Double standards

In central Palma, the city council have outlawed “botellon” (drinking alcohol in the streets, mostly by young people who gathered in large groups). For many years the Paseo Maritimo was a key “botellon” area, but finally the council introduced legislation which outlawed this practice. It was welcomed by all. However, in the Playa de Palma, German tourists are allowed to drink alcohol in the street usually from buckets with long straws. I know it sounds incredible but this is the case. Shops and supermarkets actually sell the complete pack; bucket, straws and any alcohol of your choice. Then it is off to the seafront and let the party begin. It gives new meaning to the expression “bucket and spade” holiday but why is it allowed to take place? Why has the council turned a blind eye to a practice which has been banned in central Palma? Drinking a lethal cocktail of alcohol through a straw has got to be bad for your health. During the early hours of the morning some parts of the Playa de Palma are just littered with buckets and empty glass bottles. It is quite a depressing sight and means that a small army of cleaners are needed to get the main promenade looking decent again. Now, I suspect that if a crackdown was ordered someone might say that it was not good for tourism and was scaring tourists away. But the law is the law. If it is banned on the Paseo Maritimo then it should be banned in the Playa de Palma as well. No double standards please.