A minimum price on alcohol???
 

I enjoy a drink or two at night after a busy day watching the garden grow, looking around Accyweb or some other usefull occupation.I'm not proud or fussy, I'll buy anything beer on special offer at the supermarkets. We can't afford pub prices,we can't smoke there and I don't drink and drive.The suggested minimum of 50 pence per unit will cost me quite a bit more per month which as a pensioner I don't like but would have to pay. And Tesco would make an extea £6 to £8 pounds profit on a 24 pack, so naturally they think it's a good idea.
In the meantime all our town centres will continue to be filled at night with teenagers and 20's who say quite openly that they have gone out specificaly to 'get bladdered'. As they are already paying around £1.50 per unit and quite happy to pay that till 2 or 3 oclock in the morning, I have to ask how will 50 pence per unit minimum alter their behaviour? 'Not a lot' as the comedian said.
And we will continue to fund taxis to get the poor things home and instead of the police having to deal with all the drunks hitting the streets at 11pm they now have a steady feed of them till 4 and 5 in the morning.On overtime pay??
What sort of council(or Sottish government) makes a suggestion which won't work, won't give it or the government any financial benefit, will give the supermarkets a huge profit increase and will mainly hit those least able to afford it?

Re: A minimum price on alcohol???
 

Re: A minimum price on alcohol???
 

And will of course hit those responsible drinkers.

While minimum price for alcohol sounds like a good thing it penalises those who do not have the problems that the young folk have........and that is, an irresponsible approach to alcohol.

I think that some of the blame must go to the previous government who tried to foster a more continental attitude......they called it a 'Cafe Culture' and brought in 24 hour drinking......this was never going to be a good idea....and this has been proved in practical terms.......so my view would be to revert back to the old licensing hours......take alcohol out of supermarkets......bring back the offy if folk want a retail outlet for alcoholic drinks.

Re: A minimum price on alcohol???
 

Its using a sledgehammer to crack a walnut, but its the easiest option, nowt to do wi previous government, its more to do wi my old chestnut- NO DETTERANT,that will make these knobheads reconsider attitude, simple as. so everyone who likes a drink at home must suffer. i would just add that i don't/can't drink, so aint bitching on me own behalf.

Re: A minimum price on alcohol???
 

Well, Cashy, you may feel that it was nothing to do with the previous government, but they certainly did nothing to help what was, already a bad situation.
They were told by eminent respected authorities, that it was madness to bring in 24 hour drinking, but they did it anyway...so in my book that makes them partly to blame.

The problem with many of our young people is that they are irresponsible and care not whether they wreck their health(or anyone else's...thinking of alcohol fuelled fights and stabbings here)...they prefer to live in the moment, thinking not of the future.......and they have the money to spend on anything they want...booze drugs etc.

Re: A minimum price on alcohol???
 

was always 24 hr drinking margaret, it was just called After Time, back then, differance was the penalty fer being a knobhead was a maximum fine or imprisonment if ya were a persistent drunk. yeh there were drunkards but behaviour was nowt compared to today, nowts perfect, but i reckon deterrant of nick is a damn site better n what there is now.;) it certainly helped me calm down.:D

Re: A minimum price on alcohol???
 

Young uns think it is macho to have a pickled liver a sore head and a booze addled brain.

Re: A minimum price on alcohol???
 

Me n Cashy touched roughly on this subject when we had a natter in Accy a few days ago. And i guess there aint a really simple answer to it. Although i certainly think that the 24 hr drinking "experiment" has not helped the situation. As Cashy says, there's always been after hours drinking to some degree, but by and large, when we were younger, it was more controlled. You didn't have some pubs just opening at around 10 in the evening for a few nights a week. You had to be "known" to the landlord and usually a regular at a particular pub in order to get served after time. PLus you mainly had to have been drinking there earlier in the evening...maybe go for a little wander...then go back to your regular pub reasonably before last orders were called!...Obviously it varied a bit...but that was general after time etiquette!

Also there was very much a mixed age group in pubs then, which doesn't happen much now. You used to find lads and lassies, going into pubs with their parents and grandparents, thats how we used to learn how to drink relatively responsibily, otherwise ya got a clip of yer dad or granddad. Now we have older people in some pubs and the younger element coming out much later, and going into different pubs, usually after they've met up in someones house and drunk some cheap supermarket booze first! 24 hour drinking has allowed this to happen, and is responsible for quite an element of binge drinking.

