My Scottish friends seem to be venturing down a dodgy path in trying to set a minimum price for units of alcohol in a bid to try and lower their problems of alcohol related disease, where uncharacteristically, they are European champions.
The likelihood is that this will be declared illegal by the EU, but even if it isn't, I have mixed feelings on this and on balance am against it, though probably only just. For once the Portman Group get it right when they say "People who drink to get drunk would not be influenced by these measures."
Unlike the Pub Curmudgeon, I don't see this as affecting pubs particularly and it certainly wouldn't affect me personally one little bit even if I lived in Scotland. It won't affect Scotland's alkies' favourite drink Buckfast either, as it is not strong enough to impinge on it price wise. Equally those old fortified wine favourites of my youth, Lanliq, Vordo, Eldorado and Emva Cream might make a spectacular comeback. Those requiring cheap oblivion always find something to drink that they can afford and that will do the trick.
I do hope this doesn't bring a comeback for Bellair Milk though.
In a narrow sense mimimum pricing would not affect pubs, but neither in practice would it do anything to encourage people to drink in pubs rather than buying in the off-trade. However, it is indicative of a wider anti-drink mindset from the Scottish government which in the longer term will inevitably affect pubs. We are already seeing fairly innocent sounding price promotions in pubs banned in Scotland that would be legal south of the border.
ReplyDeleteSeveral pubs in the town of my birth serve Buckfast from the optic.
ReplyDeleteI am of very classy stock indeed.
I think the Scots are making a sensible move. Australia recently introduced an alcopop tax which I was pretty sceptical of for teh same reasons you are with this issue. It seems that the tax has actually worked rather well. The Australian government are now crying poor that they will not raise the additional $30 billion in excise it predicted due to the increase tax.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the link Tim. I've linked your blog on mine with a tongue in cheek comment. It's a good read mate.
ReplyDeletehaha, Thanks. I don't think I am Anti CAMRA as such, but I have a different opinion as I have not grown up with it as an establishment. From chatting to a few CAMRA members over the last couple of weeks, it seems that my views are shared by a lot of members. Comments in the blogosphere tend to indicate similar sentiments as well.
ReplyDeleteCAMRA people, by and large like good beer of all types, but don't mistake that for a weakening of their commitment to cask beer.If you reckon that CAMRA members, no matter their stripe, are keen on more keg beer and lager, then I suspect you are mistaken.
ReplyDeleteIf you reckon that there are aspects of the campaign that a lot of CAMRA members might disagree with, then you are on the money. Of course, members are always unhappy in a voluntary organisation, but they need to get involved to change it.
I have never suggested that CAMRA members are more keen on keg than cask. But I have found that many CAMRA members like beer besides cask, and many agree with the public perception that I have. What I don't understand is why so many aspects of the campaign supported if they are unpopular?
ReplyDeleteI think I am coming from the same place as The Beer Nut, whom has had some rather intersting blows over at the CAMRA forums!
I can assure you I've had more interesting blows than that.
ReplyDeleteYou'll find some CAMRA members really do have an almost Puritanical view of beer that anything not qualifying as real ale is the spawn of the devil, whereas others take a more broad-minded and eclectic view of beer styles.
ReplyDeleteIn practice, people pay their subs as they believe in broad terms what CAMRA stands for and promotes is a good thing, but they then pick and choose which aspects of the organisation they take up and which they ignore. And for many the most important part is the social side.
As with many organisations, "policy" tends to be made by activists who are not necessarily representative of the general membership.
Tim: "I have found that many CAMRA members like beer besides cask".
ReplyDeleteWhich is agreed and what I said. The aspects of the campaign that are not supported widely are tactical largely. Not enough campaigning, too much concerned with money, disagreement with the Full Pint Campaign, not enough emphasis on this and that and so on. Of course there are those that don't see the wider picture and for them, maybe that's OK. It is of necessity a broad church.
If you are continually mixing with odd, fundamental, sandalled, bearded CAMRA types then I can't help you. Most are pretty broad minded within the overall aim of promoting cask ale. Maybe these types are all wandering around London and the South? It would explain a lot.(-;
At my CAMRA branch meeting tonight, there won't be any such oddballs, but funnily enough, we won't be wondering where we can get a decent pint of keg either.
And what Curmudgeon said.
ReplyDeleteIf the question does happen to come up, Tandleman, you can recommend The Porterhouse ;) The western branches rather than the southern one...
ReplyDeleteI think most who will be there tonight have been. I have anyway and I love Wrasslers - even in Covent Garden
ReplyDeleteI drove past Buckfast abbey today, funnily enough. I half expected to see a queue of drunken, weasley neds at the monk's shop... sadly not.
ReplyDelete