By Andrea Widburg
One of the things most associated with Great Britain is the pub culture. Seemingly, every novel has a scene in a pub or tavern where the locals gather, not to carouse or drink themselves into a silent, depressed stupor, but, instead, to come together as a community. It is a watering hole offering beer and whiskey—or, as some might say, the very water of life itself. But the UK’s new Labour government is not on board with this ancient culture. And importantly, it’s not waging a war to fight alcohol abuse; rather, it wants to keep Muslims happy.
For centuries, the British have enjoyed their taverns and pubs, and their poets and writers have celebrated them:
“I would give all my fame for a pot of ale and safety.” – William Shakespeare
“There is nothing which has yet been contrived by man, by which so much happiness is produced as by a good tavern.” – Samuel Johnson
“A good local pub has much in common with a church, except that a pub is warmer, and there’s more conversation.” – William Blake
Before getting to the meat of this post, it’s important to make a point about gatherings where people can and do drink versus actually drinking. I’m a teetotaler, not out of principle, but because, having tried alcohol, I find the taste repugnant and the feeling unpleasant. Even though I don’t drink, though, I’ve spent many happy hours socializing with people in pubs, bars, and at parties where others imbibe. It’s entirely possible not to drink around people who are drinking.
That, of course, is not Islam’s way. Muslims have no concept of a free, pluralist society. If Muslims can’t drink, nobody drinks.
Recall the Minnesota taxi drivers in 2007 who refused to drive people carrying closed bottles of alcohol. Back then, the city cracked down on those drivers. I’m pretty sure that if the Muslims in Minnesota were to try the same tactic in 2024, they’d be met with a more accommodating response.
London, like Minnesota, is a very Muslim city. Roughly 15% of the population in 2021 identified as Muslim, and I bet that it’s a lot higher now, given that the Muslim influx hasn’t stopped or even slowed.
Dr. Peter Hammond has pointed out that, by the time the Muslim population is over 10%, it’s proselytized, demanded halal food in markets and public accommodations (they get their halal, but you don’t get your alcohol), pushed the government to implement Sharia laws, and increasingly used violence to force these demands to be met—all while Muslims are actually a very small proportion of the population.
That demand for accommodation seems to be falling on fertile soil when it comes to the UK’s new Labour government, which is headquartered in London. So far, the government hasn’t passed any laws but it is forcing its employees to change their social habits so that Muslims are more comfortable—and that includes changing Britain’s pub culture:
Staff at Britain’s Home Office, roughly equivalent to the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, have been instructed to make every other social event alcohol-free amid concerns over inclusivity. Sources say senior bureaucrats want to make sure “every other social isn’t the pub” at a time when Muslims—who are forbidden to drink alcohol—are becoming an increasingly large share of the population, particularly in London and other urban centers.
[snip]
Other departments, including the Department for Culture, Media, and Sport (DCMS), have similarly been encouraging staff to limit drinking during social events. A DCMS insider mentioned that during all-staff meetings, senior leadership consistently advises against heavy drinking at large social gatherings.
There’s nothing wrong with an employer encouraging employees not to get drunk on the job or at job-related social functions. People don’t make good decisions when they’re drunk. It’s another thing entirely, though, for a government to force a cultural change to accommodate an influx of migrants who object to their new country’s ancient habits.
I’ve long said that the UK is a dead country walking. These new edicts only reinforce my belief that the England of King Arthur, Chaucer, Queen Elizabeth I, Shakespeare, Dickens, and Churchill will soon be gone—and much sooner, I think, than any of us expect.