How to stop the Jocks boozing... or just rip them off.

[Saxondale]

http://www.bbc.co.uk...otland-18052849

This will almost certainly follow in England and Wales in the next few years.

It won't stop people drinking, it'll just make us poorer.

The Scottish government has confirmed that it wants to set a minimum price for alcohol of 50p per unit.

The figure - 5p higher than the one which had been proposed in the previous parliament - comes as a 40p price is planned for England and Wales.

The Scottish Nationalists hope the measure will reduce the health problems caused by excessive drinking.

Health Secretary Nicola Sturgeon made the announcement during a visit to Glasgow Royal Infirmary.

It is hoped the move - which would make the cheapest bottle of wine £4.69, while a four-pack of lager would cost at least £3.52 - will lead to a reduction in hospital admissions and deaths through alcohol abuse.

Ms Sturgeon said: "Too many Scots are drinking themselves to death. The problem affects people of all walks of life.

"It's no coincidence that as affordability has increased, alcohol-related hospital admissions have quadrupled, and it is shocking that half of our prisoners now say they were drunk when they committed the offence. It's time for this to stop.

"Introducing a minimum price per unit will enable us to tackle these problems, given the clear link between affordability and consumption.

"There is now a groundswell of support for the policy across the medical profession, police forces, alcohol charities and from significant parts of the drinks and licensed trade industry who recognise the benefits minimum pricing can bring - saving lives and reducing crime."

[Zingari]

Blimey that's gonna cost me a lot if it comes in

It's no use having a feckin budget that says no extra duty , and then smack us in the chops with this !!

theivin' bastrads !!

"It's no coincidence that as affordability has increased, alcohol-related hospital admissions have quadrupled, and it is shocking that half of our prisoners now say they were drunk when they committed the offence. It's time for this to stop.

Maybe if they'd been sober , the dumb plods wouldn't have caught them !!

[pSinatra]

If the cheapest bottle of wine is going to be £4.69 & the cheapest 4-pack is going to be £3.52..........you may as well drink something decent at those prices.

It will create jobs in Trading Standards......keeping up with the amount of illegal alcohol knocking about.

I don't believe for one minute that this will solve anything.

[Orkneyfox]

I think I'll buy my wine mail order from England!

[The Doctor]

Depends how they're applying it - just in supermarkets may help protect the pub trade by stopping supermarkets from drastically under-cutting them.

[Webbo]

Depends how they're applying it - just in supermarkets may help protect the pub trade by stopping supermarkets from drastically under-cutting them.

It's already more than 50p a unit in pubs so it might help a little.

[Corky]

You do feel for those who drink responsibly, they are being made to pay more by those that don't.

I don't drink so it doesn't directly affect me (or won't if its introduced down here) but I can understand the frustration of the responsible drinkers.

[Webbo]

Price has always been the most effective deterrent that's why cigarettes are so expensive. It's unfortunate for sensible drinkers but if you only drink in moderation it shouldn't be too much of an increase.

[Zingari]

Price has always been the most effective deterrent that's why cigarettes are so expensive. It's unfortunate for sensible drinkers but if you only drink in moderation it shouldn't be too much of an increase.

I dunno about that , Booze seems a lot cheaper in most other countries , but it always seems to the the Brits who are the most irresponsible . I think we as a nation have a much deeper malaise .

[Webbo]

I dunno about that , Booze seems a lot cheaper in most other countries , but it always seems to the the Brits who are the most irresponsible . I think we as a nation have a much deeper malaise .

I don't think it's a malaise so much as a drinking culture.

[Zingari]

I don't think it's a malaise so much as a drinking culture.

What causes the drinking culture ?

I don't think it's cheaply available booze . There must be other factors that more directly create a society whereby the first thing everyone thinks about on a night out is to get completely blotto.

I don't think we encourage youngsters to do more activities in their social lives . Everything thing about the UK is about saving money and that usually means cutting out expensive amenities such as swimming baths , skating rinks ,youth clubs night schools etc etc

Kids hang around the streets and then when they are old enough , it's into the pubs .

Basically what i'm saying is that we don't invest enough into our kid's futures and I'm not blaming any one political party , but all of them for the past 30 odd years

[Phube]

Really, who drinks alcohol at those (new) prices anyway? Surely only students and alcoholics!?

[Webbo]

What causes the drinking culture ?

I don't think it's cheaply available booze . There must be other factors that more directly create a society whereby the first thing everyone thinks about on a night out is to get completely blotto.

I don't think we encourage youngsters to do more activities in their social lives . Everything thing about the UK is about saving money and that usually means cutting out expensive amenities such as swimming baths , skating rinks ,youth clubs night schools etc etc

Kids hang around the streets and then when they are old enough , it's into the pubs .

