Nanny is coming for you

[caddyman]

A couple of years ago when the smoking ban came into effect, I made the prediction that the nanny state would target alcohol next and a number of my friends poo-pooed the idea. "Alcohol is too deeply embedded in the culture" they said, or words to that effect.

I made the counter argument that so had tobacco been, but they'd successfully turned public opinion around on that. It had taken a generation or slightly longer, but persistence paid off. Again, I was poo-pooed and told that smoking had never been popular. At this point I realised that the institutional brain washing of the nanny state had done far more work than I was capable of arguing against. Thirty years ago and earlier, smoking was very popular; you were very much in the minority if you didn't smoke. The response was that I was clearly against the smoking ban because I was a smoker. Actually, I had given up at that point and I'm still given up. My objection to the smoking ban was rather more than a case of sour grapes.

Anyway. I'm not restarting that argument, but I am plotting the progress of nanny's attempts to stop us drinking alcohol.

Today it was this: plans to end cheap alcohol. Last week it was this: Scots plan to stop cheap alcohol. What next, I wonder? ID cards to be examined before we sip wine? Who knows?

Previously, we have been told that we are ignorant about alcohol, or alcohol misuse is costing Scotland £2.25bn a year, before that, it was alcohol gives you Alzheimer's and before that, warnings about strong drinks.

Smoking isn't as newsworthy any more. Alcohol is. Nanny's coming, she's a way off yet, but she's coming. I give it thirty-five years before social drinking has collapsed under the media assault and the brainwashed start deriding anyone who likes a drop of wine. That's about how long it took to switch attitudes to cigarettes.

Don't worry though. They won't ban it. The tax revenue is too lucrative.

Comments

[wulfboy.livejournal.com]

Add in as well that television wise, for the last five years or so we have seen many "real cop" and "real holiday rep" style programmes in which drunken young people act like pricks, throw up and get arrested. So-called "binge drinking" is quite a popular thing to look at and shake your head at the foolishness of heavy drinkers.

[velvet-the-cat.livejournal.com]

Don't forget the chocolate tax. We need to be stopped from eating that as well.

FWIW I'm actually happy about the smoking ban in public places but more from the perspective of being free to go about my business without being poisoned rather than wanting to stop people doing something because I think it's bad for them. Fine line, but I do like to make a distinction.

[fencingsculptor.livejournal.com]

There's a massive shortfall between what Government, wants to do, can afford to do, what(arguably) it should do (ie as far as possible just let everyone get on with their lives).

Where is has the gonads to, Government is looking ahead a couple of Generations and realises that the economy won't work if the population is to fat (bad diet), too thick (as a result of buggering around with the education system), too drunk or socially disadvantaged (to many disafected youngsters with no concept of a stable family background, good education and career hopes).

But rather than address these problems which are all rather taxing (nopun intended) and very difficult, the government figures that if they tax stuff they might just raise enough revenue to muddle through...somehow.

If we as a society sent the messeage that chav scum regurgitating their lurid bottles of WKD over my front gate, or made them deal with the consequences of their actions then maybe we wouldn't have to penalise ordinary law abiding folk from enjoying a nice glass of wine.

Sadly it's the state of society that's giving the Government it's opportunity to remove freedoms that are being abused by a small but seemingly increasing proportion of society.

[ladkyis.livejournal.com]

Any government that wants to tell me what sort of lightbulb I can use in my house can go suck! I am old enough to remember when smoking was considered 'the' thing to do. I was the odd one out because I resisted but even so I was smoking by age 15 even though it was illegal - and the medical experts already knew that it was carcinogenic. It didn't become fashionable to pour scorn on the smoker for quite a while.
Now if you are a fat smoker that likes the occasional glass of wine you are beyond the pale - and I know the origin of that phrase too.
Where are the government plans to teach young people restraint? where are the parenting schools for people of lesser intelligence - oops non PC here
~stamps all over her soap box, sweeps the bits into a sack and stomps off~

[fractalgeek.livejournal.com]

So where does the extra money go if the alcohol concerned is below the minimum price per unit?