Well, I think you've made the same point as I was trying to make Dave, but from a different angle. The powers that be *spit* have introduced longer opening hours on the grounds that there will be less drunkenness as a result. I totally refute that highly-flawed premise on precisely the grounds you've stated - they don't get pissed because of restricted hours, they get pissed because they want to get pissed, and they will continue to do so.

I don't necessarily disagree with extended hours per se, indeed I'd love to see the continental scenario operating in the UK with the same success, but I do believe that the reasoning given for extending hours is perverse and very flawed.