A £2,700 million beer question - and no, I can't phone a friend
THE era of cheap supermarket ale could be coming to an end – but is that good for our health, or just bad for our pockets?
It seems that MPs are lobbying for a minimum price of 50p per unit for alcohol, which would put an end to the 10 slabs that we home tipplers have become used to.
According to some figures released over Christmas, alcohol-related illness is costing the NHS 2,700 million a year and rising. This seems to correlate the availability of cheap supermarket deals with a rise in binge drinking.
Of course alcoholism is a pernicious illness, with all the associated violence and abuse that goes along with it. But surely those people who really want to drink to excess, will do so whatever the cost of the drink?
Banging up the price will just reduce the parlous living standards of an alcoholic's unfortunate family.
And people with the wherewithal will just go back to the cross-channel beer runs and bring back a van full of cheap French rubbish.
Perhaps it will deter underage drunks a bit – but surely we have existing laws to deal with that problem.
No... it seems to me that the Government has decided to reduce the problem of alcohol abuse to one of financial cost. And like most other problems they come across, they seem to think that charging the electorate through the nose with even more taxes is the answer. Pushing up the price won't solve any of the problems, but it will serve the hidden agenda - filling the coffers so they can underwrite bankers' bonuses.
* Last week I inadvertently put my mobile through a 40C wash cycle. It came out lovely and clean.. but I suspect a new one is on the cards. I just thought I would share that with you.
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Sunday 05 February 2012
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