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What do you think about alcohol advertising?

Do you think minimum pricing of alcohol is counter to liberty?

  • The governments of England and now scotland have introduced minimum prices per unit of alcohol in a bid to reduce alcohol related crime and illness. Surely this is against the notion of liberty as it is our right to decide what and when to drink, and it is the right of alcohol producing companies and shops to decide what price to sell their merchandise at. Minimum pricing also implies that it is only people who drink cheap alcohol who have a problem. Many middleclass people drink far too much but as they drink better wine etc it is for some reason acceptable. This law will only cause poorer people who want a drink to steal it, furthering crime and misery. Cameron and Salmond: Either illegalise alcohol if you're saying its so bad or forget about minimum pricing altogether. To target a group like this is not inthe spirit of liberty. Either everyone should be able to buy the drink they want and when or no one at all. . .

  • Answer:

    Interesting one, and no easy answers - I do think that it's a failed policy even before it's implemented, for a number of reasons, though. Among its results will be the closure of lots of outlets across a 20-30 mile strip North of the Border, and a corresponding roaring trade for outlets 20-30 miles into England. Nor will this be in any way illegal. Many people will buy in bulk in England - again legal - and some will engage in bootleg sales in Scotland - almost certainly illegal. This quite apart from scams within the law involving an online transaction in England, and collection of booze bought in England from a Scottish warehouse. Agree with you that it's socially divisive and unjust, though - and I have to say that I think a Scottish government wanting to reduce the very real harm brought about by excessive boozing ought to look more closely at ease of access (sales hours, as in Sweden, number of licensed outlets, etc), indirect pressure through a blitz on drinking and driving, easily monitored and policed problems such as drunks on public transport, etc, rather than ration by price.

Celia H at Yahoo! Answers Visit the source

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Celia, I agree with your answer to a degree, but considering the minimum price in Scotland is 50p and England is getting set at 40p, I don't think it would be worth anybodys time or effort to go to England to buy it in bulk due to extra costs, petrol for instance or deliver charges. Is it really worth it to save what £2 on a bottle of wine? I know people will say yes it is for various reasons but, i'm just pointing out its not that cheaper than whats getting made out. They done the same with smoking last decade, now its alcohols time, I dont agree with it, the price of Jack Daniels is now getting to be ridiculous, I will always buy it, some way or the other as i have acquired the taste for it, I don't abuse it though and don't get why the price of an already expensive drink is going up, people who abuse drink buy cheap ciders etc not brand name Whisky, Burbon etc I agree it could see a rise in crime, think the whole policy's a mess and should be scrapped across the UK, but i know people who were against the smoking ban in pubs and said people would stop going and the pubs would loss out, did that happen as a direct impact of the smoking ban?

Andrew87

Bit obvious that drinking was going to be on the "hit list" eventually. Public focus has been concentrated on smokers for the last decade - they've just about been ostracised from society so time to move on to the next subject on the agenda. Back in 2003 it was estimated alcohol illness and abuse was costing the NHS over £3 billion a year and the economy £12 billion through sickness and absence from work. In Northamptonshire alone it's costing the Police around £1.5 million per annum to stick officers on the streets to deal with the drunks - and violent offences in the County, attributed to alcohol, are up 5% on 2010. Logic dictates that raising the price won't solve the problem. Now that the authorities have the bit between their teeth - and the anti-drink bandwagon is now rolling - I wouldn't be at all surprised to see the same happen to booze as to tobacco over the next decade. Ever increasing taxation above the rate of inflation and eventually ending up behind closed shutters. As for liberty - that only exists whilst the authorities allow it.

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