As a toper I confess to being bemused and irritated by the plan to place a minimum price on alcohol. Perhaps I am speaking out of turn, given that I live in France, where I have never seen a display of public drunkeness, but it is the unfairness that irritates. Why should people who can handle their drink be penalised because a bunch of meat-heads cause problems? Why not target the culprits with minimum penalties for their misbehaviour, and leave Joe and Nelly Bloggs to have their quiet snifter in peace, and at a price they can afford?
Boadicea's Chariot 
I agree with you.
Nice to see you here amicus. I also agree with you Tom.
I was going to say more, but the topic was nicely covered by the post.
I despair at the New Puritanism that has us in its grip these days.
You lot allowed this when you said nothing when the smokers were targetted for blanket exclusion.
Now the tabbers have been consigned to the gutter, the do gooders need a new target. Ah the demon drink, that’ll do.
Yes. They drove a wedge between drinkers and smokers. Fiendishly clever.
And when they have dealt with the drinkers – who’s next?
I understand the UK already has over-eaters in sight … a limit on the size and type of food that is served in cafes and restaurants? Bang goes my beautiful English breakfast… 🙂
You’ll be hard pressed to find anybody disagreeing with you, tomkilcourse. Stiffer penalties for disorderliness (nothing wrong with pleasant drunks for me) should be imposed. Alas, Blunkett is no longer Home Secretary and the centre-right are soft on criminals, though seemingly, not soft on the cause of the crime.
Amice, repent! 🙂
boadicea has a point. There was talk a little while ago of forcing restaurants and other sellers of ready food to put the calorific value of every meal on the menu. Where do these people exist?
I very much doubt it will make a blind bit of difference to the problem, real or perceived. It has been long noted by visitors to the country, that the British drink with a sort of ambitious morbidity, determined to get drunk. This is not a recent phenomenon but has been going on for centuries. Drinking is as much part of British culture as is sport.
It is ironic that this is being mooted while there is a serious debate going about the legalising of drugs. The drugs war is costing a fortune and is being lost. Legalising them would reduce crime and would allow addicts to be better monitored. Making alcohol prohibitively expensive will drive the problem underground. It is complete madness.
Bearsy
I know you are the boss, but I must say that your comment No 10 did not really impress me that much. Sorry about that.
Maybe I have missed something. I’ll go away and ponder it.
I don’t have a problem with restaurants that include dishes that are described as ‘healthy’ – in fact I wish a few would add such comments as ‘unbelievably high in fat / sugar or whatever’! But that’s as far as I’d go. After all, anyone eating at a MacDonalds should know that the carton is probably better nutritionally than the contents… On the other hand, I do think it should be compulsory that all such establishments should have at least one member of staff who really knows what is in the food they are serving.
Amicus – after how long and you haven’t sussed Beary’s humour!