Guest 640- Registered: 21 Apr 2007
- Posts: 7,819
The actual proposal was announced today by Sir Liam Donaldson, although it was previously well leaked, and he is still determined that this route is the best one, and that it will protect the nation from itself..and guide us all away from the 'demon drink'.
Although the government has sidestepped it for now they havent condemned it and as Sir Liam himself says, they did much the same with the smoking ban. An unpopular government in the middle of a deep recession is not going to grab this idea with both mitts but bide its time for better days.
The proposal will devastate the cheap drink option in the supermarket although one upside, according to Sir Liam, is that it will breathe new life into the ailing pub industry. I think he could be spinning there. Maybe if Dave is about he could let us have his opinion on this...will making drinks more expensive in the supermarkets revive pub life?
howard mcsweeney1- Location: Dover
- Registered: 12 Mar 2008
- Posts: 62,352
paul
sir liam has to justify his vast salary by reminding everyone is about.
no doubt fast foods will be next.
the pm himself has already said he is not interested in penalising the majority of normal drinkers for the actions of a few.
other ministers have said the same.
It might surprise a lot of you to know that I'm all for it! My "evil twin" is long dead and buried, and I know from my own past experiences that cheap booze is a shortcut to disaster for many individuals (including myself back in those days). I now hardly ever drink and I see all these youngsters these days who are pouring gallons of cheap slosh down their necks, puking in our shopping centres, starting fights like hungry rabid chimps, collapsing into a catatonic state on public benches, having sex in bus stops and under CCTV cameras, and basically treating our streets like their own personal drunken playground. This era of cheap booze has given rise to a generation of lunatic youth and the price rise must surely be useful to combat this.
Guest 645- Registered: 12 Mar 2008
- Posts: 4,463
Rick
I think its deeper than that because I travel a helluva lot and visit countries where alcohol is about 50p a litre yet the youth have not adopted it as part of their past time or culture.All shopping malls have bars where children are allowed to sit and eat and their parents can have a glass of wine or a beer yet I have never seen a gang of rowdy teenagers giving it "the large".There is something fundamentally wrong in this country where youngsters feel that in order to be 'grown up' they must get pissed, smoke heavily, take drugs, be absusive, spit on the sidewalk and get a local under 16 year old girl pregnant and all before they can shave or celebrate their 13th birthday.
Must take wife to work will finish this posting later.
Marek
I think therefore I am (not a Tory supporter)
I think Marek is right - cost isn't the point, culture is. My daughter was planning to go to a friends birthday party last night, but the poor girl whose party it was had it ruined by some eejit who misbehaved and police got involved - this was before my daughter had even arrived so it was relatively early. I picked up her two friends who were already at the party and whisked them away from the mayhem, but not before I had seen a few young people rolling around on the pavement and the police restoring a bit of order outside. They are only 15 and 16!!!!! And I have to say most of the people there were were decent young people, friends and acquaintances of my own children, who wouldn't have behaved like that, but who will now be lumped together with the tiny minority of numpties. I feel for the girl whose party it was - she must be so disappointed. I hope whoever created the incident is identified. If I was the parent of that girl I might pay them a visit....................
howard mcsweeney1- Location: Dover
- Registered: 12 Mar 2008
- Posts: 62,352
eventually these youngsters go home.
do the parents not notice or smell anything?
Guest 653- Registered: 13 Mar 2008
- Posts: 10,540
I remember Rick's twin and I think Rick's description is right, but I also think Marek's
"cause" is right - binge-drinkng amongst our (very) young is what needs addressing - perhaps through education; stopping them getting hold of the drink in the first place; zero tolerance and stiffer fines/sentences - and (sorry Rick) not through raising the cost of drinks.
Roger
Guest 653- Registered: 13 Mar 2008
- Posts: 10,540
Sorry double posting.
Roger
Guest 653- Registered: 13 Mar 2008
- Posts: 10,540
I don't remember clicking 3 times; sorry - triple posting.
Roger
hic...........
Brian Dixon
- Location: Dover
- Registered: 23 Sep 2008
- Posts: 23,940
berp.......................
Guest 672- Registered: 3 Jun 2008
- Posts: 2,119
I agree with you Roger. ( by the way, click once and wait, the finger can be a dangerous thing on the wrong hand )
DISCIPLINE, ZERO TOLERANCE.
The youth of today get away with FAR to much, ( you can't touch me ) ( I'll have you done for that ) ( I can do what I want and you can't do a thing about it ) Human rights?????
We've been through this how many times on the forum?
Ian...
grass grows by the inches but dies by the feet.
Brian Dixon- Location: Dover
- Registered: 23 Sep 2008
- Posts: 23,940
on the spot £80 fine or a night/day in the cells untill its paid,no ifs no buts just an 80 quid fine.
Guest 675- Registered: 30 Jun 2008
- Posts: 1,610
A better plan would be to cut off the source. More police visits to establishments selling the stuff to under eighteens, more enforcement of the fines for buying it for under eighteens and stricter checks for youngsters going into pubs trying to buy it. So much emphasis has been put on making pubs 'family friendly' we have lost the idea of the local being somewhere for grown-ups.
Politics, it seems to me, for years, or all too long, has been concerned with right or left instead of right or wrong.
Richard Armour
Maybe our youth just feel undervalued, disillusioned, and ripped-off. Let's face it, in the last ten years there has been very little to encourage a positive English image - just watch the news, virtually every day we're told that the UK has the highest rate of teenage pregnancy in Europe, or the worst literacy, biggest drug problems, largest percentage of drunks, blah blah blah. We hear it often enough, we start to believe it, and it becomes self-fulfilling.
Perhaps the change in culture needs to start from the top down rather than the bottom up!
howard mcsweeney1- Location: Dover
- Registered: 12 Mar 2008
- Posts: 62,352
a lot of truth there rick, other countries try to hide their dark side, witness austria this week.
we seem to take pleasure in belittling ourselves here.
we hear about the continental cafe culture, all very nice, but in the back streets behind are the low life bars with drunks spilling out, fighting and vomiting.
we are no better or worse than the rest of the civilised world.