Minimum Price Alcohol in Scotland

maxfli65 said:
Seems to me putting up cheap alcohol prices is admitting defeat in trying to sort the real source of why there is alcohol abuse in the first place - social deprivation and poverty linked to unemployment and housing. Until those issues are sorted country-wide then it's putting a plaster on a large wound - won't work but it's perhaps better than nothing amd might prevent some anti social problems, don't expect much to be honest.
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Changing attitudes can only be an extremely long-term project and will probably take at least a generation before you could expect a widespread change. Minimum pricing is, I think, an attempt to stem the tide in the meantime.
 
azazel said:
Changing attitudes can only be an extremely long-term project and will probably take at least a generation before you could expect a widespread change. Minimum pricing is, I think, an attempt to stem the tide in the meantime.
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If I am a 14 yr old who has a friend who is or looks old enough to buy me 3l of Frosty Jack for £3, then that's well within my pocket money budget - and I can get blootered every day on that one bottle. Not all 14yr olds will know someone who knows someone shipping pallet loads of such as FJ across the border - and if they do they'll soon get fun oot as it won't be for sale in Scotland.

This can only be a good thing.
 
williamalex1 said:
I remember when there was a small returnable deposit on glass bottles, kids use to chap doors asking for bottles to return, i can't remember much broken glass lying about.
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Gove has announced a consultation on this issue. His aim is to bring in a glass deposit scheme, based on the Norwegian model from memory. The old days are coming back.
 
maxfli65 said:
Seems to me putting up cheap alcohol prices is admitting defeat in trying to sort the real source of why there is alcohol abuse in the first place - social deprivation and poverty linked to unemployment and housing. Until those issues are sorted country-wide then it's putting a plaster on a large wound - won't work but it's perhaps better than nothing amd might prevent some anti social problems, don't expect much to be honest.
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Not a bad point at all. I'm not convinced that it isn't a lazy money grab too. When you look at the stats for alcohol consumption per head throughout Europe you find that the UK is in a better position than most European countries... yet, is the UK really that full of drunks? Is it media hype that every town and city centre is mobbed with drunks? Or is it that the demographic for alcohol consumption in the UK is more amongst the youngsters, whereas drinking in France, Germany, Italy, Spain etc is more family driven with a shared bottle of wine on the table?

The WHO commissioned a report on alcohol consumption worldwide, the results of which suggest the UK doesn't have that big a problem.

#confused.com...... is it just an in-vogue thing to suggest the UK has serious problems? I genuinely don't know.
 
Hobbit said:
Not a bad point at all. I'm not convinced that it isn't a lazy money grab too. When you look at the stats for alcohol consumption per head throughout Europe you find that the UK is in a better position than most European countries... yet, is the UK really that full of drunks? Is it media hype that every town and city centre is mobbed with drunks? Or is it that the demographic for alcohol consumption in the UK is more amongst the youngsters, whereas drinking in France, Germany, Italy, Spain etc is more family driven with a shared bottle of wine on the table?

The WHO commissioned a report on alcohol consumption worldwide, the results of which suggest the UK doesn't have that big a problem.

#confused.com...... is it just an in-vogue thing to suggest the UK has serious problems? I genuinely don't know.
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I think the Scottish move is to help with a specific drinking problem. The tax will not impact greatly on most drink, it is aimed at the bottom of the market, on get drunk quick alcohol. Nasty cider and lager that kids head to first off. Parts of Glasgow has some awful figures relating to alcohol problems and this is part of the plan to reduce this. It wont impact people going out, pricing is already way above 50p per unit in a bar / restaurant, it is for corner shop / Bargain booze type drinks.

I don't think anyone is saying this will stop the problem but it is part of the process.
 
ger147 said:
MD 20/20 now more expensive than Buckfast. Just what we need, the weans drinking more Buckfast...
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The problem with Buckfast (as with all port and sherry and quality products favoured by the jakies of the West of Scotland back in the day such as Four Crown, Lannie and ElD) is that the alcohol level is just at the optimum level for rapid absorption through the stomach wall. Whisky and other spirits if drunk alone do not get you drunk quick as the alcohol is absorbed more slowly - apparently that's why the traditional hauf an' a hauf get's you drunk quicker - the beer dilutes the whisky.

Mind you - they were all sophisticated drinks compared with the 'hairspray cocktail' mixing belair hairspray refill with milk :(
 
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patricks148 said:
Booze Run to England anyone??

In all seriousness, i'm not sure it will work. the poorest in society with a drink problem will still more than likely have the same problem, just now they will be even poorer.

Not seen any mention of the extra cash raised being put into alcohol rehab and education, or does it just mean producers make more money?
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Yes, it's NOT a tax
 
iang said:
anyone know where the extra revenue this will generate goes ? Is it extra tax to the government or extra profit for the retailer ??
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val said:
consumption won’t change so someone will coin it in and suspect it will be the scottish government. So here we have a tax increase by the snp disguised as doing the right thing.

Shameless
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it's. Not. A. Tax.
 
Lord Tyrion said:
I didn't know that, every day is a learning day. My point is the same though.

Is it the manufacturer who ups the price, the retailer or is there an agreement between the two to split the extra?
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On the radio earlier they said that the supermarkets would get the increased profits from the price going up. Not sure if that means that the suppliers will increase the prices that they sell at to the supermarkets.

EDIT - *interchange any of supermarket/Off license/corner shop etc in the above.
 
Just hypothesising.

If the policy is aimed at driving very low cost, high and super-strength alcoholic drinks out of the market, then the retailer will lose those sales and so the very high margin on these drinks that results from minimum unit pricing will not be realised. The retailer will lose the current probably quite small margin on these drinks as they disappear from sale, but may well make up for it on slightly higher margin on some more expensive higher strength drinks where the MUP might result in a small increase in price.
 
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