Should our MPs and their staff be allowed to drink (alcohol) during their working day?

Curlywhirly I often close my eyes when I am really concentrating on listening. This is why I am primarily a radio listener and rarely watch television. This includes when I am doing Tai Chi and other activities.

After lunch sessions at Conferences are known as 'the graveyaard session' even when no alcohol at all has been served at the meal. After you have eaten, blood tends to flow from brain to digestive system and is why so many older people like an afternoon snooze. So you cannot assume that someone shutting their eyes in the Parliamentary chamber is actually sleeping or has been drinking at lunch time.

MayBeMaw

In one of my previous incarnations back in the unenlightened late 70’s I cooked lunch for a Directors’ Dining room in the City in Gracechurch St with a butler to serve it and help clear away.
They would have a 3 course meal plus cheese, different wines, usually port and cigars and take about 2 hours over it.
Surprise, surprise there were no women among the directors and their guests. Very different days and I don’t expect much serious work was done in the afternoon - although it would not have surprised me if a lot of business was actually done over lunch.

Gosh, I remember those days, too.

The days when your boss - nearly always a man - asked you to "pop out" and buy flowers for his wife, or a birthday card - because you were a woman.

... and make the tea and coffee "there's a good girl"... as they breathed their alcohol fumes at you and sometimes gave a wink and a leer...

The last man I worked for in the UK (1995 - I did temping) always referred to me as a "good girl"... when I made his coffee after a liquid lunch... I was 47 and older than him.

Ugh!

I'm glad those days are over... however 'woke' that might make me.

This thread is quite funny. Look on the table at the ‘working lunch’.

Exactly!

Well to be honest, if I drink at lunchtime, I just feel sleepy for the rest of the afternoon; that might explain why we sometimes see pictures of MPs ( and especially members of the House of Lords) fast asleep on the job! I always wondered how they could possibly make informed decisions when they've missed half the debate ?

Nothing puritanical about my post - I like a good drink- when the time is right, but not during work hours. So teachers, who do not perform surgery or operate dangerous machinery (well myabe kids are ...) should be allowed to have a drink or two whilsts their teach. Nurses too, unless doing above, or carers. This is nonsense.

MPs may not be doing either of the above, but they are in a position of extreme power, and we have put them in that position of power... and trust... to represent us and the country, and make the most important decisions of all on our behalf. NO drinking during working hours.

Couldn’t agree more trisher. I don’t understand people who think that (unless you’re, say, driving a bus, performing surgery or operating dangerous machinery) one or even two drinks render you incapable of doing your job.

I hate this puritanical culture that considers there are only two states you can be in-stone cold sober or paralytically drunk. An occasional drink does no harm to anyone, and who knows a glass of wine might stimulate an MPs creative brain cells and enable them to envisage the lives of ordinary people.

Of course they should not drink when in the HoC - they are there to make massively important decisions that impact all our lives- and they should have a clear head. Remember the video of Gove last year- either totally sloshed or off his head - and he was in the House to vote on important matters.
Totally out of order.

In one of my previous incarnations back in the unenlightened late 70’s I cooked lunch for a Directors’ Dining room in the City in Gracechurch St with a butler to serve it and help clear away.
They would have a 3 course meal plus cheese, different wines, usually port and cigars and take about 2 hours over it.
Surprise, surprise there were no women among the directors and their guests. Very different days and I don’t expect much serious work was done in the afternoon - although it would not have surprised me if a lot of business was actually done over lunch.

Dinahmo 'Presenteeism'. DH spent a month in Japan back in the 80s and after the first week of being in the office for long hours, a lot of it doing nothing much, like the rest of the staff. He decided he would rather work 9.00 - 5.00, but actually work for all those hours and then go back to his hotel and do some sight seeing. Some of his Japanese colleagues said they envied him being able to do that, but they couldn't as it would affect their careers.

Back in the 80s whilst working for a large practice in the City we used to go to the pub most lunch times. We probably had 2 drinks at most.

The only time we had lunch together at work was when we had a training session at lunchtime. Sandwiches and soft drinks and tea or coffee were provided as a bribe to get us all to attend.

The culture seemed to change during the late 80s, maybe an American influence since they didn't take proper lunch hours.

Now I think that most people eat their lunch at their desk (if they have one) and work through the day.

I remember someone telling me about Americans (in Europe and England) who were extremely proud of the long hours that they spent at their offices each day. They didn't do a lot of work during that time.

