Minimum Price Alcohol

Ken Moss

Ken Moss

Common Sense Member
Tackler
I've not really been around for a few days but it was all over the news on Friday about some north west councils looking to introduce the minimum price on alcohol in an effort to reduce alcohol-related incidents at weekend. Now either I am fortunate enough to live in an area that is magnificently low on that score (and indeed again when I lived in Lostock Hall) or the media is blowing this out of all proportion.

Some genius on the radio said that this will not impact on sensible drinkers but the question really is how? Price up for one is price up for all and the relief at saving a few quid a week when Asda put their wine back down to 3 for £10 was palapable, as a glass of wine is the only release I have from work.

The pubs are on their arse as it is, how many more pleasures are we going to have taxed out of our price range? I am not happy about this and will fight tooth and nail to keep it out of Hyndburn.
 
Think it was Manchester Ken never heard of any council round here thinking of it
 
jaysay said:
Think it was Manchester Ken never heard of any council round here thinking of it
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There are a few councils considering it and the fact that it's even in the national debate at all means that it's on the doorstep. I know you're suffering from enforced abstinence but think of those of us who have a good 40 or 50 years of drinking left in us!

The smoking laws have done enough damage to pubs by not being flexible, let's not make the same mistake with beer.
 
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We have laws in this country because there are a minoirty of people who think they can live how they want, therefore the majority accept the law because of the minority.

I can think of nothing better for this country than raising the price of a pint to £20 and a gram of weed to £500 :)
 
lancsdave said:
We have laws in this country because there are a minoirty of people who think they can live how they want, therefore the majority accept the law because of the minority.

I can think of nothing better for this country than raising the price of a pint to £20 and a gram of weed to £500 :)
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You missed out petrol @ £20 a gallon.:eek:

Nobody smoking,drinking or driving,Would save the NHS a fortune in fact to hear the do-gooders talk we wouldn't need it.:rolleyes::D:D
 
Ken Moss said:
The smoking laws have done enough damage to pubs by not being flexible, let's not make the same mistake with beer.
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Not sure how you can be flexible with a smoking ban. There either IS one or there ISN'T.

The ban has to be seen in a long term context. Yes, some people have stopped going to pubs because they can't have a smoke, but others are being drawn to them by the cleaner atmosphere, and the knowledge their clothes won't smell like a used ash tray next morning.

As for pricing of alcohol, the suggestion has been to make the minimum price 50p per unit to get rid of cheap 2 for 1 supermarket and off licence offers. It equates to a pound a pint, so unless there are any pubs selling beer below that level, they won't be affected.
 
gynn said:
Not sure how you can be flexible with a smoking ban. There either IS one or there ISN'T.

The ban has to be seen in a long term context. Yes, some people have stopped going to pubs because they can't have a smoke, but others are being drawn to them by the cleaner atmosphere, and the knowledge their clothes won't smell like a used ash tray next morning.

As for pricing of alcohol, the suggestion has been to make the minimum price 50p per unit to get rid of cheap 2 for 1 supermarket and off licence offers. It equates to a pound a pint, so unless there are any pubs selling beer below that level, they won't be affected.
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Take no notice gynn, its only Ken Sabre rattling again, latter on in he thread no doubt it will be Britcliffes idea;) Well he ain't had a pop at him for a coule of weeks has he :D
 
gynn said:
Not sure how you can be flexible with a smoking ban. There either IS one or there ISN'T.

The ban has to be seen in a long term context. Yes, some people have stopped going to pubs because they can't have a smoke, but others are being drawn to them by the cleaner atmosphere, and the knowledge their clothes won't smell like a used ash tray next morning.
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What a load of rubbish, have spoken to quite a few landlords/stewards since the ban n "ALL" say it has had a big effect on trade,i was workin in a club fer a good while when it was introduced, many remarked that "Where" are these Non Smokers that are supposed to be coming.:rolleyes:
 
cashman said:
What a load of rubbish, have spoken to quite a few landlords/stewards since the ban n "ALL" say it has had a big effect on trade,i was workin in a club fer a good while when it was introduced, many remarked that "Where" are these Non Smokers that are supposed to be coming.:rolleyes:
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Me!
 
gynn said:
Not sure how you can be flexible with a smoking ban. There either IS one or there ISN'T.