If we agree thats its also mainly, but not exclusively, young people who are the problem in terms of binge drinking, then perhaps it would be fairer to raise the legal drinking age to 21, as they have in USA, rather than target everyone. When i mentioned this, Cashy raised the valid point that if someone is old enough to be sent to War to fight for us, then they are old enough to drink, and its hard to argue with that, other than to say that whenever a law is brougt in, there will always be some that suffer in order to make things better, so i still feel this would overall be a more appropriate measure than charging everone more for alcohol!

I also agree that we need tougher sentencing for drunken/violent behaviour...but can anyone see that happening?

Needs a lot of thought...and as ever, punishing everyone, and increasing profits for breweries/supermarkets and revenue for the government, will usually win the day!

Best Regards - Taggy

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I am aware that there were 'lock ins' but I was told by publicans that they risked their licence to participate in this pusuit......and way back then there were always bobbies on the beat......yes some of them would turn a blind eye, some would even join in(allegedly) but 24 hour drinking, while availabe to some was not widely available...and I am sure most publicans chose who they wanted to take part in such lock ins....loose lipped youngsters probably would not be the clientele of choice.

Re: A minimum price on alcohol???
 

Tagy, that is how I remember lock ins working....you had to be known and be a regular......although sometimes if you were with a regular you might be permitted to stay.

I can't see the judiciary accepting tougher sentencing on drunken behaviour as a means of tackling this thorny problem.

In America that age that you can legally drink alcohol is 21, and while they have young men going to war over there too, to fight for their country, they do not challenge the alcohol laws.......just because you can fight doesn't mean that you can handle alcohol....and many Barracks towns will prove this.

21 should be the age at which you can purchase alcohol......as for deterrants....I think the only thing that will happen is that drunkards will be sent on education courses, much the way that speeders are.

The folk who abuse alcohol should be sent to work as volunteers on the units which treat those with Liver failure.

Re: A minimum price on alcohol???
 

thing is though i'm sure the judiciary do not set the setencing tariffs? could be wrong, but thats how i understand it, is it not down to whomever is in power to do this? i am against raising the age n america i do not think is a good yardstick, given what happens oer yon,:eek: as well as all the knobheads there are many responsible young uns, its the knobheads that get all the publicity.;)

Re: A minimum price on alcohol???
 

Cashy, again you are right, the judiciary do not set the sentencing, but I am not sure that they have no influence.

I also agree that not all young people have an irresponsible attitude towards citizenship, but I think making 21 the age at which alcohol could be purchased would be a better solution, though it would have to be adequately and reliably enforced to have any effect.

In essence I think the problem lies in the laws being made and then there isn't enough enforcement to make them do the job they were passed to do.

I do not think it is reasonable to penalise the vast majority of responsible drinkers for the ones who show no desire to be responsible....and in the end, the government are going to lose out on revenue, which will have to be garnered from some other source.

I think I should point out here that I am only a very occasional drinker so have no real axe to grind on my own behalf.

Re: A minimum price on alcohol???
 

thats exactly where i stand margaret, there isn't enough enforcement, nor are the sentences severe enough these days to make em consider behaving, also it is not reasonable to penalise the vast majority, but its the easy way out fer any government.:rolleyes:

Re: A minimum price on alcohol???
 

How about building, at great expense,pairs of 'holding cells',beautifully lined with tiles,drains in the floors,benches at the sides.Fully airconditioned and lit, of course. One for the young ladies, one for the young gentlemen.Drunk on the streets? You're put in there and released at 12 oclock the next day to make your own way home. You get free accomodation and a chance to vomit all over your friends instead of the pavements.
Ah, you say, but what about their 'HUMAN RIGHTS'? Well surely they have a human right to get drunk,vomit, relieve themselves on street corners and knife each other, it's their free choice?Fair enough, then lets leave them to it and stop worrying about them
I'd even volunteer for the job of jet-spraying the cells out each afternoon if it would help.

Re: A minimum price on alcohol???
 

Get a grip it's that sort of nonsense which discredits the efforts of those who are trying to come up with a real solution.

In my opinion 24 hour drinking will work, but eventually - it will take decades to change an entire culture not a few years.

I believe there are a lot of rose tinted spectacles being worn here, it is a case where a fair comparison cannot be made, I, at 20 years old can account for the current state of affairs but not that before my time, and vice versa, it would be foolish for me to claim it is better or worse now or then, going purely off second hand accounts.


