I'm all for the Scottish Government's plans for minimum pricing as a tactic to combat our seeming obsession with alcohol (though it's perhaps not helping my point that I just cracked open a bottle of Little Creatures before typing this).
Anyway, given the scourge of alcohol costs Scotland £2.25bn a year, it's getting to the stage where anything that sounds plausible is worth a shot so since both Chief Medical Officers in Scotland and the UK are in favour of minimum pricing, this policy seems a good start.
However, it turns out there could be an unavoidable obstacle. Per The Herald:
Scottish Government plans to introduce minimum alcohol pricing have been damaged by a European Court ruling that similar policies on tobacco are "illegal".
The decision was made against Austria, France and Ireland, where minimum pricing had been set on tobacco - partly on health reasons.
Nicola Sturgeon is putting a brave face on it:
"It is entirely inappropriate and irrelevant to translate an opinion on tobacco to the totally different issue of minimum pricing of alcoholic products per unit of alcohol for public health reasons."
I'm no lawyer but I'm not sure I agree.
I don't know the detail of the plans in Ireland, France and Austria but if you can't apply minimum pricing on fags, one has to admit there will probably be similar problems for minimum pricing on booze. Shame, I was looking forward to that Bill becoming law.
I'll just have to think of a traditional way to drown my sorrows....
Salmond vs Trump
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9 comments:
You don't get out of your mind after a few ciggies and smash up the wife, the guy you meet in the street, or the neighbourhood generally.
Damage is confined to yourself if you smoke.
Whereas...alcohol is a mind altering drug which adversely affects others/property..
I'm sure a good lawyer could easily make the case for minimum pricing.
The numpties who can't handle the bevvy and 'smash up the wife' will only move to another method of getting shit faced. Glue, mushies or whatever.
Anyway, this poll doesn't seem to be doing to well!
"Shame, I was looking forward to that Bill becoming law."
Which presupposes that the law will actually be enforced, which would certainly make a nice change!!
Has anyone ever "smashed up the wife" while on "mushies"?
Would be interesting to see the detail behind the law in these other countries, but unless it is a minimum price on one of the “components” of the cigarettes, I can why it probably falls fowl of competition law. However a minimum price on a unit of alcohol, rather than a blanket, alcohol in general must at least be x amount, I feel is a different issue. I am no lawyer either though, so could be sprouting kak.
The expert on GMS seemed to agree with NS - he said that tobacco is the subject of a specific directive, alcohol is not. If we look at the way alcohol is sold in EU states like Sweden what the SG is proposing is actually a lot less intrusive.
I'm continually intrigued that we appear to be scared shitless of directives from Europe. When we see our continental cousins flouting these laws, usually to save or improve their economy we curl up into a default position of tutting at them for breaking or bending the rules.
What are the level of fines? Do we not have reasonably intelligent lawyers who can tie enforcement up in circles?
Just because Europe say NO, don't mean that's the end of the story.
No, you're right there Monty.
But I think the UK flouts lots of EU directives.... we just hear about the ones that they want us to hear about, and then they blame Europe.
I don't know what the answer to the drunkeness problem is but I'm sick to the back teeth of having to pick my way through bodies lying on the pavement fast asleep in their own vomit.
It's killed any idea of Dundee as a tourist destination, at least on an overnight basis.
Off topic, but I believe this is a high ranking member of the royal family that Alex Salmond wants to hang onto. All righty then.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/8323592.stm
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