DerbyshireLass Like the French and Italians they believe that red wine is good for the heart and that it helps to reduce cholesterol levels. My grandmother drank red wine every day till she died at 90, (not of heart disease) and my aunt who drinks red wine every day is 96 and as fit as a flea. Maybe they are on to something.
I know it's said a glass of red wine is good for older folk, but my Welsh relatives didn't follow that rule. I had three aunties who lived to 94, 95 and 99 and an uncle who lived to 91. They did not drink wine, they just breathed in that healthy North Welsh air.

Derbyshire Lass Which brings me to your next statement when you say statement that Brits have no stop button.......to imply none of us have any self control is somewhat of a sweeping statement and rather insulting to the vast numbers of people who are perfectly able to moderate their drinking
Yes it was a sweeping statement but historically we are known as drunkards. We do not usually drink like our European neighbours, sensibly and with food. Obviously this doesn't apply to everyone, nothing ever does. There are sensible drinkers and non-drinkers, but we are generally not known for drinking sensibly or abstaining.

I do not drink the hours I am paid for at work, but what I consume during my lunch hour is another story, and not anyone's business.

Drinking alcohol should not be allowed in a work context.
Especially not the elected politicians and their staff. Never.

It may well haver been acceptable 50 yrs ago but then so was smoking amongst doctors. It was never right.

I was shocked to see those scenes in the WM garden. Such a poor example to us mere proletariat.

Chestnut

^And there is a significant difference between having a glass of wine with a lunchtime meal and someone who is boozing.^
Is there really. And how would you know whether they had ONE glass of wine or several?

... yes, there really is a difference.

And I'm talking generally, you know - in principle - not specifically about MPs in particular.

I think most MPs are just like us. Going about their normal business and with ordinary home lives.

There are 600 plus MPs. At most 100 get mentioned in the media outside their home constituency and mainly to do with their work and causes they support.,

These ordinary MPs, generally do not get drunk on cheap booze, do not snort cocaine or have affairs. In fact their lives are so law abiding no one takes any notice of them.

The French and Italians have always had a tipple at lunchtimes.
Plus service personnel too can partake if they want Fridays it's always lunch in the bar.
You need to trust the individual, not to blow it.

Maybe an incentive to ot drink would be to stop subsidising the in house bars and restaurants. Possibly do away with the bar altogether?

Sorry for the typos, I was cooking supper whilst writing. Really must stop trying to multitask. ?

Well I am half "continental" - Belgian in fact, so as usual I can always see both sides of any Brit - v - European discussion regarding cultural differences. My Belgian relatives would be truly astonished at some of the views on this thread.

Most of my Belgian relatives, their friends, neighbours, work colleagues etc have always tended to drink a small glass of red wine with their lunch every day.

Like the French and Italians they believe that red wine is good for the heart and that it helps to reduce cholesterol levels. My grandmother drank red wine every day till she died at 90, (not of heart disease) and my aunt who drinks red wine every day is 96 and as fit as a flea. Maybe they are on to something.

As I said it's all about moderation. Which brings me to your next statement when you say statement that Brits have no stop button.......to imply none of us have any self control is somewhat of a sweeping statement and rather insulting to the vast numbers of people who are perfectly able to moderate their drinking,

And Monica is spot on......there are plenty of functioning alcoholics out there, who drink after work at and weekends but who appear sober, who drive their cars to work and who are maybe performing in jobs they shouldn't be. Im sure most functioning alcoholics would fail the breathalyser the next morning.

Of course there are certain jobs which absolutely do require an clear head and a steady hand, I mentioned them in my initial post. I would like to think if I required a surgical procedure that all of the operating team, surgeon, anaesthetist, nurses etc were stone cold sober but given than many operations are performed early in the morning there is no cast iron guarantee that all team members would have zero alcholhol in their bloodstream.

Where do you draw a line. If you are going totally ban all alcholol then what about those on medications such as anti depressants, sleeping pills, strong painkillers. Most of these will dull the senses and have a long half life and can affect workplace performance. Will we ban those too.

Frankly I wouldn't be worried about a few MPs drinking some wine with their lunch, I would be more concerned with how much Bolivian marching powder some of them might be snorting.

MerylStreep

I lived in a rural village in Essex. My Dr had a serious drink problem. I don’t know how many times his car was pulled out of a ditch or a field by the local garage. Wonderful Dr, though.

The medical and legal professions are full of people who rely on alcohol to get by. I have known some. There comes a point when their bodies are so used to it they function better with it than without it.

Imo there should be random drink and drug testing in all jobs. In which occupation would alcohol or drugs not adversely affect someone's ability to do their job properly?

I lived in a rural village in Essex. My Dr had a serious drink problem. I don’t know how many times his car was pulled out of a ditch or a field by the local garage. Wonderful Dr, though.