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MacAskill leads the crusade to outlaw sales of cheap alcohol



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Published Date: 01 May 2008
By BRIAN FERGUSON
TACKLING Scotland's alcohol problem and the scourge of under-age drinking has been one of the main crusades of the Scottish Government since the SNP came to power last May.
Kenny MacAskill, the justice secretary, has mapped out plans to clamp down on irresponsible promotions in shops in addition to measures passed by the Scottish Parliament to outlaw cheap deals in pubs.

Proposals have also been unveiled for a "p
olluter pays" scheme that would see supermarkets and off-licences forced to pay a levy to meet the cost of drink-related problems in local communities.

Ministers and officials have become increasingly convinced that retailers are fuelling crime and anti-social behaviour by selling cheap liquor. The levy would raise millions to be spent by local licensing boards on projects to deal with the consequences of binge drinking, such as "drunk tanks".

The Scottish Government is drawing up a long-term alcohol strategy. Ministers are thought unlikely to push for a general raising of the current 18 age limit as they believe drinking in the controlled surroundings of a pub or hotel is not such a problem.

But a higher age limit of 21 on buying booze from off-licences and supermarkets is being seen as a way of helping to tackle the problem of binge-drinking and anti-social behaviour. Holyrood also wants to set minimum prices for every drink, based on alcohol content, in an attempt to outlaw "cheaper-than-water" discount deals.

Cheap, strong ciders and high-strength continental lagers, often seen by under-age drinkers as the tipple of choice to get drunk quickly, are among those likely to see the biggest price rise.

Industry insiders predict the move to ban cheap drink deals will fail. They say suppliers will continue to have promotional budgets and will simply find new ways of spending them.

One possibility is that suppliers and supermarkets will cut alcohol prices across the board.

However, Mr MacAskill has accused major supermarkets of "playing games" and seeking to "evade their responsibilities".

A recent Home Office study revealed that almost three- quarters of under-age drinkers in deprived areas get their alcohol from three main sources .

The survey showed 52 per cent obtain alcohol from supermarkets or corner shops and 22 per cent from family members.





The full article contains 391 words and appears in The Scotsman newspaper.
Page 1 of 1

 
1

Guga II,

Rockall 01/05/2008 04:25:38
No more than you'd expect from a reformed drinker. If he can't be seen to be drinking, than the rest of us are going to suffer by paying more for alcohol.

If this waste of space sat down and thought about it for a while, surely he would realise that the way to stop underage drinking, or at least curb it drastically, is to have very stiff penalties for anyone caught selling or supplying alcohol to underage people. This would include loss of licence for any premises, including the supermarkets and corner stores, caught selling drink to kids, as well as hefty fines.

Obviously MacAskill, the man who doesn't want to gaol anybody under the age of 18, even if they are violent neds and thugs, does not class himself as a "listening" politician. Wee Eck should get rid of this numpty before he brings the Scottish Government into disrepute with his weird ideas.
2

lachlan,

01/05/2008 07:42:31
i understand alcohol consumption levels in countries such as france and italy have reduced over recent years.i wonder how they mananged this.i do not think it was done by pricing or limiting access to alcohol.perhaps a more adult approach was used.
3

sam the god,

01/05/2008 10:41:51
I take it this crusade will not be enforced in the parliament building.
4

The Daleks,

Longmen 01/05/2008 12:50:47
Punish the guilty (underage drinkers, and those supplying them) but don't punish everyone else who likes a tipple.

Not a popular move in my book.
5

John Blackley,

Florida 01/05/2008 14:33:49
Some irresponsible rectum of a drunken sot causing trouble in his scheme is no more the responsibility of the seller of alchohol than a car wreck is the responsibility of the car salesman. Of all the things a government could possibly do to address problems of societal breakdown, this government's approach is possibly the most heavy-handed, ham-fisted overreaction possible.

In many countries, public intoxication is unlawful. Stagger, curse, threaten, foul public places and you're in jail. The crime was committed by the drunk, not by the seller of drink.

If this government truly believes in the principle of "the polluter pays" (what a trite, easy little substitute for real thought that is), than I presume that every time public money is wasted, every time some job is given to a cousin, every time some ill-considered public project runs billions of pounds over budget then the ministers concerned will make recompense.
6

Beth Boyle,

New York 01/05/2008 21:21:26
I think the UK in general has to confront the abuse of alcohol. I am always shocked how everything revolves around drink in Scotland and the UK. It's a culture that needs to be changed from the bottom up. The next generation has already set it's pattern. No matter where I have been from Saint Kilda to a tent in the highlands watching sheep shearing the booze flows. I say less cheap booze and more dentists!
7

Fanling,

Switzerland 01/05/2008 23:36:02
This is the primary esponsibility of parents and carers. They should be hit where it hurts hardest. In the pocket. Withdraw state benefits and fine those that are earning. I think the former will outweigh the latter though.

To hit responsible retailers, therefore the majority of responsible purchasers of alcohol, is yet another of MacAskill's classic ill-thought-out bandwagon projects. I've said it before and I say it again: if the SNP fails Scotland that man alone will hold prime responsibility. Time he was sidelined.
8

Fanling,

Switzerland 01/05/2008 23:36:06
This is the primary esponsibility of parents and carers. They should be hit where it hurts hardest. In the pocket. Withdraw state benefits and fine those that are earning. I think the former will outweigh the latter though.

To hit responsible retailers, therefore the majority of responsible purchasers of alcohol, is yet another of MacAskill's classic ill-thought-out bandwagon projects. I've said it before and I say it again: if the SNP fails Scotland that man alone will hold prime responsibility. Time he was sidelined.

 

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