SO there are calls for concerts at Bellahouston Park to be banned after last weekend’s Paolo Nutini and Calvin Harris gigs. How predictable.
The two-day festival descended into an arrest fest as dozens of revellers were detained for a range of reasons, including 10 for violent offences.
Seventy more were handed fixed penalty notices.
Ellie Goulding had to intervene from the stage in an attempt to stop a fight that broke out during her set.
Depending on who you listen to, scuffles, street drinking, and public indecency were the order of the day. But let’s think about it for a moment: 108 people were arrested or fined out of a crowd of 35,000. That works out at 0.3 percent of revellers.
In any large crowd there’s going to be some bad behaviour.
Not every football fan, gig-goer, demonstrator, theatre-attendee or cinema-watcher is going to be an angel. Three football fans were jailed in August over a violent disturbance at a Championship game in Edinburgh. Do we ban football, then? Do we ban the places where people drink, or congregate? Of course not. The problem is not the event itself, or the band, or the DJ headlining.
In the UK, we have well-documented problems with binge drinking culture and its effects on health and crime rates.
But nobody wants to ban alcohol.
The root cause of the disturbances at the weekend’s gig is our country’s unhealthy relationship with the bevvy.
But because that’s too big a problem to tackle easily, we make reactionary calls about banning events that 99.7 percent of people managed to enjoy responsibly.
It’s time to start looking at the real issues and cut loose the knee-jerk “ban anything fun” brigade.
If they had their way, Sauchiehall Street would cease to exist.
Charing Cross would be a desolate wasteland, shorn of pubs like Driftwood – an unpretentious student boozer with outlandishly cheap drinks.
A staple venue for pre-Garage drinkers, it has cheesy tunes, relaxed vibes and is always bustling on weekends. Naturally, I want it closed down immediately.
Driftwood
Q: Tell us somewhere you never want to go back to?
1. Courtney Leigh Williamson, 21, East End, “Magaluf”
Danny Cairney, 24, East End, “Malmo”
2. Craig MacDonald, 19, Summerston, “The Cathouse”
Keshav Kanabar, 20, Kelvindale, “Scott’s house”
3. Ellen McGrath, 21, Coatbridge, “A shoe shop at The Fort”
Kelvin McGrath, 23, Coatbridge, “Catterick”
4. Daria Jaszcz, 20, St George’s Cross, “Walkabout on Renfield St”
Mark Welsh, 24, Baljaffray, “Mexico”
5. Morven Glennie, 19, Townhead, “Cumbernauld”
Hamish Wylie, 22, West End, “The Clyde Tunnel walkway”
6. Nikol Dragneva, 20, St George’s Cross, “Kokomo”
Callum Smith, 26, Townhead, “Dundee”
7. Rebecca Watson, 21, Southside
Favourite Club? The Cathouse
Favourite Bar? Driftwood
Favourite DJ? Calvin Harris
Favourite Band? Queen
First Club? Bamboo
What You Drinking? Gin and Lemonade
Describe Your Dancing? Crazy and energetic
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