Advertisement
Help Keep Boards Alive. Support us by going ad free today. See here: https://subscriptions.boards.ie/.
If we do not hit our goal we will be forced to close the site.

Current status: https://keepboardsalive.com/

Annual subs are best for most impact. If you are still undecided on going Ad Free - you can also donate using the Paypal Donate option. All contribution helps. Thank you.
https://www.boards.ie/group/1878-subscribers-forum

Private Group for paid up members of Boards.ie. Join the club.
Hi all, please see this major site announcement: https://www.boards.ie/discussion/2058427594/boards-ie-2026

Minimum alcohol pricing is nigh

1154155157159160324

Comments

  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 5,301 ✭✭✭Snickers Man


    murpho999 wrote: »
    There's been lots of studies and reports of comparing harmful physical effects of alcohol and drugs and alcohol has more impact..

    Oooh!!!! Studies AND reports!!! Well that proves it then. Anyone who does a study and/or a report can only ever find a universal truth applicable to any situation regardless of circumstances.

    Teleology rules!!!


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 698 ✭✭✭SuperRabbit


    I disagree, the "drinking problems" are myths from the government.
    when you are making decisions to try to protect an entire population you have to go with evidence and not listen to people insisting that they are exceptions to the rule


    And we aren't talking about prohibition we are effectively talking about only raising the price drinks which taste like pish and have no purpose other than to get someone fall-down drunk

    Lidl vodka and 2 litre plastic bottles of cider.

    If they do minimum price per unit the price of your Stella or what have you won't be effected at all


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 1,472 ✭✭✭Mimon


    Oooh!!!! Studies AND reports!!! Well that proves it then. Anyone who does a study and/or a report can only ever find a universal truth applicable to any situation regardless of circumstances.

    Teleology rules!!!

    This one is interesting in terms of where various substances lie between harmfulness and dependence.


    1024px-Rational_scale_to_assess_the_harm_of_drugs_%28mean_physical_harm_and_mean_dependence%29.svg.png


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 1,472 ✭✭✭Mimon


    Dickie10 wrote: »
    Can someone explain to me what exactly happens on a night out in continental europe? sounds a mythical place where there is no trouble relating to alchol, i havent been much, i was in santa ponsa, lanzarote, tenerife but there not prob good examples.

    Like do people 18-35 not go on the beer at the weekends or what do they be at? i know theres a huge nightclub culture over there in belgium, germany , holland so is it drugs there all at ot what?
    I like the british cities and towns and the nightlife in them, always feel very at home there. if irish government mess around on opening up hospitality i will do a few trips to liverpool, cardiff, edinburugh, london, belfast in summer

    When I lived in the Netherlands we knew the late bars and nightclubs would be open until 6am so when out for a night would pace ourselves more. Public transport started running at 6am so fitted perfectly. Could even go to another city for a night and hop on the train home. Pick up a joint in a shop near your house to put you to sleep. Very civilised.


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 5,017 ✭✭✭ShamNNspace


    when you are making decisions to try to protect an entire population you have to go with evidence and not listen to people insisting that they are exceptions to the rule


    And we aren't talking about prohibition we are effectively talking about only raising the price drinks which taste like pish and have no purpose other than to get someone fall-down drunk

    Lidl vodka and 2 litre plastic bottles of cider.

    If they do minimum price per unit the price of your Stella or what have you won't be effected at all

    I'd say dream on if you think your stellas and the like wont rise in price accordingly


  • Advertisement
  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 698 ✭✭✭SuperRabbit


    I disagree, the "drinking problems" are myths from the government.
    I'd say dream on if you think your stellas and the like wont rise in price accordingly

    If they are actually introducing an evidence based per unit minimum, they won't. If they are tweaking it for fun, then yes they will


    I feel like some people are arguing
    "it's not dangerous because there are functioning alcoholics, so it's a matter of personal choice" ... am I right?

    You guys know there are functioning heroin addicts, right?


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 37,410 ✭✭✭✭odyssey06


    when you are making decisions to try to protect an entire population you have to go with evidence and not listen to people insisting that they are exceptions to the rule


    And we aren't talking about prohibition we are effectively talking about only raising the price drinks which taste like pish and have no purpose other than to get someone fall-down drunk

    Lidl vodka and 2 litre plastic bottles of cider.