A minimum price on alcohol would do absolutely nothing to help. It is already the case that illegal drugs are considerably cheaper than booze, pushing up the price would just make more jump across. It's the binge culture that needs to change and to be honest there it's ingrained into British history for so long I doubt it ever will.

Re: A minimum price on alcohol???
 

Well,Samf,it wasn't actually a serious suggestion, but it got a reaction from someone of that age group, which is what we need.We 'older ones' will never come up with a solution,a fair comparison cannot be made,as you say, particularly as our culture at that age was so different.So you're a part of that age and culture,and sound like a sensible person, what do You suggest?

Re: A minimum price on alcohol???
 

Sam you are right about the drugs being cheaper than booze....you are also right about not being able to make comparisons about what went on in the past.
What went on in the past was the pubs were open for less hours. and sons went out for a drink with their fathers, their grandfthers, their uncles......it was a sort of rite of passage. These male relatives instilled some kind of responsibility.......that you looked after one another, and if you did overdo the drink on odd occasions then you made sure that the one who was worse for wear got home safely......drinking was more about being sociable and less about getting 'bladdered', in fact my recollection was that for someone to regularly get 'bladdered' was a sign that they could not hold their drink and were something of a liability.

I don't think 24 hour drinking will ever work.....our culture is wrong....and I can't really explain what I mean by that.
Anyway, it is a problem for your generation......it is going to be your generation that suffers the health problems because of irresponsible attitudes to alcohol.
That sounds like I don't really care about what happens to your generation, but nothing could be further from the truth.......what i really mean is that your generation are going to have to solve this problem and the problem of recreational drugs before it kills you all off.
I don't know how it will be done, but I do know it needs to be high on the social agenda.

Re: A minimum price on alcohol???
 

As a lad - long time ago, I could manage to get enough pints down my neck during the old fashioned evening opening hours to get totally bladdered on rare occasions - could not afford to do it too often on my apprentice wage.
When of age, I would go out with my Dad one night a week and learnt acceptable behaviour from those evenings. I respected him and the majority of my elders - not all as there were prats in my day too.
IMHO, more Police, sensible drinking hours - say 1100 to 2359, stiffer penalties for transgressors of the law, borstal or prison sentences for repeat/serious offenders.
Hard time when inside - forget human rights, transgressors surrender those, no TV, mobile phones or any other luxury - and physical work for the general community - sewing mail bags perhaps, making car number plates (as they do in the US), and give them say 10% of the UK minimum wage to buy necessities - toothpaste, etc. Incarceration establishments should also be non-smoking. When we had capital/corporal punishment there did not seem to be as many social problems as we have now - hooliganism was virtually unknown in the Isle of Man when birching was still in practice.
We have had too many Liberal do-gooders in all political parties - I might have been a hooligan in my younger days but never got into serious trouble (well, never got caught).

Re: A minimum price on alcohol???
 

We've had those things forever ... we call them drunk tanks:D

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The Thing is cashy its not the government that has muted the 50p a unit malarkey its a Labour run council;)

Re: A minimum price on alcohol???
 

Oh John, you know that's rubbish. The coalition has been spouting about a minimum unit price since it was formed and it is a terrible idea.

I don't smoke and have no interest in drugs so a bottle of wine is my little vice. Three bottles for £12 isn't too bad but that's a steep hike from three bottles for £10 two months ago. The minimum alcohol price would push a bottle of wine into the £5 bracket and I would think twice every time I went shopping, thus curtailing my only source of relaxation.

I'm not saying that there aren't alcohol-related problems but the media has a lot to answer for in the respect of blowing it out of proportion and the politicians are no better for their knee-jerk reactions. 24 hour licensing has made sod all difference to small villages around Hyndburn or anywhere else for that matter, no pubs can afford to do it!

This will be a bad decision if it is pushed through, there's precious little left to enjoy at a reasonable price and all this will do is encourage more home brewing, a far more lethal source of booze.

Re: A minimum price on alcohol???
 

Most of the kids get pxxxxx before they even go out to save money but why would putting up the price of alcohol work? They backed down over cheap cider which the loonies love, why not put a 4% limit on drinks sold in pints to stop the Stella idiots.
No doubt the next idea will be to double the price of food to reduce the number of fatties

Re: A minimum price on alcohol???
 

I'm up for anything that keeps Mancie off the booze:D:D

Re: A minimum price on alcohol???
 

Up here red n blue have bloked it despite the fact they wanted it as a trial run. Put up booze prices and rake in more tax.

