Social(ist) engineering in Scotland. Camra falls asleep.

Apparently according to the righteous, the folk who make up Scottish politicians seem to think that their fellow citizens are all laying about in doorways covered in the own vomit and pish. That the Rab Nesbit has become the norm and so they are little more than children in need of guidence from the elite.

Scotland moves to cut cheap alcohol sales

LONDON (AFP) — The Scottish government announced on Monday controversial plans to set a minimum price for alcohol in a bid to tackle liquor abuse including binge drinking amongst the young.

The Edinburgh administration unveiled the plans aimed at stamping out cut-rate prices for alcohol including money saving promotions such as "3 for 2" deals.

They are going to charge by the "unit", I have said it before and will keep on saying it that units were plucked out of the air, its a meaningless term. As the Times reported:

Guidelines on safe alcohol consumption limits that have shaped health policy in Britain for 20 years were “plucked out of the air” as an “intelligent guess”.

The Times reveals today that the recommended weekly drinking limits of 21 units of alcohol for men and 14 for women, first introduced in 1987 and still in use today, had no firm scientific basis whatsoever.

Now we know that the fake charities, funded by the state - that is us via our taxes - will be calling for these new control measures to be imposed on the rest of us.

Alcohol Concern—an anti-drinking lobby group that receives less than 1% of its income from public donations

Alcohol Focus Scotland—no strangers to a hand-out

Alliance House Foundation—a well established temperance group founded in 1853. It funds the Institute for Alcohol Studies.

Institute of Alcohol Studies—the research wing of the modern temperance movement. Funded by the Alliance House Foundation and the European Commission.

Today Scotland, tomorrow us.

Camra seem a wee bit confused..

The Campaign for Real Ale (Camra) has backed moves in Scotland to ban supermarkets from selling below cost.

“It is irresponsible and reckless for the major supermarkets to sell alcohol at below cost," said Camra chief executive Mike Benner.

Yet they seem to be in a bit of a bind and tying themselves up in knots. 

Tesco selling cheap beer = bad. 

JD Wetherspoon flogging off loss leader beer at 99p = good.  

Camra seem unable to see that a supermarket called Wetherspoons with squillions can afford to take a hit on beer and will always find ways to offer booze cheaper. Exactly the same way that Tesco and the others in the supermarket world do.

J D Wetherspoon is also a large corporate and I argue no friend to either Camra or the pub trade here in the UK. They buy in bulk, sell loss leaders and have a marketing policy little different to that of Tesco etc.

This move on 99p beer by Wetherspoons part has angered the righteous! 

A pub chain is cutting the price of a pint to 99p to cheer cash-strapped drinkers - but the move has sparked criticism from an alcohol charity....

Alcohol Concern says pricing drinks at 1989 levels could cause more people to drink too much and end up in hospital. 

Nicolay Sorensen, from the charity, said prices across the industry were already 65% lower in real terms than in 1980.

Now Wetherspoons got a raft of free publicity out of that story, sold more beer and job done. They also have a policy of opening pubs, checking local prices and undercutting nearby pubs. They argue market economics and are more than happy to drive rivals - small family pubs - to the wall.

Yet not a peep from Camra, they have become fixated on the evils of supermarkets, in doing so they aid both the state charities and give the badger haired sockpuppet Chancellor and excuse to raise taxes on health grounds. 

They need to oppose this move, it is going to be a national policy. The large chains of supermarkets care not, they will still discount and loss lead through the back door. 

The Government are already planning this new tax move all over the UK.

CAMRA's argument seems to centre around the assumption that supermarkets are using beer as loss-leaders to invigorate sales in other areas. That is true but by supporting tax rises they will hit the pub trade. Duties need to be lowered to stop smuggling of beer.

All that will happen is this, prices will rise. Again and again and again. Does anyone think that this government will leave a cash cow like booze alone? 

The result will be that the large chains will still be able to flog booze off at a lower - although higher price to the consumer - price that your local watering hole. They have the budgets the small pubs do not have, they employ clever bean counters who tell them how to shave 10p off a pack of 4 stella without breaking a law.

Corporate Mc Beer chain JD Wetherspoon will do the same, more pubs will close and that duplicitous fucker Tim Martin will step in. He will open up these pubs and turn them into soulless chav palaces with names like the Tom Toya Lewis.

All with the same menus, the same offers, the same old folk lined up getting the cheap coffees, the same look and helping to destroy the very pub trade Martin claims to support here in the UK.

All that will be left if we are not careful is supermarkets, corporate chains like Wetherspoons and we will be paying much much more for a pint.

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