    If they do minimum price per unit the price of your Stella or what have you won't be effected at all

    Your post just drips with snobbery and ignorance.
    You've idea what LIDL vodka tastes like in a cocktail, with LIDL vermouth say...
    I have thoroughly enjoyed many discounted LIDL wines of the week.
    And LIDL perlenbacher XXL.
    All of which would be affected by MUP.

    Some of the people pushing it are doing it for 'genuine' reasons, i.e. they think it will help the health situation. I disagree with them both on practical grounds and on grounds of freedom.

    But many if not most of those pushing it are doing it purely for selfish reasons which are deserving only of contempt - the snobs, the vintners, the off licences and their stooges in the Dail and media.

    "To follow knowledge like a sinking star..." (Tennyson's Ulysses)



  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 698 ✭✭✭SuperRabbit


    I disagree, the "drinking problems" are myths from the government.
    odyssey06 wrote: »
    Your post just drips with snobbery and ignorance.
    You've idea what LIDL vodka tastes like in a cocktail, with LIDL vermouth say...
    I have thoroughly enjoyed many discounted LIDL wines of the week.
    And LIDL perlenbacher XXL.
    All of which would be affected by MUP.

    Some of the people pushing it are doing it for 'genuine' reasons, i.e. they think it will help the health situation. I disagree with them both on practical grounds and on grounds of freedom.

    But many if not most of those pushing it are doing it purely for selfish reasons which are deserving only of contempt - the snobs, the vintners, the off licences and their stooges in the Dail and media.




    Projection, much? With your "cocktails" pffft! what are you talking about snob? Do you have any idea how much lidl vodka I've bought!?



    I am literally describing how this pricing works, I studied it when I did a free course on alcohol addiction and what has worked abroad. Stella is 1.6 units, so the minimum price per unit is not going to change the price.

    It won't be expensive to keep drinking it will just be expensive to buy enough alcohol to kill yourself in a single night


    oh one more thing, my uncle killed himself with those cider bottles I'm talking about that you are defending. So **** you. **** you a lot.


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 37,410 ✭✭✭✭odyssey06


    Projection, much? With your "cocktails" pffft! what are you talking about snob? Do you have any idea how much lidl vodka I've bought!?
    I am literally describing how this pricing works, I studied it when I did a free course on alcohol addiction and what has worked abroad. Stella is 1.6 units, so the minimum price per unit is not going to change the price.
    It won't be expensive to keep drinking it will just be expensive to buy enough alcohol to kill yourself in a single night

    Your posts are all over the shop and contradict each other first you are slagging off LIDL vodka then claiming to have have bought loads.
    I talked about Perlenbacher and discounted wines in LIDL and you randomly talk about Stella? Like WTF.
    Nothing wrong with LIDL vodka, vermouth, beers or wine.
    Your posts are not credible. They drip with ignorance and snobbery.

    "To follow knowledge like a sinking star..." (Tennyson's Ulysses)



  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 41,133 ✭✭✭✭ohnonotgmail


    when you are making decisions to try to protect an entire population you have to go with evidence and not listen to people insisting that they are exceptions to the rule


    And we aren't talking about prohibition we are effectively talking about only raising the price drinks which taste like pish and have no purpose other than to get someone fall-down drunk

    Lidl vodka and 2 litre plastic bottles of cider.

    If they do minimum price per unit the price of your Stella or what have you won't be effected at all

    this has already been addressed multiple times.


  • Advertisement
  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 41,133 ✭✭✭✭ohnonotgmail


    If they are actually introducing an evidence based per unit minimum, they won't. If they are tweaking it for fun, then yes they will


    I feel like some people are arguing
    "it's not dangerous because there are functioning alcoholics, so it's a matter of personal choice" ... am I right?

    You guys know there are functioning heroin addicts, right?

    do you not think that your points may have been adressed somewhere in the near 5000 posts already in the thread?


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 41,133 ✭✭✭✭ohnonotgmail


    Projection, much? With your "cocktails" pffft! what are you talking about snob? Do you have any idea how much lidl vodka I've bought!?