Re: A minimum price on alcohol???
 

yeh put it up n all the drunken scum will revert to robbing etc, to pay fer the increase, n all the decent folk will pay through the nose, both ways.:rolleyes:

Re: A minimum price on alcohol???
 

Very little aggro, if any, outside the major industrial areas/cities, although I am told that Morlaix has a serious drugs problem, but never go down there much in the evenings so I don't really know.
Opening hours are totally flexible - draught beer, Stella, 1664 Kronenbourg about 1.75euro per 25 cl (roughly half pint). Spirits expensive and in night clubs a bottle of standard will cost 80 euros - cheaper than buying it by the shot.
German beer at Lidl, Aldi & Netto is 39 cents for 4.2% 500 ml or 49 cents for stupido - 7.9% 500ml.
Wine is also very cheap, decent reds, whites and roses at around 2.00 euros a bottle - in the above mentioned supermarkets - there is an even cheaper chain of end of line, bankrupt stock etc.
So with cheap booze here we don't have the same social problems - we do have a police or gendarmerie presence and they are prepared to use their powers.
IMHO you can have cheap booze and no social problems - perhaps we should look at ourselves first - we set the standards for the younger generation, we elected the politicians, we produced the liberal human rights do-gooders - don't chastise children that is bad for their development, don't send law breakers to borstal or prison, that will only result in them becoming worse offenders.
Where do we go now? - there can only be further chaos before someone removes the velvet glove from the iron hand, so who will do that for the good of the country as a whole - this is not a political statement, they are all as bad as each other.

Re: A minimum price on alcohol???
 

Because not everyone drinks tasteless corporate **** water like fosters, carlsberg etc a good lager tends to be >5% and I'd say roughly half cask ales are over >4%

It comes back to the same issue punishing the majority for the sake of the minority wont work .

Upping the prices wont work.

It's the culture that needs to change, that 24 hour drinking will allow to change, but it will take decades. The current situation is those who were brought up to cram as much down as possible in a short period of time have been given longer to do so in. They are a lost cause, the change will happen not when those people stop going out, but gradually through the generations down the line when the people directly influenced/ brought up by people with that mentality stop going out.

As mentioned in the post above price does not have an effect on the social problems alcohol, its the mentality of the people.

Re: A minimum price on alcohol???
 

I agree with some of the things you have said Sam but not about 24 hour drinking, I'm a little older than you, and the likes of cashy, Barrie and myself had not problems finding somewhere to get a drink virtually anytime of the day or night when we were your age. Young people for years have been able to drink until 2am in a morning (even in the 70s and 80s) so its never been a case of cramming it down in a short period. Was quite different in Scotland back in the 60s and 70s when pubs opened at 5pm and closed at 10pm and I mean close, 9-50 last orders, out on your ear at 10, only hotels and clubs open on Sundays.

Re: A minimum price on alcohol???
 

Sam, you told me to get a grip and I asked you,as one of that age group, to come up with any suggestions.Your suggestion appears to be do nothing,the culture will change over generations! 1 generation is 25 years, so are you suggesting we let our young people carry on like this for 50 years,75 years? Do you want to live for another 50 years in a country which sits back and lets its young people soak themselves in drink and drugs as often as they can and doesn't try to help them?It's not fair on them and it's not fair on everyone else.We can't wait generations and neither can the young people, so come on,talk to your friends who think like you and come up with something.You have a new MP,give him something to work on.

Re: A minimum price on alcohol???
 

We've been over this ground before & not so long back (24hr drinking reviewed) As Barrie states in his post he lives in France & doesn't see half the problems that seem to plague the UK. I myself live in Germany & spend a lot of time in Holland, both these Countries have extended opening hours in their Bars & Cafes, but don't even come close in terms of nuisance/drunkenness/anti social behaviour, I mean Holland even has legalised premises for selling pot & spliffs.

I would therefore say the problem lays squarely on the shoulders & with the attitudes of those who imbibe in the UK. There are plenty of older drinkers who go out enjoy themselves & amble off home not a problem to anyone, something to do with self discipline/control & attitude to alcohol. Then on the flip side you usually find those spewing, fighting & being obnoxious & anti social tend to be younger drinkers who have gone out half cut & with the intention of getting wasted regardless.

Price is in this case of total irrelevance, it won't stop those who are determined to get into such a state at all but penalise those who go out with a few friends to have a "Sociable" pint or two. The Pubs are struggling as it is & if more people stay away because of increased pricing, we'll have more job losses & this will in turn lead to a further degradation of society.

No, the problem needs hammering from the roots up & that is with peoples attitudes & behaviour & not punitive taxing.

