example

Kinda sums up this whole thread and your lacklustre points

If your trying to make an arguement at least outline what your viewpoint is and what you actually mean

freyners

nuxxx wrote: »

Kinda sums up this whole thread and your lacklustre points

If your trying to make an arguement at least outline what your viewpoint is and what you actually mean

since i put no to both at the start it sets out my position quite clearly
but sorry, my fault obviously, next time ill put it BIG BOLD LETTERS LIKE THIS FOR YA NEXT TIME

buccsboyo

Karl Hungus wrote: »

Yeah, cos that's clearly what I said. :rolleyes:

Arguing points that weren't made for the lose! :pac:

Sorry Karl you said Van Gough performed better with alcohol right?

Shacklebolt

Karl Hungus wrote: »

...

This is like a Karl Pilkington question in some alternate universe where Karl Pilkington isn't funny.

Who needs an alternate universe for that? The man isn't funny in this one. Is it just me who doesn't find him funny at all?

Karl Hungus wrote: »

Honestly, I don't want to live in an Ireland where drink, gambling and things that are bad for you are illegal. I just don't think I could get used to the three seashells.

Its the verbal morality code that would keep tripping me up.

Karl Hungus

buccsboyo wrote: »

Sorry Karl you said Van Gough performed better with alcohol right?

No I didn't, I said:

Van Gogh was off his tits most of the time, but still reached a far greater potential than most artists. So I don't believe someone's potential depends on whether or not they enjoy a tipple.

El Weirdo

buccsboyo wrote: »

...we were the first country in the world to ban smoking in public places...

Smoking isn't banned in public places, just places of work.

buccsboyo wrote: »

...and are constantly pushing ourselves to remove tobacco from our society and helping those with an addiction to quit.

How, exactly? By raising the tax take from tobacco products every budget? I think you'll find that has nothing to do with helping people to quit and everything to do with making more money.

Hagar

El Weirdo wrote: »

I think you'll find that has nothing to do with helping people to quit and everything to do with making more money.

Doesn't a significant amount of that money get spent on health care for people with smoking related health problems?

The problem is if you banned smoking today the revenue stream would disappear immediately but the related health funding issues would be with us until the current generation of smokers are all dead.

El Weirdo

Hagar wrote: »

Doesn't a significant amount of that money get spent on health care for people with smoking related health problems?

You could be right, I do recall hearing that some of it was ring-fenced for that purpose, but it doesn't really do anything to help smokers quit, does it? Barn door after horse bolting tbh.

Precious flower

In an ideal world it would be great *sigh*
But no one would ever agree to it or at least not the majority.
There would be so much chaos over it.
It's like communism people have good intentions in the beginning but soon it would get out of hand.
It would seem like a punishment for people who go to pubs to have a good time and who drink in moderation and who gamble little.:(

powerzjim

be less rowdy

rossie1977

one of irelands main attractions is the irish pub, we have the best pubs in the world here, tourists come to this country to just saviour the atmosphere of the irish pub, the irish pub has been copied all over the world from madrid to las vegas from hong kong to rio you will find an irish bar/pub

without the pub i suspect this country would be a very damp, wet, cold, boring place

rossie1977

powerzjim wrote: »

be less rowdy

its funny thats what John D. Rockefeller thought as well prior to prohibition in america

John D Rockefeller wrote:

When Prohibition was introduced, I hoped that it would be widely supported by public opinion and the day would soon come when the evil effects of alcohol would be recognized. I have slowly and reluctantly come to believe that this has not been the result. Instead, drinking has generally increased; the speakeasy has replaced the saloon; a vast army of lawbreakers has appeared; many of our best citizens have openly ignored Prohibition; respect for the law has been greatly lessened; and crime has increased to a level never seen before

buccsboyo

rossie1977 wrote: »

one of irelands main attractions is the irish pub, we have the best pubs in the world here, tourists come to this country to just saviour the atmosphere of the irish pub, the irish pub has been copied all over the world from madrid to las vegas from hong kong to rio you will find an irish bar/pub

without the pub i suspect this country would be a very damp, wet, cold, boring place

Hey dude just check my first post

buccsboyo wrote: »

Hey guys,
Would Ireland be a better place without alcohol in our world famous pubs which are renowned for being centers of the community and great social venues.

We can continue to export this but without the alcohol. We are also known and riducled all over the world for our drinking. We can turn the fact we have irish pubs everywhere to our advantage and market them as a type of social house where people can come to socialise, enjoy each other companies, listen to music , to dance. All these things can be done without the drug that is alcohol.

Shacklebolt

buccsboyo wrote: »

Hey dude just check my first post



We can continue to export this but without the alcohol. We are also known and riducled all over the world for our drinking. We can turn the fact we have irish pubs everywhere to our advantage and market them as a type of social house where people can come to socialise, enjoy each other companies, listen to music , to dance. All these things can be done without the drug that is alcohol.

I beg to differ on that one

rossie1977

buccsboyo wrote: »

We can continue to export this but without the alcohol. We are also known and riducled all over the world for our drinking. We can turn the fact we have irish pubs everywhere to our advantage and market them as a type of social house where people can come to socialise, enjoy each other companies, listen to music , to dance. All these things can be done without the drug that is alcohol.

nobody is forced to buy alcohol when they enter a public house, its not like someone is holding a gun to your head, there are many people who don't drink and still go to pubs, nobody in my family drinks, my best friend didn't drink and spent alot of time in pubs

irish people are often ridiculed for having red hair, freckles, eating potatoes, having a funny accent, you cannot stop stereotypes no matter how much you try, case in point i was talking to a girl in chicago a few years ago, told her i was doing a degree in business, "what can you do with a degree in business in ireland, isn't it just all fields and small villages, from what i heard there isn't even a big town in ireland" was her reply

buccsboyo

Domo230 wrote: »

The day the goernment tells me I cant drink is the day I pick up a gun and start fighting for my rights.

So yes banning drink will help bring out my potential as a freedom fighter

Mate ok I see you don't want your freedom impeded , I fully agree with freedom of the individual but can you categorically say that your action of drinking does not have a negative effect on anyone else ?

I have to pay for a health system to treat you for any future ill health you may experience due to your drinking habit.

I have to pay for cleaning up the streets after nights out ,extra gardai to deal with any alcohol related violence,drink-driving.

Think of all the people in this country dealing the drug alcohol whose potential, ability ,creativity could be doing so much good ,they could be working in the smart economy, they could be researching new ideas that could cure environmental or health issues that the world faces.

I would go as far to say that the oneupmanship trait prevelant among developers and bankers during the Celtic Tiger was fostered in Doheny & Nesbitts and Paddy Cullens. It was alcohol fueled( I seen this with my own eyes) and encouraged the sliabheen behaviour which has left us with NAMA and which will take so much public money away from funding enterprise, education, health etc.

The_Kew_Tour

Think Gambling in this country has become very serious indeed. Many young people looking at it as a easy fix to a long term problem.

You can only spend so much on drink but you can loose so much within seconds with one daft bet.

I worked in bookies and have say there so many sad stories I could tell. I do odd punt myself still but im so much in control with what I do. Thers so many right now who dont have that.