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

I think most people would be self-limiting with their lunch time alcohol consumption. A glass of wine with lunch is not a problem as I see it. However I see no need for MPs to have a subsidised bar or in fact a bar on the premises at all.
I think we have to assume that most MPs are sensible people with some exceptions of course.

Germanshepherdsmum

It seems some would prefer that nobody, whatever their job, had a drink during working hours. Puritanical in the extreme. The fact that people working in some jobs shouldn’t drink for reasons of safety or because they are working with the sick or children doesn’t mean that nobody can be allowed a drink. What a miserable world we would inhabit.

So it's one rule for them and another for the workers. I thought that is what gets people angry! How unfair that some can drink and others doing demanding jobs requiring sobriety aren't allowed a drop.

I don't think it's a case of being unfair Chestnut those of us who had jobs where we couldn't have a drink on duty accepted that as a requirement of our role. It's not a case of workers versus establishment. A retail or office worker is quite at liberty to have a glass of wine at lunchtime but not a paramedic or nurse.

Exactly sodapop. As a lawyer I could have a drink at lunchtime and as food was consumed at the same time it did not impair my ability to do my job, which was certainly demanding. At any one time I was responsible for transactions totalling many millions of pounds. I think if I'd had one too many I would have faced a few negligence actions. There's a big difference between having a drink and being incapable. If people choose to take jobs where consumption of alcohol is, rightly, prohibited during working hours that's their choice. They can't then turn round and say it's unfair and no-one else should have a drink.

Oh, for heavens sake Chestnut there are millions of 'workers' (isn't anyone who goes to work a worker?) doing all kinds of jobs, the majority probably, who have jobs with no restrictions on whether they have a pint at lunch time or not.

That our Prime Minister and his coterie do not think the rules apply to them, has always been well known and I would not say a word in his defence, but as a proportion of the countries workforce they are a very very small proportion.

Thank heavens for a kindred spirit MOnica. I think we must have a lot of puritans on GN.

M0nica

Oh, for heavens sake Chestnut there are millions of 'workers' (isn't anyone who goes to work a worker?) doing all kinds of jobs, the majority probably, who have jobs with no restrictions on whether they have a pint at lunch time or not.

That our Prime Minister and his coterie do not think the rules apply to them, has always been well known and I would not say a word in his defence, but as a proportion of the countries workforce they are a very very small proportion.

A very small proportion maybe ... but with a huge amount of influence over the lives of everybody in the country, including being role models.

Nothing at all with being 'puritanical'!

A work gathering conferring on invasion plans?

No wonder none of them can think straight

growstuff absolutely, but Chestnut was suggesting it was only this elite who were not banned from drinking in working hours, or at lunch or after work, which is patently incorrect.

I doubt many employees have a cheese and wine lunch break with two bottles of wine on a table for 4 with one of them a mum of a very young baby who probably isn’t drinking anything. Being a puritan I could be wrong on that of course.

Casdon

I doubt many employees have a cheese and wine lunch break with two bottles of wine on a table for 4 with one of them a mum of a very young baby who probably isn’t drinking anything. Being a puritan I could be wrong on that of course.

It wasn't a lunch break, it was late afternoon. Analysis of the shadow lengths has been done

Oh how I miss the days when teachers could have a drink. I had some great Christmas lunches. For some reason Catholic schools had the best ones and the priest kept topping your glass up. Goodness knows how those children survived!!!

Whoops, my mistake - may have been a mitigation if BJ had not said:
'This is where I live, this is where I work; Those were meetings of people at work, talking about work.'

Oldnproud, no alcohol, during the working day, should be the norm. We have a weird culture of acceptance, here in the UK, of the 'most dangerous drug':

www.verywellmind.com/alcohol-is-the-most-harmful-drug-3969483

Yes we had a teacher who drank throughout the day. It was utterly tragic looking back.

I worked with a so called 'functioning' alcoholic Headmaster- only often he was not 'functioning' - and collapsed in Assembly and was banned from school trips as he would get so drunk (in front of the staff, and kids). Tragic indeed.

I think in a small village everyone knows as well and do bugger all about it of course. We also had a GP who drank a lot and everyone knew about that as well.

Germanshepherdsmum

Thank heavens for a kindred spirit MOnica. I think we must have a lot of puritans on GN.

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It was me that introduced the Puritans into the thread and I stand by my comment. So many po faced comments on here about a glass of wine now and then with lunch.
Is it an ‘old’ mindset I wonder to be on a high horse about it?
I also remarked earlier, that the French would read this thread with great amusement ( in fact they would fall about laughing.)

MaybeMaw that’s really funny!?

No I think it's an 'old' mindset to think drinking at work is the norm. It's from a long ago time for most people.

The French like their fags too lemongrove

Galaxy

No I think it's an 'old' mindset to think drinking at work is the norm. It's from a long ago time for most people.

I agree. I don't really have an opinion, but I haven't drunk alcohol for years. Sometimes, there's pressure to drink in social situations and soft drinks aren't even offered. It really did become the norm. I used to get a bit fed up of being labelled "puritanical" or a "misery", but I've become aware that an increasing number of people don't drink alcohol either.

Galaxy ......you know as well as I do that all this faux puritanical outrage is just aimed at the Conservative government. It has to be, all the pursed lips and tut tutting that’s going on are simply too ridiculous.
Cheers!?