At The Boogaloo in Highgate, the pop quiz failed to happen due to “lack of
punters”. Apparently it's usually on a Tuesday, and for one week it was
moved to Wednesday. Looking around the pub there seemed to be plenty enough
people for a quiz, but then I've attended ones where the only participating
team was asked to split into two in order to inject some element of
competition.

Will, Ruth and Bill were there to share our disappointment, and we stayed
for a commiseratory drink. In fact, we stayed for a few. In fact, and I say
this with great shame as I know my parents occasionally read this journal, I
don't actually remember getting home. Drinking up time appeared to be at
midnight at The Boogaloo, and therein lay the problem. That extra hour of
drinking time turned a sociable and mild-mannered evening into a
blood-curdling session of excess and debauchery. This is why the licensing
laws in this country must never change. The British simply cannot handle it.
If the home secretary is concerned about drunken and antisocial behaviour on
the streets at 11pm every night, the answer is simple: shut the pubs at half
past seven.