Re: A minimum price on alcohol???
 

I've always said they need to stop all the corner shops and supermarkets from selling beer and bring back off licences and off sales in pubs. It's far far to easy to just nip to the corner and get a few tins. Putting up the price won't make a differance but if people had to walk a lot further they might think twice. Just my humble opinion anyway.

Re: A minimum price on alcohol???
 

I unfortunately do not know the answer and don't claim to, in fact I don't believe there is one.

If you look at the lifestyles and mindsets of the continental europeans compared to our own you will find we work a lot harder and *play* a lot harder. The problem isn't our attitude to drink, it is our attitude to life and I don't see how any government, especially one whose main interest is to spend more time in power rather than use the power they have for good, could do this, or even would want to as it would greatly lower the GDP.

Re: A minimum price on alcohol???
 

Again I don't see that being a problem, it is after all only an outlet & that being the case they are supplying a requirement, attitudes are the problem. I mean Germany doesn't have the 24 hour shopping that is available in the UK, so half way through the evening you can't nip out to a tesco's for bread, milk or Beer, but I can go to my nearest garage & pick up all of the mentioned items & yes that includes Beer, it doesn't lead to a raft of increased cases of drink driving or drunkenness simply because of peoples attitudes.

Re: A minimum price on alcohol???
 

Sam,good and honest answer. But it leaves me in despair.

Re: A minimum price on alcohol???
 

But you brought up the generation that is the parents of the problem generation. You want the blame to rest with the people of today but it started when after seeing Europe your generation found the drink related rules over here to constricting. Ever since these rules and laws have been nibbled at and we have a situation were everyone got what they wanted and sod the consequences. Now you are bleeting about it even though you started te ball rolling and hope that an answer can be found from those enjoying your bequeathment to them. Maybe the outcome should have been considered when it was started.

Re: A minimum price on alcohol???
 

Have a beer ;)

Re: A minimum price on alcohol???
 

Thanks Sam, I will,soon.What's yours?

Re: A minimum price on alcohol???
 

SPUGGIE J-Bleeting? Don't be silly.Your response is common and typical.Its not their fault, who else can we blame? Oh yes, let's go back 3 generations and blame them.Not that many of my age group got to go abroad and try different drink rules.And the 24 hour drink law didn't come in till Nov 1995. So don't try to pass the buck to me and my lot.Perhaps your'e feeling a little guilty because it was your age group that started the ball rolling?

Re: A minimum price on alcohol???
 

Whoops,I've done it again.It was Nov 2005.Must be the drink!

Re: A minimum price on alcohol???
 

Some with money did get the chance to go abroad and sample a different lifestyle. As with everything that is considered to be cool in whatever era people will want a slice of it when they get home. Then once enough want it a culture takes of that as time goes by evolves. It can evolve better or worse depending on the situation.


Children in many cases follow the way of their parents. So if over several generations this balloons there has to be a route cause with following on effects. I will not denying my age group help start it or carried it on. But as I was growing up there was no money available for excess drinking. I never was a heavy drinker and never got into trouble through it as I knew it could be bad and was told so. The worst I did was waking up in a graveyard and the old brickyard at Huncoat.


If it was not previous generations and their attitude to drink that helped start this problem then how can you explain Scotlands problem that pro rota is bigger than that of England?

I could also be that having to work shifts not by choice many realised their weekend could be ruined. So if 24 hour drinking was available then they make the most of it. And shift work is not a new thing but we are seeing more and more of it.

I still say that the parents should be held accountable. How often do they kick the kids out on a Friday and Saturday night with extra cash in their pockets so it is quiet for them. They never educated the kids properly about the pit falls as it was easier to use the out of site out of mind attitude.

Re: A minimum price on alcohol???
 

thats crap spugs, i sure as hell don't know any of my generation that argued fer the 24 hours drinking, in fact why should we, could get a drink any time if we wished,n was more pleasure in after time.

Re: A minimum price on alcohol???
 

You cannot seriously blame all parents for the drunken loutish behaviour of some of the young people today.
It is far more likely that these drunken antics are influenced by the peers of the people in question, than the influence of the parents.

It also seems to me that there is a distinct lack of excitement and danger for young people.......maybe this is a force that makes them abuse alcohol, take drugs and get into fights and such.....but then how the heck would I know? I am in the old fogey category......you know the one....we grew up in the late fifties and didn't drink ourselves into oblivion......personally I was too busy trying to make a living.

