If they agree on nothing else it would appear that at least David Cameron and Gordon Brown agree that a minimum 50p per unit price for alcohol would impact on moderate drinkers to too great an extent to be considered reasonable. However Chief medical Officer Sir Liam Donaldson believes that the imposition of this 50p minimum would lead to 3393 fewer deaths every year (I wonder how they worked that one out) and nearly 100,000 fewer hospital admissions. Perhaps both Mr Brown and Mr Cameron are more concerned about the health of the exchequer’s income from alcohol duty than they are admitting.
Maybe the best way to deal with the damage done by binge drinking is to invoke the same laws as the government did for smokers, simply ban drinking inside building frequented by the public. We would of course have to divide up the pavements between those who only smoke, only drink and those that do both but how many people would stand outside downing 15 pints in the cold and wet even in the best of company. The other advantage would be an alliance with the large supermarkets who of course would benefit as drinkers were obliged to stay at home for a pint of an evening, I am sure they would lobby for this law change with glee.
