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Bars popping up around the BVI are fuelling concern that the Territory is developing a “rum shop culture”, with questions being raised about who is receiving licences and the impact on communities.
Speaking on his Honestly Speaking radio programme on October 13, commentator Claude Skelton Cline criticised what he described as the growing concentration of bars across the Territory.
“Every corner, sometimes two or three on the same street, every time I turn around now, a new bar is popping up. How is this possible?” he asked.
“We are developing bar culture in this country, a rum shop culture in this country.”
Skelton Cline questioned the issuing of licences as more establishments open.
“Who is getting these bars licences? Who is getting these liquor licences?” he asked.
He expressed particular concern about drinking among young people, especially young women, and warned that habitual alcohol consumption could carry consequences for health, families and the wider community.
He predicted that the trend could contribute to domestic violence and molestation, while leaving some people functioning in their daily lives despite persistent excessive drinking.
Skelton Cline also argued that the spread of bars reflected deeper social and spiritual problems, suggesting people were using alcohol to numb their pain.
“When you see bars popping up everywhere, it’s a sign that the people of that country is anaesthetising their pain with this drug, and alcohol is a drug. It’s a legal drug, but it’s a drug,” he said.
He questioned drinking becoming a daily or weekly habit and said concern for people’s wellbeing mattered more to him than any backlash from bar operators.
“I care more about you and your life and your livelihood and your health and the wellbeing of this country as a whole,” he stated.
Skelton Cline argued that alcohol continued to sell regardless of economic conditions and criticised what he viewed as a focus on profit at the expense of the community.
“We are more concerned about the dollar than about the lives of the people and the decay of a culture,” he said.
Speaking on his Honestly Speaking radio programme on October 13, commentator Claude Skelton Cline criticised what he described as the growing concentration of bars across the Territory.
“Every corner, sometimes two or three on the same street, every time I turn around now, a new bar is popping up. How is this possible?” he asked.
“We are developing bar culture in this country, a rum shop culture in this country.”
Skelton Cline questioned the issuing of licences as more establishments open.
“Who is getting these bars licences? Who is getting these liquor licences?” he asked.
He expressed particular concern about drinking among young people, especially young women, and warned that habitual alcohol consumption could carry consequences for health, families and the wider community.
He predicted that the trend could contribute to domestic violence and molestation, while leaving some people functioning in their daily lives despite persistent excessive drinking.
Skelton Cline also argued that the spread of bars reflected deeper social and spiritual problems, suggesting people were using alcohol to numb their pain.
“When you see bars popping up everywhere, it’s a sign that the people of that country is anaesthetising their pain with this drug, and alcohol is a drug. It’s a legal drug, but it’s a drug,” he said.
He questioned drinking becoming a daily or weekly habit and said concern for people’s wellbeing mattered more to him than any backlash from bar operators.
“I care more about you and your life and your livelihood and your health and the wellbeing of this country as a whole,” he stated.
Skelton Cline argued that alcohol continued to sell regardless of economic conditions and criticised what he viewed as a focus on profit at the expense of the community.
“We are more concerned about the dollar than about the lives of the people and the decay of a culture,” he said.
© 2026 BVI Platinum News. This article is original BVI Platinum content. Reproduction or republication without written permission is prohibited.
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