The ban has to be seen in a long term context. Yes, some people have stopped going to pubs because they can't have a smoke, but others are being drawn to them by the cleaner atmosphere, and the knowledge their clothes won't smell like a used ash tray next morning.

As for pricing of alcohol, the suggestion has been to make the minimum price 50p per unit to get rid of cheap 2 for 1 supermarket and off licence offers. It equates to a pound a pint, so unless there are any pubs selling beer below that level, they won't be affected.
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There are quite a few flaws in your reasoning there.

Firstly, I said smoking laws, not flexibility on a ban. If there were dedicated smoking rooms or even smoking pubs then the story would be much different. I won't deny that it is nice to come home and not need a shower before bed but the lack of smokers has killed pub atmospheres stone dead in many cases.

Secondly, it only equates to a pound a pint if beer is of a certain strength and that would push most real ale past the £3 a pint mark. Also, if what you say were true then we should be seeing pints sold for less than a quid now and we aren't.

This is another prime example of the nanny state angling for another stealth tax. I didn't agree with the smoking ban and I don't agree with this.
 
jaysay said:
Take no notice gynn, its only Ken Sabre rattling again, latter on in he thread no doubt it will be Britcliffes idea;) Well he ain't had a pop at him for a coule of weeks has he :D
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As far as I'm aware Peter hasn't even mentioned it and it isn't a Tory-bash either, it's just a rail against a potential forthcoming stupid knee-jerk reaction to a few badly-edited news reports. They were that desperate for interviews on the radio on Friday that they collared an 83 year old woman who had slipped coming out of a pub.

I'm sure there are plenty of medical bods who will say that Friday and Saturday see a rise in the number of people hurt through drink but I've never been one of them and I don't know anyone who has been either. Too few dictating to too many yet again.

An example of this cropped up at my surgery yesterday. For years, one particular residents group has been screaming that lower Rishton needs a bus shelter and that everyone complains about not having one so we allocated the funds and agreed that since it directly affected the front of one or two houses we would let the residents themselves have the final say.

All of those shouting about the weight of public opinion on getting a new shelter.....didn't turn up.
 
cashman said:
Ok how many pubs have closed or on last legs? since the ban, also how many more than YOU are ya aware of? also how many drink at home, specially in bad weather since the ban?:rolleyes:
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Sadly it is yet another case of people that don't play the game making the rules.:eek:

We are all aware of the dangers but we put other people first in so much as we fund the services that provide the more wealthy with the care they are to tight to pay for themselves.Or to put it in the words of Alf Garnett we do it for Britain.:jimbo::D:D
 
The ban on smoking in pubs came in UK long before it did in France, so when I went to Portsmouth to do a 3 month contract I came across the ban in full flow - even with "police" checking places out.
It was quite obvious in the Portsmouth/Gosport/Fareham and surrounding areas, that pubs who had good smoking areas, and I do mean good, even though it was summer, were the ones that were thriving - the ones who didn't cater for smokers, quite often due to location, were suffering very badly.
One thing that really P'd me off was that the bar in the House of Commons was exempt from the ban initially.
Even though I don't smoke now, I do not find much pleasure in going into a pub/club for a drink, unless United are on the TV or it is an Accyweb Meet.
It does not bother me one little bit when others smoke in my company - which surprises me somewhat.
 
Look, there's a simple solution to the problem of (cheap) alcohol abuse and minimum pricing is not it. What needs to be done is quite simple. Licenses to sell alcohol are withdrawn from every corner shop and licenses to sell alcohol (other than wines and spirits) are withdrawn from every supermarket. That just leaves your traditional pubs selling alcohol in volume and as such you reinstitute control on who is drinking and by how much. And you also keep traditional pubs alive.
 
Tealeaf said:
Look, there's a simple solution to the problem of (cheap) alcohol abuse and minimum pricing is not it. What needs to be done is quite simple. Licenses to sell alcohol are withdrawn from every corner shop and licenses to sell alcohol (other than wines and spirits) are withdrawn from every supermarket. That just leaves your traditional pubs selling alcohol in volume and as such you reinstitute control on who is drinking and by how much. And you also keep traditional pubs alive.
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Good idea - but, get a cheap ferry over to France and buy 90 litres for between less than 50p a pint (7.9%). You can't stop it either, so everything just goes black market, like it has with tobacco.
 
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