Minimum pricing for alcohol

Duck59

Duck59

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We've just had the introduction of minimum unit pricing for alcohol in Scotland. One imagines that it will, eventually, find its way to other parts of the UK. I don't know what others here think about it, but here's my thoughts on the matter, though first I ought to mention that the law is 50 pence per unit of alcohol as a minimum. This means that, for example, a two-litre bottle of 5% cider now costs £5, whereas previously, a lot of standard supermarket ones cost under three quid.

On the face of things, it doesn't necessarily seem a bad measure. Surely, you might argue, this is a good thing in combatting alcoholism and alcohol abuse? But is it as simple as that?

I'm far from convinced. This measure is only going to hit people at the poor end of the spectrum. And it's a fair bet, to my mind, that people who have a form of alcohol dependency are always going to find a way to get their fix. One problem that springs to mind immediately is the danger of increased petty crime, with shoplifting being a distinct and obvious example.

This isn't going to make a jot of difference to the middle classes or those on decent incomes. The effect on stuff like bottles of wine or bottles of craft beer is, at worst, minimal and at best, non-existent. The measure is only going to be felt by those on low incomes.

To me, this is a sticking plaster measure, in the sense of applying said product to a wound that requires something far more substantial. There are a number of good things about living in Scotland - for example, free eye tests, free prescriptions, widespread access to NHS dentists, etc - but this isn't one of them.
 
You might be suprised to learn that there are a fair few "middle-class" shoplifters. Nearly as many as those on a decent income.

They tend to see it as a victimless crime, "that anybody would do, if they thought they could get away with it". Shop staff are there to serve, not to stop and question them about what they've not paid for.
 
Duck59 said:
To me, this is a sticking plaster measure, in the sense of applying said product to a wound that requires something far more substantial. There are a number of good things about living in Scotland - for example, free eye tests, free prescriptions, widespread access to NHS dentists, etc - but this isn't one of them.
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Better to see that you're getting screwed, and to grind your teeth over it
 
I agree with you @Duck59 - it seems to penalise the poor. There are plenty of non-alcoholic but poor people who buy the odd bottle of cheap strong cider at the weekend for a treat because its all they can afford.

Although, I did hear a report on BBC 4 where they looked at stats from other countries where minimum price had been imposed and it did seem to have some positive effect. I wasn't paying much attention so I can't remember the countries in question.

Apparently it is intended as a long term strategy - it won't have much effect on existing alcoholics, who as you say, will find a way. It is expected to have more impact on the up and coming generation of would be alcoholics.
 
I heard about this last week. It does help politicians, who can claim that they're doing it to combat alcoholism. Do you know if this is a "sin tax" that goes to the state, or do the manufacturers benefit?

In any case, the experts figured that those who are heavily addicted will now spend their entire income on booze, rather than having enough left over to pay the rent, feed the family, etc. Or, they could decide that heroin is a more economical option.
 
It's aimed at raising extra income, on a country(Scotland) level, but already they're adding on to it at point of sale. Cashing in on the price increase.

It's doubtful if it will make it South of the border any time soon though.
 
Is there any thought of distilling your own in Scotland, Wales, or England?Would that be legal there, for home use only that is, as it is in the states?
 
The Scottish government is a strange beast in many ways. It has certain autonomous powers and others that are controlled by the UK parliament, so Scotland has things like its own legal system and significant differences in healthcare (as I mentioned above) to the rest of the UK.

The current ruling party, the SNP (Scottish National Party) loves to big itself up as having created a Scotland that is tolerant, inclusive and (yes!) just a little superior to those decadent English south of the border. Now, while I accept that there are some good things, there are plenty that are clearly not great. Take land, for example. More than half the land in Scotland is owned by a handful of people who acquired said land through land grabs made in the 17th and 18th century. The current owners, by and large, merely inherited this land from their thieving ancestors.

We also suffer from religious intolerance, particularly in the western central part of Scotland. Anyone who has ever had the dubious pleasure of attending a Rangers match will know this only too well.

We can also look at life expectancy in many parts of the same region. This is a good twenty years lower than in most parts of the UK.

This is far from the worst country in the world, but it's note quite the Utopian paradise that some of our leaders would have us believe.
 
I only buy the odd bottle of wine for high days and holidays, and sometime receive some as presents especially at Christmas, so I wouldn't be worried. Das always used to make home brewed beers and wines, and Mum used to make ginger beer and cider. I did carry on making strong stout, some wines and cider for a while, but no longer have the time or the inclination.
 
Sorry to raise this thread from the dead - I've been reading your lovely forum for a few days now and have only just signed up - hello from not normally sunny Wales.

Anyway the Welsh assembly added a minimum pricing bill quite recently, and while I don't think it will be made law for a few months it's essentially a copy and paste job of the Scottish legislation even down to the 50p per unit thing. I guess NI will be next and then England in 3 or 4 years.

Much like Scotland we in Wales have a semi-autonomous relationship with parliament, our 'assembly' is not as strong as our northern brethren's parliament, but we too have free prescriptions and similar other advantages. Sadly we also share the fact that great swathes of our country also live in abject poverty and to echo the OP this is just going to make wretched lives just that little more miserable. We've already seen an explosion in the use of 'spice' style drug use - Bridgend town centre is already featured in the tabloids every few weeks, and I hear that poor quality 'black tar' heroin is doing fine business in our sink estates.

That, coupled with a much higher suicide rate among young people than was previously normal (bridgend again weirdly) makes the outlook look grim. Sorry to be such a downer on my first post, but I don't see the point of making miserable people's lives even more miserable.

But hey, the weather is bloody boiling at the moment, so come and enjoy our great beaches and take advantage of the BOGOF offers while they last!
 
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remedial_gash said:
Sorry to raise this thread from the dead - I've been reading your lovely forum for a few days now and have only just signed up - hello from not normally sunny Wales.

Anyway the Welsh assembly added a minimum pricing bill quite recently, and while I don't think it will be made law for a few months it's essentially a copy and paste job of the Scottish legislation even down to the 50p per unit thing. I guess NI will be next and then England in 3 or 4 years.

Much like Scotland we in Wales have a semi-autonomous relationship with parliament, our 'assembly' is not as strong as our northern brethren's parliament, but we too have free prescriptions and similar other advantages. Sadly we also share the fact that great swathes of our country also live in abject poverty and to echo the OP this is just going to make wretched lives just that little more miserable. We've already seen an explosion in the use of 'spice' style drug use - Bridgend town centre is already featured in the tabloids every few weeks, and I hear that poor quality 'black tar' heroin is doing fine business in our sink estates.

That, coupled with a much higher suicide rate among young people than was previously normal (bridgend again weirdly) makes the outlook look grim. Sorry to be such a downer on my first post, but I don't see the point of making miserable people's lives even more miserable.

But hey, the weather is bloody boiling at the moment, so come and enjoy our great beaches and take advantage of the BOGOF offers while they last!
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There are a lot of folk who would agree with you about the minimum price for alcohol (myself included) so don't worry about a bit of a rant!
 
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