The end of cheap booze

[HibsMax]

This was talked about at length a few months ago. My mother in law forwarded me a link (http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/38969561/from/toolbar):

From the link, "The change would affect supermarket-branded alcohol more than established brands. It would mean a crate of 4.5 abv lager containing 24 bottles of 330ml would cost at least 16.20 pounds."

That seems a little steep to me. I can go into a liquor store over here and buy a 30-pack of Budweiser for about $25 which is about 16.20UKP. First of all, that's about the same price for 6 more cans of beer. Secondly, Budweiser is not what I would call supermarket beer. Bud has it's fans and haters but personally speaking I think it's OK. I don't even know how much it costs for "crappy" beer but I am sure it's far less.

[Makaveli]

You know what it's like? Reacting to all the devil dug attacks by making dog food more expensive.

Madness.

[lyonhibs]

"meaning a bottle of wine would cost at least 4.23 pounds and a bottle of whisky 12.60 pounds"

It's not exactly put booze into the realms of unaffordable. The number of girls you see wasted on that Zinfandel grog that Wetherspoons churn out at £4.99 a bottle is unreal, and that would still be legal.

Personally, this is a well-intentioned but misguided policy from the SNP. Proper boozehounds who want to get their hands on alchohol will continue to do so, though god knows what form that alchocol will be in. At least with supermarket-bought booze, you can guarantee - despite what it might taste like - that cheap lager isn't ACTUALLY lighter fluid/white spirit.

Still, having lived abroad, Scottish people do have a reputation for drinking a lot, and something needs to be done about it. In terms of what any government can visibly and directly influence, price is as good a starting point as any, but it's barely scratching the surface of the REAL reasons why we have - overall - a culture of booze dependency.

Those real reasons are social deprivation, exclusion, unemployment and - most of all - downright idiocy of the individual person (Here, I mean neds who drink Buckie bottles in 10 seconds/people who go out purely to get wasted, not bona fide alchoholics).

I'd prefer the Government put as much trumpet blowing and fanfare into addressing those reasons, matched with an actual effort by those who find themselves in danger (in terms of their social/economic milieu) of falling into the trap of alchohol dependency, as opposed to banging on about

"oooh we've made it more expensive, that'll do"

Underlying all this is the fact that no-one else FORCES you to take a drink, I hasten to add.

[Phil D. Rolls]

Is there any evidence from elsewhere to suggest this will improve the health of the nation? If there isn't they should just abandon this cockamenny scheme, because as any fule kno - Scotland does not have a drink problem at all, and I think they are just kill joys.

Seriously, I though about the impact on the cost of Vodka. Let's say I drink a litre a month. All that the £6 pay rise is going to cost me is an extra £1.50 a week. I hardly feel like I am being victimised.

I do resent the amount of my tax money that goes on paying for the cost of other people's excessive drinking (visit A&E any night after 11pm and you'll be hard pushed to find a sober patient).

Honestly folks booze is already costing us a fortune, we just don't see it at the check out.

[bighairyfaeleith]

is this increase going to go towards the cost of policing and healing drink issues?

I don't see the increase stopping anyone drinking, however if the money was going to be used wisely then I could agree with it, the chances of it being used wisely though are quite slim!

[--------]

Is there any evidence from elsewhere to suggest this will improve the health of the nation? If there isn't they should just abandon this cockamenny scheme, because as any fule kno - Scotland does not have a drink problem at all, and I think they are just kill joys.

Seriously, I though about the impact on the cost of Vodka. Let's say I drink a litre a month. All that the £6 pay rise is going to cost me is an extra £1.50 a week. I hardly feel like I am being victimised.

I do resent the amount of my tax money that goes on paying for the cost of other people's excessive drinking (visit A&E any night after 11pm and you'll be hard pushed to find a sober patient).

Honestly folks booze is already costing us a fortune, we just don't see it at the check out.

Yup. Totally agree. The guy I drove back to the Caldera behind this afternoon (kerbed his car three times, nearly ran into the back of the bus in front of him, nearly reversed into me twice and took out a bollard - a white one with a light under it - not an orange cone - at a roundabout) wasn't drunk at 4 o'clock in the afternoon; he just wasn't a very good driver.

We don't have an alcohol problem in Scotland. We're a' here because we're no' a' there - we're just bampots.

IIRC there was talk a while back of withholding certain categories of NHS care from people who refused or failed to stop smoking. Same's been suggested about people who're grossly overweight. So why do we allow the ambulance service to be overwhelmed weekend after weekend by drunks?

[degenerated]

is this increase going to go towards the cost of policing and healing drink issues?

I don't see the increase stopping anyone drinking, however if the money was going to be used wisely then I could agree with it, the chances of it being used wisely though are quite slim!

you can rest assured that it'll go towards junkets for bunterish lickspittles :agree:

[deeks01]

with all this negativity surrounding our "reputation" I'm just gonna stick my oar in and say I'm proud to enjoy my weekends.....

[MSK]

Is there any evidence from elsewhere to suggest this will improve the health of the nation? If there isn't they should just abandon this cockamenny scheme, because as any fule kno - Scotland does not have a drink problem at all, and I think they are just kill joys.

Seriously, I though about the impact on the cost of Vodka. Let's say I drink a litre a month. All that the £6 pay rise is going to cost me is an extra £1.50 a week. I hardly feel like I am being victimised.

I do resent the amount of my tax money that goes on paying for the cost of other people's excessive drinking (visit A&E any night after 11pm and you'll be hard pushed to find a sober patient).

Honestly folks booze is already costing us a fortune, we just don't see it at the check out.Its total bollox & if Mrs fish pus thinks its gonna change things then she is way off the mark ..for the last umpteen years they have upped the price o smokes ..has that stopped the smoker ..?..milk & bread are more expensive than they were years ago ..we still buy it ..a few extra bob on cider etc aint gonna make one iota of difference ..if you want it you will buy it ..if you cant afford it you will get the money by other means ...

Take yer heid oot yer erse Sturgeon & start doing yer sums ..the young drunkards around my area can afford the expensive stuff, it aint just cheap cider ..sort that out !!!

[Phil D. Rolls]

Take yer heid oot yer erse Sturgeon & start doing yer sums ..the young drunkards around my area can afford the expensive stuff, it aint just cheap cider ..sort that out !!!

It's not the youngsters they are targeting. They'll always get off their face. This whole perception that kids are the main threat to us from booze is wrong.