Thursday 29 March 2012

40p Minimum Price? Far Too Cheap Already, Apparently

I suppose the usual prohibitionist suspects would have been unsurprised that Friday's minimum alcohol pricing announcement was roundly condemned by the press. I expect even they were of the belief they had another few months, maybe a year, of nagging and softening up of the public before any politician would be stupid enough to go for it.

However, the Guardian gently pointing out that it was a bit of a silly proposal was betrayal enough for Caroline Lucas - always ready to jump on any scaremongery bandwagon, as is her wont - to fire off a letter.
Measures set out in the new national alcohol strategy include a minimum price of 40p per unit of alcohol in England and Wales and greater powers for local authorities to deal with binge drinking.

[...]

Increasing the minimum unit price to at least 50p would be a good first step. This level is supported by Alcohol Concern and would be in line with research from Sheffield University, which shows the greatest positive impact would be for a minimum price of between 50p and 60p.
You're giving the plan away, love. That's scheduled to be announced after the bill has been passed.

The consultation isn't anywhere near being announced yet but the 40p suggested starting point is already being touted as too cheap. It's quite incredible too that Conservative Party policy is being trumpeted by the most authoritarian, freedom-despising party in British politics. Was there a ripple in time and space that I missed, or something?

It's good to see our predictions about the dangerous nature of minimum pricing being confirmed, mind.


13 comments:

Jay said...

We're doomed...?

Do all of the loonies work in or around Bath?  I was just noticing Dr James Nicholls's letter... 

Curmudgeon said...

Hmm, what about all the crusty dreadlocked hippies drinking Special Brew?

Dick_Puddlecote said...

I liked Eric Appleby claiming that minimum alcohol pricing was 'designed' instead of spat out by paid advocates with nothing else to justify their tax sponging. ;)

How much longer? said...

Over to you, ,Monsieur Proudon,  Quote
" representative politics,,to be watched,inspected,spied upon,directed,
law-ridden,penned up,indoctrinated,,preached at,checked,appraised,seized,censured,commanded by beings who have neither title,knowledge or virtue."

So let us ,hand in hand ,shoulder our keyboards ,tiptoe like tulips into a grey
well ventilated ,low alcohol Hell,an handfull of despots doing as they wish,
millions sat motionless ,silent and subserviant ,passive assistants all.

We do hope most Conservatives have twigged it by now
DAVE HAS TO GO

The Blue Few

Steve Brown said...

I drink beer. I like drinking beer, I enjoy drinking my beer.
In future it will be MY beer, beer which I have brewed at home. I adamantly refuse to pay the proposed bloated prices for my beer.
I'm 64 years of age, I have consumed alcohol all of my life (my Father taught me how to drink beer when I was 14). In my opinion, my wife's opinion and the opinions of my friends I am not a town centre wrecking drunkard and I'm not considered to be a wife-beater (my best beloved could take me down in the first round".
I have never been what our so-called 'lords-and-masters' term a 'binge drinker' even though I regularly consume more than the 'approved' number of units. In fact, I have never been able to figure out what a 'unit' is. Can someone please explain that to me. Words of one syllable would be appreciated! 
I'm sorry, but all this shit about "controlling" binge drinking is just that. A load of shit. The only thing being sought in this move is control. Control over the entire population and it won't stop there. The Bansturbators will not be satisfied until they have legislative control over every single thing that we do or consume.
"Fur cough" is my determined response. My tobacco plants are growing well and my mini brewery is all set to go!

David said...

Yes, some of us did predict the totally predictable. They've merely been practising on smokers as a prelude to the main event. 

Henry Crun said...

Kind of reminds me of the old Jewish joke:

Herschel and Hymie meet on the way to synagogue one Saturday evening.

Herschel: Oy Hymie so sorry to hear about your factory burning down.
Hymie: Shh, that's next week.

ivandenisovich said...

Who is paying Eric these days as allegedly we aren't. The media are all too quick to see the vested interests of the drinks companies but blind to those of the professional activists and the public health industry.

Single acts of tyranny said...

The most dangerous man to any government is the man who is able to think things out... without regard to the prevailing superstitions and taboos. Almost inevitably he comes to the conclusion that the government he lives under is dishonest, insane, intolerable.
H. L. Mencken

Jay said...

Indeed. For instance: http://nannyingtyrants.blogspot.co.uk/2012/03/boycott-british-heart-foundation.html

Not an entirely shameless blog plug... honest.

Ian R Thorpe said...

I supose dear, flaky Carrie will soon be demanding that those ladies of negotiable affection who for ten quid offer a tuppenny upright in the alley behind the pub should be forced to charge £200 an hour like Belle de Jour in the interests of public health.

Minimum pricing my arse. The next post deals with contraband tobacco. My son tells me there are several snout barons in Accrington who make their living going round selling ciggies out of a backpack.

People are ever resourceful. Be hard to carry enough beer in a backpack to make a decent days wage but people will find a way to distribue their product.

Michael McFadden said...

Actually, the minimum unit price increase can be kept at 40p/unit indefinitely.

All they have to do is keep decreasing the size of the "unit" !

"A teaspoon of wine a day will keep the doctor away my dear..."

- MJM

Antlers12345 said...

It must not be forgotten that Loathesome Lucas, as well as being a fully paid up greenshit and anti-alcohol has also got her snout in the anti-smoking trough too. She has been/is trying to get the EU to bring all tobacco products in Europe in line with the UK.

How the people of Brighton elected this dreadful, anti-freedom woman is beyond me. She is a menace and a real danger to us all, I look at her picture and spit on it.

What is it with the people of this country, there's 60,000,000 citizens, the politicans, bureaucrats, enforcers, quangos are minute in comparison, yet they're doing just as they like with our freedom, choices & liberty, doing it openly & with impunity now, and we're allowing it to go on.

When will the masses say enough is enough.