Last Orders on the Tube
by JFC AdminLast night thousands of people took part in a party to commemorate the last day that alcohol was allowed on the tube. I didn’t attend the party but as I was working late yesterday I decided to grab a few cans before jumping on the Hammersmith and City line home, then I got a bit more curious and made a bit of a diversion.
The party was on the Circle line and for those who don’t know, the Circle and Hammersmith and City share lines through Central London so I could see what was going on in the stations. Most people seemed very good natured, just having a laugh and drinking. I was not happy with some of the heavy handed policing I saw when going through stations, I noticed the police removing people who seemed drunk but were not causing any trouble, this caused a lot of boos from the crowd. It must be very hard to police events like this but considering the occasion the police need to be careful with their actions.
The main stations were very busy, the platforms were packed but most of the drinkers were following the advice of the organisers and only boarding the rear two carriages of the trains. The BBC described the outcome of the party as ‘mayhem‘ but I think 17 arrests doesn’t seem that much considering the many thousands that turned up. There was always going to be troublemakers, and hopefully those who assaulted the staff are sitting in a cell right now, but from what I seen everything was in good nature.
So was this party irresponsible? No, I think it was a great success. There’s always going to be people who’ll spoil it, but considering the amount of people who turned up most were just enjoying themselves and not causing any trouble. Trouble caused by a minority of people should not influence policies that affect many people. Banning alcohol in the tube won’t solve anything, those who cause trouble when drunk will just drink before getting on the train.