    I am literally describing how this pricing works, I studied it when I did a free course on alcohol addiction and what has worked abroad. Stella is 1.6 units, so the minimum price per unit is not going to change the price.

    It won't be expensive to keep drinking it will just be expensive to buy enough alcohol to kill yourself in a single night


    oh one more thing, my uncle killed himself with those cider bottles I'm talking about that you are defending. So **** you. **** you a lot.

    you really got value for money.


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 74,390 ✭✭✭✭L1011



    I am literally describing how this pricing works, I studied it when I did a free course on alcohol addiction and what has worked abroad.

    You did an indoctrination session, not a course - hence why it was free.


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 14,760 ✭✭✭✭Potential-Monke


    odyssey06 wrote: »
    Some of the people pushing it are doing it for 'genuine' reasons, i.e. they think it will help the health situation. I disagree with them both on practical grounds and on grounds of freedom.

    If you get your drinking buddies to get behind us smokers for legalising cannabis, I'm sure we can get the smokers to back the opposition to MUP!


  • Posts: 25,909 ✭✭✭✭ [Deleted User]


    I am literally describing how this pricing works, I studied it when I did a free course on alcohol addiction and what has worked abroad. Stella is 1.6 units, so the minimum price per unit is not going to change the price.

    What quantity of Stella is 1.6 units? Hint: there's no commonly sold quantity in Ireland that is.
    Anyway Stella is often available for around €1.25 a can so yeah, it will be affected.


  • Posts: 25,909 ✭✭✭✭ [Deleted User]


    If you get your drinking buddies to get behind us smokers for legalising cannabis, I'm sure we can get the smokers to back the opposition to MUP!

    If yous can get up off the sofa. :pac:


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 37,308 ✭✭✭✭the_syco


    If they're upping the price of drink, how about they use an extra 5 or 10 cents for recycling? Take Toronto, for example.

    https://www.thebeerstore.ca/about-us/environmental-leadership/bag-it-back-odrp/
    Glass bottles less than or equal to 630 ml: 10 cent deposit
    Glass bottles greater than 630 ml: 20 cent deposit

    Cans less than or equal to 1 litre: 10 cent deposit
    Cans greater than 1 litre: 20 cent deposit
    All bottles & cans get taken in, & recycled. It'd encourage people not to litter their cans. Some homeless people do take advantage of this, and when in Toronto would see some with 50-90 bottles ready outside the Beer Stores most of the mornings.


  • Moderators, Regional South Moderators Posts: 6,068 Mod ✭✭✭✭Quackster


    I disagree, the "drinking problems" are myths from the government.
    the_syco wrote: »
    If they're upping the price of drink, how about they use an extra 5 or 10 cents for recycling? Take Toronto, for example.

    https://www.thebeerstore.ca/about-us/environmental-leadership/bag-it-back-odrp/

    All bottles & cans get taken in, & recycled. It'd encourage people not to litter their cans. Some homeless people do take advantage of this, and when in Toronto would see some with 50-90 bottles ready outside the Beer Stores most of the mornings.
    Don't have to cross the Atlantic to see this, it's the practise in many European countries too. I do enjoy feeding the machines in supermarkets with my empties, the squelching sound is very satisfying!


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 74,390 ✭✭✭✭L1011


    the_syco wrote: »
    If they're upping the price of drink, how about they use an extra 5 or 10 cents for recycling? Take Toronto, for example.

    https://www.thebeerstore.ca/about-us/environmental-leadership/bag-it-back-odrp/

    All bottles & cans get taken in, & recycled. It'd encourage people not to litter their cans. Some homeless people do take advantage of this, and when in Toronto would see some with 50-90 bottles ready outside the Beer Stores most of the mornings.

    In the works - https://www.gov.ie/en/press-release/f6c86-submissions-invited-on-the-design-of-irelands-deposit-return-scheme-drs/

    Last Government refused to countenance it when Labour and the Greens proposed one in 2017, though

    https://www.irishtimes.com/news/politics/rare-cross-party-cooperation-on-new-waste-reduction-bill-1.3150717


    The picking through bins to find bottles thing can lead to worse litter problems, though, as other stuff that was in the same bins gets strewn around.

