January 27, 2006 -- In a move that must qualify as the overreaction of the decade, Glasgow nightclubs and pubs will this month be forced to begin removing all glass from their premises, replacing it with plastic. No more cask ale in glass pints or halfs, no wine bottles on the tables, no drinking from the bottle. (Well, at least there’s a tiny up side in that last point.)

The glass ban is being imposed by Glasgow City Council in an effort to combat “glassing” and “bottling,” fight tactics that use the glass bottle as a serious a weapon. With such a draconian response, you’d think that there was an epidemic of such instances, right? Wrong. In 2005, there were all of 81 such attacks in Glasgow, according to the Scottish Beer and Pub Association.

Enforcement of the ban has already begun in city centre nightclubs and is expected to be phased in throughout the city’s clubs and bars by the end of the year, says a story in The Evening Times of Scotland.

As has been pointed out in endless articles since the ban was announced, this measure is likely to all but nullify the efforts Glasgow has made in recent years to burnish the city’s image, as its imposition is a tacit admission that hooliganism is out of control. Additionally, many of the tourists whom City Council is so interested in attracting will no doubt be less than impressed at being handed their first pint of good Scottish ale in a plastic cup. Yup, there’s nothing quite like treating adults as children to put people off the city.

Even worse, a similar ban is now being considered in the capital city of Edinburgh, and there are fears the well-meaning but decidedly wrong-headed movement could take hold elsewhere.

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