A tight regulatory noose is in danger of strangling trade and taking licensed premises down it. Janet Hood argues that it is time for a swift re-think to ensure responsibility is placed where it truly belongs.

I travel by train, this usually has a dual advantage of letting me work or sleep – yeah must be a lovely sight but I can’t see myself so I don’t believe you - and more importantly I don’t have to think about trying to park in any of our major cities.

A couple of the train companies have signage stating that their staff don’t come to work to be assaulted or abused & that persons who do that to their staff will be prosecuted. All very well. I don’t go to work to be assaulted either so I get the picture.

However few people would consider me a soft target, big strong, potentially dangerous ... naw... also I am well mannered so why would you want to?

Public transport organisations need to consider very carefully their public profile, I have seldom encountered such ill mannered and unfriendly staff.

With a few exceptions – Eddie in Montrose is a star - one is never greeted with a smile. Ticket purchases are challenging - worse if you are young - no help is offered and you have to know what you need surely it is clear that the cheapest option is usually the one most people wish in these challenging times. Once on the train aggressive and surly guards do little to develop a pleasant atmosphere. I overheard one guard last week shouting at a boy who’d just rushed off a bus to catch the train – no time to purchase a ticket in advance. I went to the buffet and asked the surly operative for a coffee and a bun please. “£3.80” was the unsmiling response as the coffee was smacked down on the counter. I smiled my widest and suggested “Please” and a “please” I got and a “thank you ma-am”. I stayed at end of buffet for about 10 minutes and noted that he said please and thank you to every customer when I was there. Must have thought I was a mystery shopper.

The point is that the very attitude of most railway staff is such as to engender deep feelings of dislike in me and occasionally I should like to slap them. It is not surprising that some people do over react. Train companies may indeed have a problem with disaffected public however if they trained their staff in customer care and service I believe that incidences of assault and abuse would go down.

However one should ask is this a problem for society as a whole? Yes indeed. Perhaps we need to look closely at how we behave in public and at home and consider how our attitude and behaviour affects others.

When was the last time you stood for an older or disabled person? Smiled at a passer by on the street or said hello to a stranger? When was the last time you gracefully accepted someone’s offer of a seat or thanked someone for holding open a door? My son tells me that he believes manners are dead as he often gets a very rude response if he displays what I believe to be normal behaviour. “Do I look crippled” “I am perfectly capable of standing” have been reactions. I tell him to persevere as I still think manners will win in the end. If someone reacted that way to me I should be very cross.

Perhaps we should institute manners training into school and university curricula. A more courteous society would lead to a less violent society which would good for everyone and reduce crime.

In the meantime Vicky Quay has been working her magic and has sadly rejected the amendment to the Criminal Justice and Licensing Bill which would have made it a crime to covertly look at other peoples bottoms. I have always had a thing about patent leather shoes. I suspect men who wear them may indeed belong to the “Carry on” crowd. It would have been a blow for female modesty had the amendment come through. Patent leather shoes and otherwise highly polished footwear would have been banned and our chaste undergarments could have been free from scrutiny by prurient members of society. In the meantime girls my advice to you is to keep wearing the bloomers but only underneath your trouser suit.

It’s a jolly time for licensees across the land. Since 2009 we have had a 25% drop in the number of licensed premises across Scotland. Many outlets have closed. Some because they were just not up to the job; others because they could not afford the cost of the highly bureaucratic licensing regime which has been slated not just by me but by the Regulatory Review Group. Vicky has said they are currently legislating to re-dress issues raised in Professor Griggs report but I have been unable to find any sign of this. Meanwhile proposals to impose a social responsibility fee on all licensed premises moves on apace. This is to raise a tax to mitigate the affects of alcohol harm in our communities. No consideration is given to the fact that the drinker is the person who causes the harm. I have not yet been in premises where I am tied down and alcohol is funnelled down my throat. The Scottish Government has made great changes – including requiring licensees and their staff to be appropriately trained to prevent harm. The Chief Constable of Strathclyde has stated publicly that the pub is the safest place to drink. Please Vicky, think again. We now have large numbers of villages with no shop or pub. Fear of crime is in the increase and normal social life is becoming impossible. Let’s not make it worse with this latest proposal.