I read an article in the Guardian about Westminster Council’s draft licensing policy that would restrict “vertical drinking” — standing at a bar to order a drink or chatting with a drink in hand. If ever a policy belonged in a Monty Python sketch, this is it. One can almost picture three men bursting into a crowded pub in brilliant cardinal uniforms shouting, “Nobody expects the Spanish Inquisition! Put that pint down!” Considering all the issues facing Great Britain’s government, whether large or small, this seems to have become top of mind. To be fair, London’s mayor, Sadiq Khan, has pushed back against proposals of this sort.

However, it does, as is often the case, bring us back to something far more significant than whether people may stand while enjoying a pint. It brings us back to the gradual erosion of individual freedom in the name of the common good. Utilitarianism, which judges public policy by the greatest perceived good for the greatest number, has a habit of eroding personal freedom, especially when combined with thoughtless calls to action.