Once again Britain shocks us colonies by allowing sales of beer at pubs and restaurants 24 hours a day. This breakthrough legislation goes into effect in less than a year. All I can say is, to hell with Atkins. Imagine a nice Newcastle and cheese omelet, sausage braised in Guinness, all washed down with a pint of Bass.

I exaggerate a bit. There’s already place in the United States where the party never stops: the French Quarter in New Orleans, Louisiana. I recommend it to everyone over the age of eighteen with at least one functional kidney. Of course, that’s just one town, not an entire country

Eliminating last call spares the public the unsightly mess of the pub occupants spilling onto the streets at once, rowdy, drunk and in dire need of public restroom. Now drinkers can remain in place, in theory forever, instead of dashing out at 11 PM. Clearly, this reduces the effects of alcohol consumption to the community as alcholics can ignore their families from the comfort of a barstool. Well, that’s my take on the thought behind the law at least. I’m not a barrister, nor do I watch one on TV.

My question is – during the public debates over this legislation – was the possibility of moving last call ahead a few hours considered? Perhaps the 10:50PM cut off time was draconian, an outdated throwback, but somewhere between that point and never was an acceptable compromise. Or was the open tap the only proposal the public backed?

Anyway, a toast to Britain. The sun may have set on your empire, but the beer never shall.