Basically what i'm saying is that we don't invest enough into our kid's futures and I'm not blaming ant political party , but all of them for the pst 30 odd years

I don't think it's the economy, we're certainly not as bad off as Greece or Spain. On the continent it's not the done thing to get drunk in public whereas in this country people take pride in it.

[Zingari]

I don't think it's the economy, we're certainly not as bad off as Greece or Spain. On the continent it's not the done thing to get drunk in public whereas in this country people take pride in it.

no i'm not saying it's the economy , it's a malaise that has permeated our society for a very long time .

if you go to Spain ( and probably Greece too) you will see that their kids are far more active socially doing a much broader range of things than Brit kids

ok they do have the advantage of much better weather , but I still maintain we should give the kids more ( or rather invest in them) and give them the encouragement and facilities to express themselves and develop better .

[Saxondale]

On the continent it's not the done thing to get drunk in public whereas in this country people take pride in it.

I disagree with this. I think it's more a case of the difference in accepted standards of behaviour when people do get drunk and a difference in the culture of drinking itself.

For years and years, British drinking has been based on getting as wrecked as you can within the window of pub opening hours. It's also associated with masculinity and machismo.

[Rincewind]

Talking about the Scots, watching a program about the 70's. They just showed Ally McCloud saying Scotland were going to win the world cup. Also said the irony of it was that it was also the opening of a famous stage musical. Evita.

[Jon the Hat]

It's the weather. It is shite.

[davieG]

These prices wont stop serious drinkers/potential alcoholics and it wont stop those single young people out to get pissed as I doubt the price of a drink enters their head when they're choosing where to drink/get drunk.

We've had topics on here and the message I got from it was having a good time these days was based on how blotto one can get to the point where the less you can remember about it the better the night you had.

This will mainly hit families that on the whole drink in a sensible fashion and older people on a limited budget who like the odd tipple.

If they really want to do something they need to change the cultural hearts and minds and not by pumping the price up.

[Captain...]

no i'm not saying it's the economy , it's a malaise that has permeated our society for a very long time .

if you go to Spain ( and probably Greece too) you will see that their kids are far more active socially doing a much broader range of things than Brit kids

ok they do have the advantage of much better weather , but I still maintain we should give the kids more ( or rather invest in them) and give them the encouragement and facilities to express themselves and develop better .

I know what you mean, but don't think the Spanish don't get absolutely plastered when they want to, I think one big difference is opening times. I think that a lot of shit happens in England when people leave the pubs, clubs, bars. I think that is in part because they are not finished with the night. In Spain you stay out drinking and dancing until you are just too tired to go on. Every night of the week you can stay out until the sun comes up. By that point you are too tired to do anything.

I would also say they are much closer to their communities. They generally stay in the city they were born and have much closer ties to it. I don't know if that makes a difference but if you have more pride in where you are from you are less likely to trash things like cup stops when you are drunk.

[Rincewind]

Don't know how widespread it is now but a tradition in Spain is to eat late with the family. If they go out they all go to a restaurant and eat late. The bars are open late and welcome all ages. They are not aimed at any age group in particular.

Then go home work a few hours then have a sleep and do a few more hours work until its time to go out. They do most of their going out at the weekend and relax on Sunday.

This is what was taught At my Spanish night school anyway. so don't know how up to date the text books were.

[ozleicester]

I'm of the firm opinion that the problem with alcohol (and it is at least equal here as in the UK) is that our "leaders" spent so long scaring everyone about illeagal drugs, that they forgot the worst of all, which by coincidence is legal.

I asked the question here some time ago as to just why there is a need to go out and obliterate yourself on the weekends but no one seemed able to give an actual reason,

"I have more fun when drunk",

"its always a good night when your drunk"

Tax the living cr@p out of it i say...or just legalise "it" and at least reduce the antisocial behaviour

[Zingari]

I know what you mean, but don't think the Spanish don't get absolutely plastered when they want to, I think one big difference is opening times. I think that a lot of shit happens in England when people leave the pubs, clubs, bars. I think that is in part because they are not finished with the night. In Spain you stay out drinking and dancing until you are just too tired to go on. Every night of the week you can stay out until the sun comes up. By that point you are too tired to do anything.

I would also say they are much closer to their communities. They generally stay in the city they were born and have much closer ties to it. I don't know if that makes a difference but if you have more pride in where you are from you are less likely to trash things like cup stops when you are drunk.

i agree with very much of what you say , especially about the closeness of communities aspect of life in the UK now .

I actually think that the breakdown of the tightly knit community has had greater impact on all our lives than many realise

In a way, communities used to police themselves.

[Jaspa]

Hmmmmmmm . . .

Scotland hasn't had a riot in a while !

What shall we do ?

[wurmer]

Hmmmmmmm . . .

Scotland hasn't had a riot in a while

They're always too pissed to organise any...

[Bellend Sebastian]

I had no idea that FT had so many 8 Ace drinkers