Good luck policing that, and remember big brother is watching.

Do they <b>seriously</b> think they can monitor/ban swearing in a space where they sell alcohol??

As dumb ideas go, that's the most recent.

silly idea in some ways
excessive swearing should have its consequences but not the odd swear word now and again...

We already have obscenity laws covering public places.

Isn't this really a case of Wetherspoons empowering it's licensee's to remove offensive clientele as and when they see fit?

In any case, I certainly don't see how it is an infringement of the right to free speech since pubs are private premises.

erm.......even if it could be done and they could ban everyone in the pub who were swearing the whole pub would practically be empty

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by Incandenza
We already have obscenity laws covering public places.

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Judging by the banners and chants the police didn't bat an eyelid at during the Stop The War marches, these aren't too rigorously enforced these days.

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Isn't this really a case of Wetherspoons empowering it's licensee's to remove offensive clientele as and when they see fit?

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A landlord can already chuck someone out for whatever reason he sees fit. If that was the reason, it's a redundent one.

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In any case, I certainly don't see how it is an infringement of the right to free speech since pubs are private premises.

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It's annoying nannyism. If people are getting beery, agressive and odious, whatever words they use, they should be carted out. But otherwise, the last thing the staff should be doing is playing at being language police. It's an adult enviroment for adult customers: if people keep things reasonable, there's no need for this.

Or in other words: I'd love to see the barstaff walk up to a group of ruggers fans and tell them to moderate their language.

And bizarrely it's SPIKE with the most relevant comment so far.

Despite what anyone thinks about the reasons and implications of this, if they try to inforce it their pubs will be practically empty.

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by FiveByFive
And bizarrely it's SPIKE with the most relevant comment so far.

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The world's just gone all turvey topsey!

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by FiveByFive
And bizarrely it's SPIKE with the most relevant comment so far.

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Now that *is* scary!

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by Incandenza
Isn't this really a case of Wetherspoons empowering it's licensee's to remove offensive clientele as and when they see fit?

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Yes I think so.

They already banned smoking and music, and its certainly *their* right to do it, so why not? If people don't like it, I'm sure they will vote with their feet.

This reminds me of an anecdote I heard a while back about West Midlands Police, who are notorious for cracking down on swearing at football matches. There was a guy on a phone-in a few years back who'd been to a match in Birmingham, paid at the turnstile and made a beeline for the pie stall. Seeing about thirty people standing in line waiting for a pie, he nudged the man in front of him and said "Eh, this is a b----y long queue, isn't it?".

And promptly found himself ejected on to the street by Plod and friend.

Ironic thing is, Wetherspoons pubs actually end up louder than anywhere else because everybody is trying to talk over everybody else. It's nice to be able to get Spitfire this far north, though- Yorkshiremen tend not to appreciate the virtues of good Kentish ale.

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by Igsy
Ironic thing is, Wetherspoons pubs actually end up louder than anywhere else because everybody is trying to talk over everybody else. It's nice to be able to get Spitfire this far north, though- Yorkshiremen tend not to appreciate the virtues of good Kentish ale.

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It's good to be able to get any drinkable ale in the capital. I ordered a London Pride from one of those evil Trendy Bars last night, and it tasted like someone had washed the grolsh out the glass with malt vingear ... which they probably had!

That's not even getting started on how spectacularly watered down it was. I was not!

(Edited by Byron 07/06/2003 15:41)

The only positive about Wetherspoons is that its quite cheap, no swearing, no smoking, no music, what next? only whispering and one drink per customer!? I'm not a big fan of the place anyway since they food poisoned me How do they plan to enforce it??

The place is cheap because they don't have to pay for an entertainment licence. That's why there's no music.

I've never had a problem with the place and to be honest I think that although there will be difficulties in policing the swearing thing, I'm sure it'll only be for those people who swear every other word.

(Sorry Byron! )

I've been to pubs before with swearing policies. It's not new, and the odd expletive isn't a problem, but people (and particularly women) can be put off going to a pub if there's a constant barrage of swearing.

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by Lioness
The place is cheap because they don't have to pay for an entertainment licence

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It's also cheap because it's a big chain which can negotiate bulk discounts on beer, and is willing to accept very low margins on wet sales as long as that entices people in and drives sales of higher-margin, 'value-added' products such as food.

On balance, I think Wetherspoon's beats most other pub chains. At least it manages to maintain a 'pubby' atmosphere, and you can always get a decent pint of real beer - better than the vast majority of chain places, where you'd think that our national contribution to brewing was premium lager . And I rather like not having to listen to godawful piped music while I have a quiet pint or three.

The problem I do have with Wetherspoon's is that their low pricing is driving a lot of independent pubs out of business. I've heard lots of stories of pub tenants whose brewery tie forces them to buy their beer at higher prices than the Wetherspoons down the road sells it for, and I think it would be a sad day if individual pubs were pushed out in favour of chains, however good the chains may be.

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by White Hart
I've heard lots of stories of pub tenants whose brewery tie forces them to buy their beer at higher prices than the Wetherspoons down the road sells it for,

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That surely is a fault of the brewery not Wetherspoons? At least one pub near me has negotiated a new price with their brewery on the strength of a new Wetherspoons opening up in the area.

There is a pub near me that already has a swear box for one particular word. It generally works quite well & tends to be enforced by the regulars.

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by White Heart
The problem I do have with Wetherspoon's is that their low pricing is driving a lot of independent pubs out of business. I've heard lots of stories of pub tenants whose brewery tie forces them to buy their beer at higher prices than the Wetherspoons down the road sells it for, and I think it would be a sad day if individual pubs were pushed out in favour of chains, however good the chains may be.

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Yep, my uncle got put out of business when a wetherspoons opened right next to his pub, really crappy for him because he loved that pub, it was really cool because it was an old police station that had been converted



(Edited by Eve 10/06/2003 23:28)

my friends and i were in a wetherspoons pub on the weekend and after much loud noises but not much swearing they asked us to tone it down as there were children present.
i bit my toungue as the girl who came up to us seemed embarrassed to be saying it as she had been laughing with us earlier.
what i would love to say if it happens again is that ill stop being loud/swearing if they stop bringing bloody kids into pubs in the evening. as they ruin MY enjoyment. (i dont like em and dont think they should be in pubs after a certain time, but it seems wetherspoons wants a family atmosphere, which is fine for resterants but not pubs)
the only reason i go there is for the relatively cheap good food and cheap alcohol. but if it gets any worse ill be going some where else

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by nemesis
what i would love to say if it happens again is that ill stop being loud/swearing if they stop bringing bloody kids into pubs in the evening. as they ruin MY enjoyment. (i dont like em and dont think they should be in pubs after a certain time, but it seems wetherspoons wants a family atmosphere, which is fine for resterants but not pubs)
the only reason i go there is for the relatively cheap good food and cheap alcohol. but if it gets any worse ill be going some where else

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Where is it written that restaurants are for families but pubs are for louts? That seems rather a personal opinion than a reflection of some general principle.

Anyway, looks like you have found the solution which is rather than expecting that children be banned from wherever you don't want them, go somewhere else. It's not like there are a shortage of pubs sans family atmosphere.