Does anyone really believe the proposed liberalisation of the licensing laws will make drinkers behave more responsibly?

Almost everyone I have spoken to is of the same opinion: The Government has got it wrong.

The majority of pubs and clubs in this country are male-dominated institutions in which most people stand rather than sit, with loud music being played to drown out the art of conversation. Meanwhile, a few miles over the water on what may as well be a different planet, France has a much more cafe-based society in which families are welcomed.

People are just as likely to buy a coffee as a pint and are encouraged to sit down, take their time and simply chat.

These positive examples are unlikely to be taken up by our publicans, as less alcohol is sold, and they can get more people in their pubs if they stand rather than sit. Most pubs have applied for an extra hour or so at the end of the evening, which means the drinks industry gets more money but the rest of us get more drunks spilling on to the streets in the early hours.

The much-mooted reason for liberalisation is that drinkers will be leaving at staggered closing times. But if most pubs have applied for the extra hour or so, commonsense says the problem has simply been moved back by an hour.

-Graham Howson, Portslade