    In most places the refund is now handled by a machine that gives a reclaim receipt for an adjacent store, not requiring human interaction and hence no queues outside.


  • Posts: 11,642 ✭✭✭✭ [Deleted User]


    Dickie10 wrote: »
    Can someone explain to me what exactly happens on a night out in continental europe? sounds a mythical place where there is no trouble relating to alchol, i havent been much, i was in santa ponsa, lanzarote, tenerife but there not prob good examples.

    Like do people 18-35 not go on the beer at the weekends or what do they be at? i know theres a huge nightclub culture over there in belgium, germany , holland so is it drugs there all at ot what?
    I like the british cities and towns and the nightlife in them, always feel very at home there. if irish government mess around on opening up hospitality i will do a few trips to liverpool, cardiff, edinburugh, london, belfast in summer

    I lived in the Czech Republic for a few years. The result of 24 hour licensing meant there wasn't a rush to get in enough alcohol to "do you for the night". After drinking two pints an hour for the evening, you didn't then squeeze in two pints and a chaser at last orders, you just went to another pub down the street when the one you were in closed. Or if you'd had enough, went home. I was drinking with a mixture of Irish, Scottish, Czech and Macedonian. It was rare anyone got messy drunk. Never saw a fight. Cops there enforce the law and anyone acting up gets dealt with swiftly.


  • Advertisement
  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2, Paid Member Posts: 39,775 ✭✭✭✭Hotblack Desiato


    This has been tried in other countries and has worked

    Citation needed...

    when you are making decisions to try to protect an entire population you have to go with evidence and not listen to people insisting that they are exceptions to the rule

    Says the person who hasn't provided a single shred of evidence. "It just works, because I say so" :rolleyes:

    And we aren't talking about prohibition we are effectively talking about only raising the price drinks which taste like pish and have no purpose other than to get someone fall-down drunk

    So it's OK for rich people to drink as much as they like, just not the poor? Gotcha.

    If they do minimum price per unit the price of your Stella or what have you won't be effected at all

    Bullshít. If Dutch Gold etc. go up then the more 'respectable' brands will increase their prices to maintain the price differential and perceived gap in quality. It's basic marketing.

    I'm partial to your abracadabra
    I'm raptured by the joy of it all



  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2, Paid Member Posts: 39,775 ✭✭✭✭Hotblack Desiato


    There is a fundamental law of economics called the downward sloping demand curve, which states that as the price of a product rises, the quantity demanded of that product falls.
    If something is more expensive then people will buy less of it.

    We already have the second most expensive alcohol in Europe, how much dearer do you want it to get?

    Off-licence alcohol has got substantially cheaper over the last 20 years (until now) but overall alcohol consumption has fallen continually for 20 years, explain how that fits in with your theory?

    But if it is someone who is not even started drinking yet then if the price are higher they will tend not to buy as much of it/not as many will but it, based on the downward sloping demand curve.
    If you extrapolate that out across a whole demographic of young people who are starting to think about dabbling in alcohol then the numbers that do dabble will be less than if the drink was considerably cheaper.

    Yeah they'll just turn to drugs instead. Great success :rolleyes:

    Geuze wrote: »
    70cl of vodka for 12? Are you sure?

    Pretty sure 12 euro wouldn't even cover the duty+VAT (yes, a tax on a tax) on a bottle here.

    How about this:

    Litre of Jameson 15 euro in the Canaries, normal price not a discount or offer. 45 euro here.

    The only European country with dearer alcohol than us is Finland.

    Mimon wrote: »
    This one is interesting in terms of where various substances lie between harmfulness and dependence.

    Load of nonsense. How on earth can alcohol be worse for physical harm than tobacco?

    Tobacco kills half of its users. That includes moderate and light users, too.

    Sure, alcohol kills plenty of heavy users but the vast majority of people who use alcohol do not abuse it, suffer no health effects and arguably gain significant social and mental health benefits.

    But sure let's punish everyone because of the actions of a few, it's the Irish way.

