alcohol price to go up

Discussion in 'Off-Topic Discussion' started by miraflores, Nov 28, 2012.

  1. clueless1

    clueless1 member... yep, that's what I am:)

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    My mam sometimes reminisces about a club that she used to go to every Friday, and she says every week some poor lad would get thrown down the stairs. That was the 1960s. I've never seen anyone thrown down some stairs, certainly not every week.
     
  2. Jenny namaste

    Jenny namaste Total Gardener

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    Thrown down the stairs is one thing CL - mass knife ownership/use is something very different,
     
  3. Fat Controller

    Fat Controller 'Cuddly' Scottish Admin! Staff Member

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    I don't think that alcohol is the cause of it being worse though Jenny - as clueless rightly points out, heavy drinking was almost as prevalent back in the 60's, 70's and 80's as it is now; I think the difference nowadays is that the behaviour of the general public in general has deteriorated beyond belief, be they sober or not.

    I remember as a child, looking up to my friends dad who worked on the buses - and you would hear things like "He's got a good job, he's on the buses" "She's done really well, she's a nurse you know" - roll forward ten years when I passed my test, and I soon learned that the respect of old had gone, and that it was OK/accepted that people in my industry were there to be abused. And its not just my industry either - its teachers, nurses, doctors, shop workers - I could go on and on.

    The whole time that we have a society where it is acceptable (even if only by turning a blind eye) for people to verbally and physically abuse others - and feel justified in doing so because the person they are abusing is (in the abusers perception) somehow not providing the service they are demanding, then it should come as no surprise that the behaviour displayed by these abusers only deteriorates when they are on a night out and have had a few.
     
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    • Sheal

      Sheal Total Gardener

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      Putting the price of alcohol up will not change a thing as we all well know. It wasn't that long ago that the government decided to give pubs/clubs etc. free rein on opening hours. The understanding being that the longer hours would help combat the drunken situations we have now by spreading the alcohol intake over a longer period during the course of a day. What rubbish! It was obvious to me if not others that this would have the opposite effect and allow people to stay drunk all day instead of part of it. These opening times need to be reversed asap. Okay, it won't cut down on drink intake, but it may perhaps take people home at a more reasonable time of day and leave others the peace of a nights sleep.

      Secondly, I'm glad to see tax going on drink for a change. It's nearly always cigarettes that get 'clobbered' for high tax increases. I just wonder, if the tax was taken off a packet of cigarettes, just how much they would actually cost. It is considered that smoking is more harmful to us than drinking. I'm not so sure, when you make a comparison between the two, I think drink causes more suffering and expense than ever to all of us, through health issues, GBH and vandalism.
       
    • clueless1

      clueless1 member... yep, that's what I am:)

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      I'm afraid that's a media myth. There was a study a couple of years ago, and while its obvious that not everybody is going to tell the truth either way (some will say they do arm themselves when they don't and vice versa), it was found that far fewer youths carry weapons than we would be led to believe.

      Most people are not daft. They know that if you carry a knife, you have much less freedom. Many nightclubs now equip the door staff with hand held metal detectors and even those that don't, have a policy of searching people on a whim. People also realise that if you get caught with a blade and they don't have a most excellent excuse, there's a high chance they'll get locked up even if they don't use it, and finally they also realise that if they do get into a fight and they pull a knife, they are either going down for a long time or they are going to get very seriously hurt because in the face of mortal danger, people aren't going to take any chances. Most youths know all this, and are unarmed and non-hostile. I'm afraid it is the media that portrays our youth as demons, and by us believing that we are in fact turning them into such. If we alienate them, we are the ones making enemies, not the other way round. But even that isn't a recent issue. I can't remember the details but there is a write-up by some Roman or ancient Greek chap that talks about the youth of the day in much the same way as we do now.
       
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      • ARMANDII

        ARMANDII Low Flying Administrator Staff Member

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        Why would you be glad to see yet another tax increase, Sheal, that's falling into the trap that the Government just loves. The Budget is just around the corner and there will be more inevitable tax increases on the other things that people enjoy with harming themselves. The motive of the Government to increase the price of Alcohol has nothing to do with preventing ill health, it's about more money in their coffers.:mad:
         
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        • Sheal

          Sheal Total Gardener

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          I'm sorry Armandii, what I'm trying to say is, I'm not happy about any tax increases but it makes a change for it to go on drink instead of always hitting the smokers and I realise it's to fill the governments coffers. But it still doesn't alter the fact that alcohol causes more issues in all respects than cigarettes. I don't by any means want to take away the enjoyment that people get from either of these but something has to be done about the grief excessive drink causes and taxing won't solve it.
           
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          • ARMANDII

            ARMANDII Low Flying Administrator Staff Member

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            The point some people were making was that there will always be people who drink, smoke or gamble etc to excess but they are a minority, whilst the majority of people do not but the majority will be the people who will pay the price in more ways than one.. If there were proper treatment programs in place to deal with people who have a problem there might be an excuse, but there are not and in fact what programs there were are now being cut back drastically because of cost.......so where's the caring logic in that??.
            What else can people find to exaggerate in order to restrict normal freedom of choice whilst also being a source of increased taxation and revenue for the Government. But it does serve my point that the British Public has become so acclimatised, numbed, almost grateful to taxation in any form that as a diversion and acceptance of a increase in a tax they will accept the Politicians line that is put out in a kind of relieved way, i.e: "Well, at least it didn't go on such and such a thing".
            I have never believed that raising the price of any pleasure will stop people indulging in excess. Raise the price and people will do without food or anything else to get what has become a habit, a greater need. People burgle, mug and rob for the price of drugs........are we just adding to the list??
             
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            • Phil A

              Phil A Guest

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              About 50p
               
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              • OxfordNick

                OxfordNick Super Gardener

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                The last time I was out in our office in Qatar a carton of UK ciggies was just under £9 - and that was the UK product shipped half way around the world & sold at the full price for westerners. I have little doubt that had I shopped around in the locals market I could have paid significantly less.. shame I dont smoke, really.
                 
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                • Grannie Annie

                  Grannie Annie Total Gardener

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                  I agree with Sheal and I have seen families split up through alcohol but not through smoking. A friend stuck it for years but finally had to leave when her husband once too often lay for days not knowing what day it was, lost his driving license - spent thousands on rehab - got into so much debt and lost his business and in the end the whole family suffered.
                   
                • ARMANDII

                  ARMANDII Low Flying Administrator Staff Member

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                  I'm afraid it's a lot more than that, Ziggy. If you calculate 77% of the price of a packet of cigarettes that's what the Exchequer will get. What's left is the actual price of ciggies.:rolleyespink:
                   
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                  • Phil A

                    Phil A Guest

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                    I was just basing that on what 20 Marlboro costs outside the EU Armandii, can't wrap my head around complex maths at this time of night:snork:
                     
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