Bill on minimum pricing of alcohol due before Dáil recess

Am I surprised?  No.  When international Nanny Stateists get together it's almost inevitable that Ireland will be in the forefront.  In fact Ireland is rapidly becoming the very definition of The Nanny State.

OK, so they reckon we are a nation of binge drinkers? 

75 per cent of all consumption of alcohol in Ireland is done during binge-drinking sessions. Alcohol was not abused by a small minority, and “the majority of people who drink do so in a harmful way”.

What the fuck?  Alcohol is not abused by a small minority?  The majority of people who drink do so in a harmful way?  Where the fuck do they get this from?  Maybe if they redefined their definition of "binge drinking" to something less ridiculous that drinking three pints at a session it would help?

Or maybe he is just going from personal experience in the [heavily subsidised] Dáil bar?

Mr Varadkar reiterated the Government’s commitment that minimum unit pricing to eliminate very cheap alcohol from stores would be introduced, and said currently “a woman can reach her low-risk weekly drinking limit for just €6.30, while a man can reach this weekly limit for less than €10”.

I'd love to know how that's done?  €6.30 for three units?  He has to be referring to the type of cheap canned lager that's about as alcoholic as gnat's piss.  Good luck with binge drinking on that!

“ultimately, the price needs to be set at a level that will reduce the burden of harm from alcohol use or it will be ineffective – but not so high that it increases the cost of a pint in the pub or a glass of wine in a pizzeria”.

Oh for fuck's sake, wake up Varadkar!  If they have the slightest excuse, of course the pubs are going to lam up the price of drink.  How fucking naïve can you get?

Senator Jillian van Turnhout (Independent) expressed concern about Government departments dealing with drinks companies.

Welcome to the birth of Big Alcohol.  Of course they have to be excluded from all discussion.  Of course anything they say is a pack of lies.  Of course all they are interested in is turning us all into alcoholics.  They are even more evil than Big Tobacco.

Senator Labhrás Ó Murchú (FF) said children were the main victims of the abuse of alcohol, whether in the home or elsewhere, and “that alone should make us more determined and courageous than we have ever been before on this issue”.

Ah!  Of course!  The cheeeeeeldren.  We must think of the cheeeeeeldren. 

They are crossing a very dangerous line here.

Up until now their Nanny Laws were directed at specific people.  Crash helmets were for mototcyclists, seatbelts were for car drivers and their Anti-Smoker laws were directed at smokers. Each are well defined groups and you either are in that group or you're not.  Now however they are introducing Nanny Laws that are only targeted at a minority section of a group, but which will affect all within that group whether they are problem drinkers or not.

Of course this minimum pricing will fail, just as all their Nanny Laws have failed.  There will still be drunken fights, kids puking their rings up in Temple Bar and fistfights at home.  The gubmint will however scream about how successful their measures have been, but we must introduce more laws to continue the fight against Big Alcohol.

Warning labels, anyone?

Plain packaging??