Christopher Howse

So were the Noughties nice?

Not really, says Christopher Howse. The decade started with a bang, and continued in a half-awake fantasy punctuated by anxiety. The most that can be said for it is that it was short

Outside my local pub it says in big letters ‘£500’, and underneath: ‘This is the fine if you take your drink out into the street.’ What law imposes this fine, no one knows. It could be something to do with 24-hour drinking legislation, or even anti-terror laws.

The reason people want to take their drinks into the street is that they’d like a cigarette, which they cannot have in the pub, under another law.

Already a subscriber? Log in

Keep reading with a free trial

Subscribe and get your first month of online and app access for free. After that it’s just £1 a week.

There’s no commitment, you can cancel any time.

Or

Unlock more articles

REGISTER

Comments

Don't miss out

Join the conversation with other Spectator readers. Subscribe to leave a comment.

Already a subscriber? Log in