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

How would you feel if a your surgeon went for a drink or two before working on you? When Parliament is sitting decisions are being made which effect our lives. They are supposed to be speaking for us, the voters. Not filling themselves with discounted alcohol.

Monica that's who I meant in my post! I think he was well known for being drink taken in the 60s

The respect and loyalty Charles Kennedy engendered can be measured by the extent to which his colleagues went to support him and help him in his role as party leader and to defeat his demons. Far beyond where, such support would normally stop.

Anyone remember George Brown, in the 1960s? I think the phrase 'tired and emotional' was coined to hide his behaviour, when drunk and a minister in Harold Wilson's government.

LOL Lemon - we were all quite safe really! Thanks.

This thread is not about alcohol or no alcohol- but alcohol at work. And yes, Trisher, we always had a glass of sherry and a glass of wine at our school Christmas Dinners - sadly the Head had to be ushered away to his office as soon as lunch was over, and his door guarded by Senior Staff.

Galaxy

I think at the end it impacted his abilities I am afraid Trisher, and it's certainly affected the view people had of him I am afraid. He was very popular but if people had been asked questions about trust and reliability I think the answers might have been interesting.

Charles Kennedy led the Liberal party to its most succesful period in Parliament. He maintained and even increased his majority until the 2015 election when he was defeated by the Scottish Nationalists, so his constituents obviously didn't doubt his abilities, as his drinking problem was widely known before then.

Kali2

The 'fags' are much more a part of those Public School Boys' history than the French - anyway they are called 'cloppes' in French.

Faux puritanical outrage, lol, I just about spat a bit of my good Malt on my 'puter!

Really? Isn’t that rather dangerous....Should you be drinking alcohol in charge of a computer? ??

EllanVannin

The French like their fags too lemongrove

Rather sweeping generalisation there EllanVannin

I worked at three places at least where lengthy business meeting lunches were the norm. It was often the only way that different organisations could get together. And it was inevitably a light lunch (possibly cheese included) and a bottle of wine or two. The relaxed atmosphere got things decided and done. As to whether it happens nowadays I don't know having retired some time ago, but the Civil Service was known for being rather behind the times when it comes to administrative customs.

I think at the end it impacted his abilities I am afraid Trisher, and it's certainly affected the view people had of him I am afraid. He was very popular but if people had been asked questions about trust and reliability I think the answers might have been interesting.

Isn't it funny though a post about a single Christmas lunch when. teacher might have a drink was immediately followed by posts about alcholic teachers. Do people not realise that alcoholism is an illness and there are probably still alcoholics teaching? That it is nothing to do with having an occasional drink. Functioning alcoholics quite often don't drink socially.
As for the post about attacking the government I take every opporttunity to do so but really drinking alcohol isn't party political. Every party has had its share of boozy MPs.
Churchill was castigated for being drunk, everyone knows the story. Charles Kennedy was one of the best politicians and being an alcoholic ruined his career it didn't make him a bad MP.

Not for me though lemongrove no tut tutting, it's just made me think about work and alcohol and how things have changed. And about those people from many years ago who were collapsing in front of everyone's eyes and in a small village people doing bugger all about it. I hope that would be different now although 'helping' in those circumstances is probably nearly impossible.

It would appear to be true that the population as a whole, especially young people, is drinking less alcohol:

alcoholchange.org.uk/alcohol-facts/fact-sheets/alcohol-statistics

The 'fags' are much more a part of those Public School Boys' history than the French - anyway they are called 'cloppes' in French.

Faux puritanical outrage, lol, I just about spat a bit of my good Malt on my 'puter!

lemongrove

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!?

It's not puritanical outrage to think that a country's leaders should follow the rules they wrote themselves and which they expect others to follow.

EllanVannin

The French like their fags too lemongrove

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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!?

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.

The French like their fags too lemongrove

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.

MaybeMaw that’s really funny!?

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.)

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.

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.

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

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