A petition has been launched calling for the powers that be to end Glasgow's "anti-working class" ban on outdoor drinking.
Created last week by Glasgow Caledonian University PhD student Gavin Brewis, the Change.org petition is calling on Glasgow to ditch the byelaw and allow locals the freedom to enjoy alcohol out in the open for the first time in decades.
In the petition, Brewis brands the byelaw as "anti-working class" and argues that it only serves to benefit pub, bar and restaurant owners "at the expense of the poor who simply wish to enjoy their local parks with a small beverage in the same way our neighbours in Edinburgh do".
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But why did the city implement the ruling in the first place and how come it's not observed on the opposite side of the M8 in Edinburgh? We take a closer look.
Outdoor drinking ban - origins
As per the Local Government (Scotland) Act 1973 each of Scotland's local authority areas has the right to determine its own distinct set of rules when it comes to drinking alcohol outside in public places.
As we are all well aware, it's illegal to consume booze on the streets of Glasgow, yet in Scotland's capital less than 50 miles away, people are free to drink away to their heart's content wherever they choose.
The City of Edinburgh Council allows consumption of alcohol in public places, with police only stepping in to prevent drinking in public if things get out of hand, which can result in a fine or arrest if citizens refuse.
This is still a far cry from the situation in Glasgow where the byelaw states quite clearly that "any person who consumes alcoholic liquor in a designated place or is found to be in possession of an open container containing alcohol in a designated place shall be guilty of an offence".
Designed to curb alcohol-related crime, anti-social behaviour and underage drinking, Glasgow's blanket ban on outdoor drinking officially came into force in 1996, with the offence of public drinking or being in possession of an open container containing alcohol carrying a fine of up to £500.
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The prohibition of outdoor drinking in Glasgow had been a long time coming. In the 1980s, campaigns sprung up to address the issue of anti-social street tipplers and so-called lager louts who were on the increase in the city centre.
The government had already stepped in at the start of the decade, when a riot at the end of the 1980 Scottish Cup Final between Celtic and Rangers fans resulted in alcohol being banned at sporting events in Scotland.
Glasgow at that time was considered to be a "bastion of hard drinking" and there were many who felt that radical solutions would need to be adopted in order to shake off the undesirable 'Rab C Nesbitt' image.
Pilot schemes
In 1989, campaigners got their way when the government threw its weight behind a new bill that would sort out Glasgow's turbulent relationship with public boozing once and for all. Pilot schemes were subsequently introduced eight council areas, including Cumbernauld and Kilsyth, Motherwell, Monklands and Renfrew, and were seen as a huge success.
Speaking in 1996, Peter Gibson, then assistant chief constable of Strathclyde Police, said the byelaw was vital to make Glasgow's streets safer.
He said: "We receive frequent complaints in many parts of the city about the disturbance caused by such drinkers who often congregate in large and intimidating groups.
"Over-indulgence in alcohol can often lead to more serious offences. This new byelaw is an important tool for the police in our efforts to head off such trouble".
On the day of the ban coming into force, however, public compliance was not universal, with some Glaswegians defiant that they would continue to drink on the streets.
"We are not violent," said one local hostel resident, who said he would continue to drink in the open air by the bands of the Clyde. "We don't cause any trouble. We are not annoying anyone. We just come down here for a drink and sit out of the road."
No ban in Edinburgh
While Glasgow is the largest, there are a number of local authorities in Scotland which prohibit the drinking of alcohol outdoors, but Edinburgh is not among them.
The capital did consider a ban in the 1990s, and again in 2006, but in the end the City of Edinburgh Council preferred to stick with a byelaw that simply gave police the powers to confiscate alcohol and, if necessary, dish out fines and make arrests, instead.
Is it time Glasgow adopted the Edinburgh approach and ditched the blanket ban? Let us know in the comments below.
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