So it looks as though the Government is ditching the idea of a minimum price per alcohol unit in England. I have discussed this several times before (such as here) and don't want to go over old ground again. CAMRA voted to abandon support for minimum pricing at its AGM in April this year, and some members wrote irate letters to the CAMRA newspaper deploring the decision. I hope those members will now reflect on the fact that the Government has now turned away from this policy too, leaving them in alliance with the anti-alcohol campaigners - a strange position for any CAMRA member to be in. It's interesting that, at the same time, the Government has announced that the proposal to put cigarettes in plain packaging will be deferred until the success of a similar policy in Australia can be assessed. Despite their denials, this looks like a U-turn to me, because existing smokers are unlikely to take much notice, and it will be years before the deterrent effect of plain packaging on potential smokers will become apparent.Whatever their rationalisations, I believe that there is one main reason for both of these U-turns: the Tories are worried that they are increasingly looking like the party that stamps on ordinary people's pleasures. Yes, even they are realising that it is not good for their image, and re-election chances, to come across too much like a bunch of hectoring nannies. While I have no truck with UKIP, the Tories must have noticed that the growing popularity of Nigel Farage's party hasn't been damaged by the frequent sight of him unashamedly drinking a pint and actually looking as though he's enjoying it; a stark contrast to the disapproving glares of the minimum price advocates with their apocalyptic stories of imminent social and financial collapse caused by booze, even though in reality alcohol consumption has been in decline for many years. I wouldn't be surprised if Ken Clarke, the only credible bon viveur amongst prominent Tories, were encouraged to be seen in public once again clutching pint and cigar.
I doubt we've seen the last of minimum pricing ever, but let's hope it's been kicked into the long grass for a good while.
I'm against minimum pricing for alcohol and plain packaging for cigarettes but I don't think you can deny the influence of the drinks and tobacco industries who have a long history of funding the Tory party.
ReplyDeleteBut actually ordinary grass-roots people with no connection to industry lobby groups played a large part in campaigning against both of these misguided policies. And some parts of the alcohol industry (e.g. Greene King) supported minimum pricing.
ReplyDeleteAnd of course Labour currently seems to support both, so it very much gives the impression of "looking like the party that stamps on ordinary people's pleasures."
There's no denying that "New" Labour brought in the alcohol duty escalator, but this government didn't rush to scrap it. All parties are keen to stamp on ordinary people's pleasures, and will refrain only if they consider it might damage their electoral chances. It just seems that the Tories are the first to realise this possibility. I consistently criticised the nanny state tendencies of the last Labour government, as old posts on this blog will confirm.
ReplyDeleteSo long as we can avoid another Labour government we can keep minimum pricing in the bin.
ReplyDeleteNo, CL, that is not enough to make me vote Tory!
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