If you wish to serve alcohol in England and Wales you have to either have a personal licence to do so, or be authorised by someone that does. Simples? Getting one isn't that difficult, though even if you pass the test, the coppers can still object to your personal licence application if you have been convicted for some particular offences. These are quite sensible in the main and include murder, rape, theft in many forms, blackmail, drunk driving and various forms of drunkenness and drugs. They are subject to a test: Is the offence relevant to carrying out the duties required of a personal licence holder?
All fine and dandy, but not for this nanny state government. They propose to add a whole raft of offences to the list including such bizarre things as: supplying firearms to a person drunk or insane; intercourse with a defective; incest; causing a person with a mental disorder to watch a sexual act; intercourse with an animal; sexual penetration of a corpse; the list goes on.
Given that only 0.7% of applications are refused on current grounds, this seems a bit of overkill unless of course the Dept of Culture Media and Sport has spotted a loophole allowing, necrophiliacs,animal shaggers and other sexual deviants to predominate in the licensed trade. Somehow I think not. This exercise in public consultation (this is what it is) is a requirement of law. Fair enough, but do we really need to double the number of pages of offences from four to eight, especially when they reckon that the percentage of refusals won't materially change? ("The Government does not estimate that this would be significantly increased by the proposed changes".)
It would be amusing if we weren't paying for it all.