Re: A minimum price on alcohol???
 

Cashy not saying it was all of a generation just some. To Margartets point about a danger element did that not come with the chance of being caught on a lock in? Margaret the point about trying to make a living in the 50's as opposed to today is that dreaded phrase "disposable income" which is greater now. Up here it has become down the generations a right of passage in a way to be a hardened drinker. I have spent half my life up here so am out of touch with what happens down there. I cannot comment on what happens down there but just how it plays out up here.I cant go near a shop that sells booze on a Friday or Saturday without boozy teens asking me to buy drink which I wont.

For better or worse we are stuck with it till there is a real workable answer.

Re: A minimum price on alcohol???
 

Personally up your way spugs Rab C Nesbitt has a lot to answer for.:D

Re: A minimum price on alcohol???
 

Yep imagine making string vests a fashion statement.

Re: A minimum price on alcohol???
 

this is old hat ,it has been rejected months ago and being out of control in scotland its no worse than it is in england glasgow is worse because its a city and wont be worse than any inner city in england.where i live accys worse thats why im here.you dont get the usual anti social behaviour with neighbours because they get evicted straight away and sent to kilmarnock:D hell on earth..

Re: A minimum price on alcohol???
 

I always thought they sent them to Coatbridge and Ardrie? Sounds like you got a better deal tham me. They keep them here. :(

Re: A minimum price on alcohol???
 

Minimum price of say 50p per unit is on the cards.. but pubs and clubs already charge more than 50p per unit, seems to me the most concern is about youngsters getting out of order when fueled up in town centers...any minimum imposed will only affect those that buy booze from the off licence or supermarkets.
just a thought..if this comes in who gets the cash profit for any increase in the price of alcohol ?..is it the government/the sellers or both?

Re: A minimum price on alcohol???
 

Spuggie, you missed the point I was trying to make......which was in my day there was an element of danger in our lives...we grew up doing things that would today be seen as dangerous...we had an enviable childhood. That no longer exists today and I wonder if some of the danger of growing up that we experienced, is vital to healthy development.....maybe that is why young folk want to get their kicks doing drugs and alcohol.
I don't know.
What I do know, is that it will be the people of SamF's generation who will have the unenviable job of working out a solution.

Re: A minimum price on alcohol???
 

I think one of the problems today is that brewers are tailor making drink to tempt younger people into drinking. When the people of my age group started going into pubs (not many clubs in those days) we had to make do with beer Mild, Mixed or bitter, there wasn't even that much lager knocking about in those days, well not draught that is, and the girls, if they were luck had the likes of Babycham or Cherry B, now the shelves are full of very strong, what I would call pop, or alcopops like WKD or Breezers and the rest, we drank ale at about 3.7% now these bottles are 5 or 6% and another thing which is worrying is just what these strong drinks are going to have on peoples health further down the line

Re: A minimum price on alcohol???
 

I think I do have a grasp of the point. Might be wrong. Today kids feel caged in by a society that loves to tell them not to do this that and the other. The urge to explore and try something different is so curtailed that they feel shackled. When they get a chance they try and make up for it. Its rebellion against what they see as oppressive.

Re: A minimum price on alcohol???
 

Now there might be the biggest issue. Promoting with all the razzamataz of the adverts these very strong drinks. It comes back to the disposable income senario were they can afford these kind of drinks. Throw in supermarket special offers and the scene is set. The fact that all the people they see as heroes in the celeb world getting blitzed dosnt help either. It has become in a way fashionable to be like celebs for a minority. Yet even those with sense not to overdo it come under extreme pressure to be part of the crowd. I am glad I aint a teen up here as it would send me loopy.

Re: A minimum price on alcohol???
 

yep, that was the point I was trying to make......had to clarify it just in case you were in any doubt :)

There has always been a degree of rebellion in growing up though, today it is expressed differently.

Re: A minimum price on alcohol???
 

Brain aint working right at the mo so a bit slow on the uptake. :o Esp at night.

Re: A minimum price on alcohol???
 

Spot on that Jaysay!

Best Regards - Taggy

Re: A minimum price on alcohol???
 

bang on jaysay IMHO, its a similar thing as to why many young brits are such knobs abroad, they sup much stronger draught, much bigger measures of spirits, n think they can sup the same amount that makes em stupid oer here, result "Hospital" "Local Nick" "Unconcious Haze" still it makes the landlords a euro or two.:rolleyes:

Re: A minimum price on alcohol???
 

