caddyman: (Default)
caddyman ([personal profile] caddyman) wrote2009-08-11 08:29 am

Nanny Watch

Remember when I said that having defeated the demon tobacco, the public smoking ban being the final nail in its coffin, that alcohol would be next on Nanny's agenda?

A great many of you poo-pooed me: "It's too deeply embedded in the culture", "No-one would stand for it", "Impossible to implement" "Throwing up all over the pavement isn't as bad as even looking at a cigarette" and so on and so forth. My prediction was that it would start with doom-laden pronouncements from health officials and move progressively through the governmental and media food chain until drinking is, if not banned, severely curtailed, taxed to death and beyond and bottles/cans covered in health warnings.

The sea change in public attitudes will take a generation or so to embed, but they will happen if the triumvirate of government, health professionals and media continue.

Drinking has now been successfully linked to cancer (looks like a familiar pattern emerging) and already the first calls have been made to introduce 'tobacco-style health warnings'

Auntie's story here.

[identity profile] mr-h-r-hughes.livejournal.com 2009-08-11 08:48 am (UTC)(link)
Hmmm, I'm not sure, I think the national mind will be much more resistant on this one although I suspect how much of a problem that is will depend on just how they attack it - they'll have an easier time attacking 'cheap' drink(er)s but if they start interfering with the middle classes *right* to chug mid-quality wine then they'll have a fight on their hands.