First they came for the smokers
Discussion
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-12083695
Now they want to tag all alcohol sold in scotland to stop underage drinkers.
Typical lefty idea of ignore the drunken wee neds and lets punish business owners.
Now they want to tag all alcohol sold in scotland to stop underage drinkers.
Typical lefty idea of ignore the drunken wee neds and lets punish business owners.
Manee said:
surely as long as the business owner has done his job properly and ID'd the persons buying then they would be safe from any prosecution?
nothing will come of it though - too much effort to police and administer
I tend to agree with this.nothing will come of it though - too much effort to police and administer
However, as suggested in the thread title, the health fascists will not stop once they think they have "won the war" on smoking.
Alcohol drinkers and fat people will both be targetted in due course with exactly the same modus operandi - "cost to the country" "cost to the NHS" "if we can save just one life it will be worth it" etc etc
Be aware. Be very aware
It's interesting that Scotland's alcohol consumption level is actually lower than Germany's, but the perception is that Scottish drinking is a 'problem':
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/scotland/7903584.stm
http://www.scotland.gov.uk/News/Releases/2009/02/2...
The social and economic cost of alcohol misuse is pretty huge, and it's something almost all governments worry about. The range of options for trying to moderate people's alcohol intake is limited though - apart from schemes like this, what would you do? Most PH'ers seem to get very bothered about rowdy underage drinkers: isn't trying to plug the source of the booze one of the logical steps to take?
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/scotland/7903584.stm
http://www.scotland.gov.uk/News/Releases/2009/02/2...
The social and economic cost of alcohol misuse is pretty huge, and it's something almost all governments worry about. The range of options for trying to moderate people's alcohol intake is limited though - apart from schemes like this, what would you do? Most PH'ers seem to get very bothered about rowdy underage drinkers: isn't trying to plug the source of the booze one of the logical steps to take?
Guam said:
pictures of diseased innards on the back of a pizza hut menu anyone?
Or Diseased liver pictures on the back of that decent Chardonnay
Sounds ludicrous right? Well thats what they did with the Fag Packets so why stop there??
I always buy my tobacco in Spain or Belgium.Or Diseased liver pictures on the back of that decent Chardonnay
Sounds ludicrous right? Well thats what they did with the Fag Packets so why stop there??
That way I can't understand the health warnings
Manee said:
the fatties will get it coming before the alcoholics i reckon.
the recent report of the 25% increase in a stone in weight for the men etc...
Funnily enough (or not) I had the "fatty" talk last time I was at the GP's (I had gone to ask what men's health checks were available to men past a certain age but was scolded and told off, another story) when the fat, mensturating biach mentioned that it would be good for ME to loose weight.the recent report of the 25% increase in a stone in weight for the men etc...
Aye up fattie.
Mojocvh said:
Manee said:
the fatties will get it coming before the alcoholics i reckon.
the recent report of the 25% increase in a stone in weight for the men etc...
Funnily enough (or not) I had the "fatty" talk last time I was at the GP's (I had gone to ask what men's health checks were available to men past a certain age but was scolded and told off, another story) when the fat, mensturating biach mentioned that it would be good for ME to loose weight.the recent report of the 25% increase in a stone in weight for the men etc...
Aye up fattie.
- LOL* i feel for you. thats why i dont go to the doctors no more. us fat brothers gotta stick together.
N Dentressangle said:
It's interesting that Scotland's alcohol consumption level is actually lower than Germany's, but the perception is that Scottish drinking is a 'problem'
And when you look at that "league table" in the BBC piece, it lays the lie once and for all to the "cheap alcohol is the cause of the problem" argument.No its bloody not. Alcohol is a fraction of the UK price in Spain and France (as long as you don't buy it in a bar
) but they don't have the same problems with kids getting pissed uo that we do.The problem is a cultural one. Wherever you look in history, the people who inhabit this island have liked to get pissed. Frequently. Unfortunately, a sizeable but still small proportion of them then like to go out and beat up everybody in sight.
Governments have been trying to "do something about it" for over 200 years. The Beer Act in 1830-something was designed to allow more outlets to sell the stuff (cheaply) and get people out of the gin palaces that were previously all the rage, the rationale being that getting blotto on beer is less damaging than doing it on the hard stuff.
Licensed "permitted hours" were brought in during the First World War, and from that point on the sheer excitement of trying to get an "illicit" drink after hours became a national sport until deregulation.
If we work on the premise that inebriated youngsters handing out bunches of fives is the problem we want to solve, we need to bear a few facts in mind:
1. They have no dependents and, if they're in a job, they have a high level of disposable income. You can charge a tenner a pint for the stuff - they'll still buy it.
2. The old motto - there are three ways to get things done. Do it yourself, pay someone else to do it, or forbid your kids from doing it. The more difficult you make getting hold of alcohol the more they'll want it
One of the few good things that labour did whilst in office was to deregulate the market. Whilst they said they wanted a "cafe culture" to develop, it is clear to me and was probably clear to the legislators that this would be a long term vision that would take a generation or two to implement. It wouldn't happen in 5 minutes but, because it didn't, the right wing press has been calling for new restrictions to be imposed within a week of the legilsation coming into effect.
The way to deal with this is not to bugger about with the price of alcohol but to come down hard on those that transgress. And I'm sorry for all our Plod readers on here, but that means you lot making it clear to the perpetrators that this behaviour will not be tolerated.
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