Good views on this, personally I have never gone out to get legless and start a fight/argument and do not see the pleasure in it. Maybe its the way that you are brought up and the surroundings of your home life but nothing can justify the behavour of some of these young people.
I enjoy a drink when I aint working and also like to go to the pub, must admit I do sometimes get a bit tipsy but I would never cause trouble. I dont agree with putting the price of beer up just for the well behaved of us to suffer, I think harder punishment needed for those who cause the trouble would be best, not just "sleep it off" in a cell over night and giving a warning for them to go out again the next night and do it all again. Just my thoughts............................;)

Re: A minimum price on alcohol???
 

If something is not done then we will see more of this:

BBC News - Drunk boy, 14, pulled from Dunblane river

Re: A minimum price on alcohol???
 

The trouble is that it's only really a tiny minority that get absolutely wrecked and cause trouble and that's always been the case.

The brewing shed at Rishton Towers is being prepped in advance of this catastrophic ruling. If I have to give up the delight of only paying £1.40 for a pint of draught in my WMC then I will not be a happy chap. There is never ANY trouble in the club even with prices that low but all the members will suffer thanks to the media blowing things out of proportion and Westminster jumping on the bandwagon.

Re: A minimum price on alcohol???
 

PARTY AT RISHTON TOWERS.

REAL ALE WILL BE SERVED BY THE HOST.

TRANSPORT WILL BE ARRANGED FOR THOSE THAT HAVE TOO MUCH TO DRINK.

ONLY RESTRICTION IS YOU HAVE TO BE OVER 35


19:30 TILL LATE BRING YOUR OWN GLASS OR TANKARED.


Sorry Ken couldnt resist. ;):D

Re: A minimum price on alcohol???
 

Will Ken be the barman:D

Re: A minimum price on alcohol???
 

Yes he will but as for the bar lady I aint sure. Will have to see if he has/wants one.

Re: A minimum price on alcohol???
 

Ok as it seems the minimum pricing might not be workable or agreeable then how about something along these lines:

Ban booze during pubs’ final hour | The Sun |Home Scotland|Scottish News

Re: A minimum price on alcohol???
 

Hell's teeth, better get brewing! The homemade fruit gin might last but the ale certainly won't.

I'll have to get Jeeves to show guests into the parlour while I prepare!

The Bride used to be a fully qualified barmaid so I'm sure she'll cope.

Re: A minimum price on alcohol???
 

Well once they make their minds up as to how the pricing will be forced on us you can make set the night of the party.

Would it become a regular thing as the Research Centre might be at risk?

Re: A minimum price on alcohol???
 

It could be, I think the brewing shed might have to be extended.

Just to show you how seriously the councillors of Rishton take the matter, Cllr Grayson and myself were engaged in research until after midnight last night....

Re: A minimum price on alcohol???
 

PMSL.

The only winners out of this could be the home brew kit makers and ingredient suppliers.

There is a lot more a stake here than sorting out the minority of drunken yobs. Jobs could and probably will be at risk in the drinks industry from the point of production to the point of sale over the bar. It will spread like the ripple on water from a stone thrown in it.

Re: A minimum price on alcohol???
 

I 'home brewed' both wine and beer in the late 70s.
When my production went up and my consumption went down I gave it up as wasted effort.

There may be a future in having such skill/knowledge.
Prohibition yankee style is unlikely, but a black market in the (illegal) sale of home brew seems very likely.

Re: A minimum price on alcohol???
 

Why worry about job losses and finally killing the beer trade off completely when you can pass a law that will satisfy the killjoys in the Home Counties?

Why spare a thought for all the micro-breweries who won't be able to compete with wholesalers selling such top quality 'ale' as Fosters and John Smiths?

I try and avoid being party political but the Conservatives couldn't give a toss about the working classes and this will be another shining example of why to vote any which way but blue.

Re: A minimum price on alcohol???
 

And the last 13 years is a better shining example of why to vote any which way but Red;)

Re: A minimum price on alcohol???
 

The research team only operate during office hours,though I am led to believe some members put in 3 hours overtime last week.:eek:

Further more we know that a pint is 2 units and that two 50p's = £1 so we are well within limits.:tongueout:D:D

Re: A minimum price on alcohol???
 

Bet they would be sure not to target expensive fine wines ports sherry and spirits.

The illegal homebrew selling is around and doing well up here. The stuff has the kick of a giraffe gives a hangover that hell cant match and kills all sense of taste. It is not just beer and ale either. Wild sloe berry gin is as far as they go in the spirits side though.

