Tuesday, December 01, 2020

Do they have a clue?

 In Britain, pubs in areas that are designated Tier 2, will be able to serve alcoholic drinks if they accompany a "substantial meal". That begs the question about what constitutes a substantial meal. 

There have also been questions asked about how much alcohol you can order with your meal and whether you can continue to drink after your meal is finished. 

Speak to different Ministers and you get different answers. Apparently a sandwich could be considered substantial if it is served with pickles and beetroot*. A pork pie though is not considered sufficient, nor is a sausage roll but according to George Eustace a scotch egg would count if it was served to a table. No surprise there since Eustace owns a farm which produces scotch eggs. However, Michael Grove disagreed. He said even two scotch eggs would not count and then changed his mind a few hours later.

Meantime,  Robert Jenrick, says a pasty on its own doesn't count as a 'substantial meal' unless it is served with chips or salad. Of course, you don't have to actually eat the salad - just order it and leave it on the plate and that will be fine. 

Today, MPs will vote on the revised Tier System which replaces lockdown with a further lockdown for 99% of the country. It is thought that there could be large numbers of Tory rebels who will vote against the measures and that Johnson will only win because Labour has decided to abstain. The rebels demanded an assessment of the economic impact of the restrictions but none was forthcoming. 

* The 1965 case of Timmis v Millman, found that a sandwich only counts as a meal if 'accompanied by beetroot and pickles'.

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