    I'm partial to your abracadabra
    I'm raptured by the joy of it all



  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 74,390 ✭✭✭✭L1011


    Pretty sure 12 euro wouldn't even cover the duty+VAT (yes, a tax on a tax) on a bottle here.

    11.18 duty on 700ml of 37.5%
    13.40 is the price after VAT on the duty.

    The cheapest spirits in supermarkets are all loss-leaders.


    That could be ended by reintroducing the ban on below cost sale of alcohol which Micheal Martin ended, while not causing the same effect as MUP due to that pushing up the prices of low, medium and the lower part of upper-priced products.


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2, Paid Member Posts: 39,775 ✭✭✭✭Hotblack Desiato


    That's if the mythical 12 euro bottle of vodka exists at all though, has anyone ever seen one?

    There's a 12.99 bottle on lidl.ie right now but it's a 500mL, the 700mL is 16.49 which is 37% more expensive than the mythical example quoted previously

    I'm partial to your abracadabra
    I'm raptured by the joy of it all



  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 37,410 ✭✭✭✭odyssey06


    That's if the mythical 12 euro bottle of vodka exists at all though, has anyone ever seen one?

    There's a 12.99 bottle on lidl.ie right now but it's a 500mL, the 700mL is 16.49 which is 37% more expensive than the mythical example quoted previously

    Tesco Nikita Imperial Vokda 70cl is €12.78.
    37.5% alcohol.

    "To follow knowledge like a sinking star..." (Tennyson's Ulysses)



  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2, Paid Member Posts: 39,775 ✭✭✭✭Hotblack Desiato


    Jaysus.

    Could be useful for stopping your windscreen washer freezing up though :)

    Why not just ban such obvious below-cost selling though? Doesn't even cover the duty and VAT never mind the bottle and what's in it.

    I'm partial to your abracadabra
    I'm raptured by the joy of it all



  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 37,410 ✭✭✭✭odyssey06


    Jaysus.
    Could be useful for stopping your windscreen washer freezing up though :)
    Why not just ban such obvious below-cost selling though? Doesn't even cover the duty and VAT never mind the bottle and what's in it.

    Have used it in cocktails and vodka-tonics and it was ok actually but wouldn't have many of them in a night.
    But a solid vodka drinker might notice differences, especially in hangovers.

    It's mystifying why they haven't brought back below cost selling ban - at a stroke of a pen, no major concern about impact on sales to the North

    I think if it was brought back it would have taken some of the wind out of the sails for those demanding MUP, and their end goal is MUP... so they are conveniently forgetting about it and shouting look cheap drink, the only thing we can do about is MUP.
    When you only have a hammer you want everything to look like a nail, or something.

    "To follow knowledge like a sinking star..." (Tennyson's Ulysses)



  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 74,390 ✭✭✭✭L1011


    That's if the mythical 12 euro bottle of vodka exists at all though, has anyone ever seen one?

    There's a 12.99 bottle on lidl.ie right now but it's a 500mL, the 700mL is 16.49 which is 37% more expensive than the mythical example quoted previously

    Tesco sold (actually drinkable, just about - more so than their own brands of basically everything else except brandy) 37.5% rum for 11.69 - specifically undercutting Aldi's 12.69 by €1 - for quite some time.

    Its dearer now, possibly still below cost. I'm sure they've figured out how much profit they get off the rest of the average trolley that contains it but it really doesn't seem to make sense and we lived fine with the ban before.

    The reasons for lifting the ban never came to pass really - competition in core food items did not really start til the German retailers got wide enough coverage and their food items are not below cost.


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 41,133 ✭✭✭✭ohnonotgmail


    Jaysus.

    Could be useful for stopping your windscreen washer freezing up though :)

    Why not just ban such obvious below-cost selling though? Doesn't even cover the duty and VAT never mind the bottle and what's in it.

    I imagine it has "not for internal use" somewhere on the label in tiny letters.


  • Advertisement
  • Closed Accounts Posts: 14,311 ✭✭✭✭weldoninhio


    I can't believe how many people are against this :( I hope the poll doesn't reflect what the public actually think

    This has been tried in other countries and has worked, I first heard of it on a course about alcoholism and addictions, it will save lives

    Where has it worked? Where has it saved lives?


Advertisement