Re: A minimum price on alcohol???
 

The labour grass roots care, the rest are no differant to the scum in power, so basically its all a shining example of why i say stuff em all.:rolleyes:

Re: A minimum price on alcohol???
 

Only 3 hours O/T!!!! They were claiming more.

So in theory if they brought in this 50p a unit malarkey then the research team are winners. :alright::alright::alright:

Re: A minimum price on alcohol???
 

Sadly not,that is a proposed minimum price so It would put my cans of John Smiths smooth up to around £1 a pint.:eek:.:D:D

Re: A minimum price on alcohol???
 

Robbed I say robbed. We need a Robin Hood to sort out this injustice.

Re: A minimum price on alcohol???
 

Oh come on Spuggs what the hell difference is it going to make to the price of fine wines ports sherry and spirits, if your paying £50 for a bottle of wine your already paying well over 50p a unit already, so I won't be cutting down:rolleyes::D

Re: A minimum price on alcohol???
 

Ya have a way with words cashy:D

Re: A minimum price on alcohol???
 

Was a thought that popped in my head. :eek::eek::eek: Dangerous I know.

Besides I couldnt afford £50 for a bottle of plonk even if I was allowed to drink. :(

Re: A minimum price on alcohol???
 

Would that be with C4 and a short fuse?

Re: A minimum price on alcohol???
 

yeh spugs but thats peanuts to them torys.:D

Re: A minimum price on alcohol???
 

I'll pour you a glass next time I see you:D

Re: A minimum price on alcohol???
 

There is an offer not to be refused cashy. :D

Re: A minimum price on alcohol???
 

Just one thing there Spuggs I know cashy don't drink so I'l have to neck it myself;):D

Re: A minimum price on alcohol???
 

Better that than it going to waste. :D

Re: A minimum price on alcohol???
 

I love the way these threads start off on one subject and then wander about.It makes them more interesting For a while we got serious and nobody cared about my whinging about my tinnies,now we're lightening up again.
To get serious again there is one problem we haven't touched-Sexually Transmitted Diseases.There has been a big rise of STD in one particular age group-yes, the 16 to 24 group.And it has been seen as connected to the drink culture.
As Marjory says,the drink and drug problem may be partly youthfull rebellion against the older generations.We all did it-mine was girls my mother didn't approve of,rock and roll and riding motorbikes like a fool. So hopefully the young ones may grow out of the drink/drugs phase.
But they WON'T grow out of HIV and some of the other STD's, they'll have them for life.Even the cureable ones can leave after effects.And that IS sad

Re: A minimum price on alcohol???
 

And before somebody says 'We don't WANT to touch an STD'-yes, I can see that one coming.

Re: A minimum price on alcohol???
 

Why its not just broken bones sore heads and an addiction that any changes to booze and its control might reduce. There is everything from personal cost to what it costs the country as a whole with the effect it has. There is more to the issue than the 10 bob a unit proposal.

Re: A minimum price on alcohol???
 

Well Gordon you've got to admit STDs weren't of great concern when we were young, the most you could end up with in those days was the clap or crabs, lucky I managed to miss these nasty little things. Its different today especially since the onset the HIV in the 80s and other things like chlamydia

Re: A minimum price on alcohol???
 

I was under the impression that drunkeness limited a man's capacity:confused:
.....which would result in involuntary contraception

Re: A minimum price on alcohol???
 

No that was Bromide and sad to say it has just started working after all these years.:hehetable

Re: A minimum price on alcohol???
 

:rofl38::rofl38:that made me chuckle MargaretR!!!!

Re: A minimum price on alcohol???
 

MargaretR-you've been mixing with the wrong sort of men!

Re: A minimum price on alcohol???
 

I haven't 'mixed' at all for over a decade, so your use of the past tense is correct.

PS I have just recalled a brief flutter I had about 4 years ago --- it wasn't memorable

Re: A minimum price on alcohol???
 

Well no not really Margaret, amnesia maybe, especially when you woke up on a Sunday Morning in a strange place and an even stranger person besides you, when the brain kicked in you could have sworn you were taking Miss World home the previous night:p:D:D

Re: A minimum price on alcohol???
 

You had an Avatar very much like that at one time didn't you Margaret;):rolleyes::hothothot

Re: A minimum price on alcohol???
 

Funny enough one of the drugs I'm on is called Ipratropium bromide:(:(:(:(:(:( It helps me breathe, well I certainly don't get out of breathe unnecessarily anymore:D:D