Beware good intentions

Like a mate that ghosts home from the pub, the quiet shelving of an idea with worthy intentions has slipped by almost unnoticed.

Earlier this year, 12 inner-city Palmerston North bars excitedly announced they were closing an hour earlier – 2am rather than 3am – on a trial basis.

It was all about reducing the level of alcohol-related trouble, the bars, including the town’s most popular venues, declared.

But recently, the trial dissolved into nothing, despite police recording a drop in late-night callouts in the central city.

The Daily owner Ricky Quirke, spokesman for the bars when the move was announced, tried his best to don a metaphorical high-viz vest and spout health and safety speak when explaining why early closings wouldn’t continue.

He said more fights were breaking out when staff were clearing the busy bar at the end of the night and there was a rise in disorder on the streets.

This is a legitimate concern, but not so much for him.

Behind the soothing comments about public safety is the nitty gritty: 2am closing meant the bar was losing a full complement of drinkers, who might have spent up large.

Turning them away clearly makes no financial sense.

In contrast, Gary Wright, owner of Bubbles and The Fish, was straight up, saying it was a business decision to return to the 3am closing time.

And that’s the problem with good intentions.

Against the cold hard reality of making money – a must for any business – they are worthless.

So what’s changed in the interim? Are bar owners who were concerned about alcohol-related trouble in the CBD now not so bothered?

We don’t know, because apart from the drop in police callouts, we’re bereft of meaningful information about the effects of the trial.

We’re also left to wonder what might have been if early closing were given a proper chance to bed in and change people’s behaviour long-term.

Bars have instead decided to focus on the bottom line, as they’re entitled to do.

From now on though, the hospitality industry could do well to avoid the hackneyed old cliche its prone to of blaming all alcoholrelated trouble on pre-loading.

Palmerston North’s industry has lost the right to provide virtuous social commentary and will instead stick to its knitting of giving us a venue to drink.

Cheers to that.