December 1, 2020 - 11:55am
My grandfather, a hard-working Welsh-speaking market gardener from west Wales, used to tell me stories of curious journeys he would take to just to have a drink in the pub on a Sunday. In the 1960s, it wasn’t sporting or political colours that divided parts of Wales, but whether you were ‘wet’ or ‘dry’. He would tell me that he would cross the Loughor Bridge, a physical and metaphorical border that took you to Glamorgan, just to get a drink on the Sabbath.
For anyone unaware of Welsh history, this might reaffirm your views that we really are a peculiar people. But my grandfather’s story has its origins not only in local culture or customs, but the most important legislation in the history of our nation: the Sunday Closing Act of 1881. It was the first parliamentary Act to deal specifically with Wales since the Act of the Union over three centuries earlier, banning drinking in pubs on a Sunday. It was, in short, a victory for Welsh nationhood and Liberals like David Lloyd George who were champions of the Nonconformist and Temperance movement.
By the 1960s, Wales had changed dramatically. Welsh Liberalism had started its steady decline after the First World War, and chapel-going became less important to daily life. As my grandfather’s recollections suggest, from the early 1960s different districts across Wales were opting to go ‘wet’ in referenda held every seven years. Llanelli, my hometown, waited a bit longer to abandon their ‘dry’ sympathies. Dwyfor, now part of Gwynedd, north Wales, only overturned its ban in 1996. Wales is now well and truly wet in every corner of the nation.
Well, that is, until this week… The Welsh First Minister, Mark Drakeford, announced that from Friday pubs, restaurants and cafes will be banned from selling alcohol and won’t be able to open to customers after six o’clock in the evening. Aside from the devastating impact this will have on the hospitality industry, and raising further questions over the success of the Welsh government’s ‘firebreak’ lockdown last month, it is perhaps the most consequential political act to deal with alcohol in Wales since the late nineteenth century.
Of course, we must refrain from drawing too many lessons from the past and applying them to present day situations. The Sunday Closing Act and Drakeford’s ‘Booze Ban’ are different — in purpose and practice. But there are lessons to be learned on the former’s impact, or rather, the lack of it. Despite pubs closing on Sunday for several decades across Wales, the Welsh simply went elsewhere — to unregulated venues and working men’s and rugby clubs. Loopholes were there to be exploited, and they were.
Perhaps that’s why the historian Russell Davies once wrote that the “real opiate of the Welsh was alcohol”. This is by no means to underplay the drinking problem that Britain (and Wales) has, and the devastating effects it can have on people’s lives, but most importantly it is a warning from history for the Welsh government. There was no national emergency in 1881 — unless you spoke to the leaders of the temperance movement — so a severe ban now on people’s freedom is only likely to spark dissent and anger.
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SubscribeWhen history is written it will be shown that the four nation approach is completely inept – for Wales to dive into a unilateral lockdown then out again as England went into lockdown and now this. No common sense. And just to illustrate the above I am in a tier two area from tomorrow and all of my contacts in tier three have all booked themselves into pubs and restaurants in my area – sort of defeats the object they are even going to park their cars at tier two train stations in case they are challenged on arrival. So they are looking for all sorts of loopholes. There should be a four nation strategy.
What can you expect from a marxist dictator who can’t even dress himself let alone run a country – as an English person living in Wales the so called ‘firebreak’ ( who dreamed up that ridiculous name?) was a joke. To go into supermarkets and see swathes of shelves sealed off with crime !!! tape was beyond parody. And that really worked didn’t it? Amazon must have greeted that move with glee. This latest move to open pubs but unable to serve alcohol does not bother me personally one iota but is just another shot in the foot by drippy Drakeford who together with Wee Krankie in Scotland is making a good case for the abolition of devolution.
An outrageous irrational move by a tyrannical government.
I would just sever the taffs, micks and jocks all at one slice. Never seen the point of any of them. They hate my country and my people with a passion. That is not anecdotal, thats fact. Those very expensive talking shops helped by money from the Barnett formula is a complete and utter waste. The sooner those 3 anchors are ditched the sooner we can have an English parliament. I begrudge people like wee Jimmy Crankie and her assembly of English hating nationalists spending fast and loose with English money. Had they not fallen for the first Ponzi scheme there wouldnt have been a union and the jocks could have whistled for their English gold. The Royal yards will be glad of the work as will the folks at Barrow. We can build and maintain our own Subs, nuclear or otherwise. The good men of the Clyde can retool making whisky bottle tops and shortbread tins. As there will be an effect on the English throw the indy vote open to all. The three of them would be indy and broke overnight. With their share of the national debt the jocks would have as much chance of joining the failed and corrupt EU as Russia.
I’ve seen some frothing nonsense on the internet in my time, Paul, but this is right up there! Gave me a right good giggle though; ta.
Ah, the Welsh. During some survey fieldwork amongst farmers in Caernarvonshire (as it then was) in the early 70s and discussing possible sources of income, one farmer observed to me that the Welsh were not very commercial. He waved his arm around and pointed to six chapels which could be seen from our vantage point – “There’s too much religion in the Welsh” And that had more to do with the non-drinking on Sunday than anything. And, no, I don’t recall anyone that desperate for a drink that they would travel beyond the county to get one. I lived there for seven years
I have previously commented on the Welsh assembly, that having lived and worked in Wales have first hand knowledge of their utter, total incompetence. One could say that about the UK Nations anyway but truly the Welsh take the biscuit. They, the assembly cannot rise above trying to prove their mythical importance. Shouting out how decisive and brave they are compared to the snivelling English (who pay them) they are is akin to watching a Sparrow’s fluffing their feathers and have about the same impact.
I am sure many proud Welsh people simply groan when these cretins spout forth. It does and never has helped the people of Wales in anyway.
Beautiful country, Proud people, Hard working and a military tradition that is equal to any. Best of all the male voice choirs, (that do have ladies as well) those are the real voices of Wales. I’d travel a million miles to listen to them. Sadly their shallow need to be better and therefore different leaders are not in anyway a reflection of the Welsh people.
Dear Welsh drinkers
“Mistake” 1311 People POSITIVE Last Week 🤦”â™‚ï¸ My Faith Is GONE
you tube watch?v=fib7S9JVgdo
Funny kind of Liberalism and Nonconformity !
Appropriate to use a picture of rugby “fans” for this. Wales home rugby matches in Cardiff have far more to do with alcohol than rugby.