Minimum alcohol pricing is nigh

Maybe judge them on what they have said, rather than what they haven’t said.

Have you heard them say that they do want an alcohol ban in this country?

Your 'reasonable conclusion' is a strawman. They haven't said that Putin should withdraw, so can jump to a reasonable conclusion that they're Putin supporters? It's a nonsense approach.

These "neo prohibitionists" if they exist outside the imagination of the cheap alcohol lobby, are the most ineffective organisations in the world. Maybe if they had the €116 million advertising budget that alcohol spends in Ireland, or they could pay vast salaries like the alcohol bosses get, they would be able to have some influence. As it is there is zero prospect of prohibition happening in any country where it does not already exist.

Yet. Here they are getting millions in funding out of taxpayers and they've managed to bring in minimum unit pricing.

All despite being nobody's with zero money.

Amazing when you really pause for thought. So the pretence that they don't have a further agenda is laughable, frankly.

It won’t be a cliff edge switch though .

You only have to look at the number of pubs that have closed in rural areas in the last five years to see the effects of this anti alcohol ideology in action .

A big factor would have been Covid. In 2019 the On trade was €5.42 billion, and the Off trade was €2.22 billion. In 2021 due to Covid the figures were €3.05 billion, and €2.50 billion. I don't see any reason to doubt that the overall spending will go back to pre Covid levels.

I wonder what the people of Ireland will do with that seven and half billion Euro, when prohibition comes.

The joy of having a few cans or a few pints after a 12 hour shift are gone. €16 for bloody SIX cans of Guinness nitro surge or €5.20 a pint in a one pub village. What the hell has happened our country.

Absolutely. It doesn't add up to me that we have a lobby group like this in existence. They are busy bodies on steroids in my view.

Their side is been driven by personal experiences I would think. Because they have a bad experience they don't want anyone else to be able to enjoy a few drinks. They are the IONA institute of this decision. Dangerous group.

This is a bit like cigarettes. People who smoke 60 a day won't be deterred because of the price. In turn, the people who have alcohol dependencies won't be deterred about the price either.

It's been a failure and will continue to be a failure.

Rubbish. One of the biggest lobby groups is the Vintners themselves. And the drinks industry carries massive weight. If AAI are making inroads then it is nothing more than a balancing out of the massive overinfluence that the drinks lobby have had for years.

You blame the AAI, but the drinks producers, Diageo, Heinekin etc, are more than happy with this MAP. It is brand protection for them. Don;t for one minute think that if this was going to hurt them that the AAI would have been put back in their box.

The Vintners are in favour of this. But when it was brought in, rather than look to keep their prices low and get in more customers they hiked their prices to fleece more from their customers.

This suits the retailers. no longer having to waste time on special bargains, checking local pricing.

You are blaming the wrong people.

I've seen no evidence pubs put prices up because of MUP.

It was introduced January 2022 and Putin invaded in February.

With the high inflation in bars and restaurants since then the effects of MUP has been reduced substantially.

The Vintners are more than happy to let AAI do their dirty work..

The Vintners can come at MUP from the health angle. AAI can and do.

I would agree with this.

The price gap between a pint in a bar in Dublin and the price of a can of the same beer in a store is huge.

An average lager in Dublin City Centre is probably about 7 euro.

A can of the same common lager in a store is maybe 2 euro?

I think that anyone that goes out in town one or month or so really would not even notice MUP.

Thats not to say I agree with it, but I think anyone that socialises in bars semi regularly still views beers in stores/off licences as cheap.

I think thats maybe why there isnt a large outcry against MUP. It just doesnt affect a lot of people.

But I do agree that for those on a lower income who drink responsibly, it does feel unfair.

Unless the MUP price point impscted more people though, I dont think opposition to it will gain significant traction.

Well it must do as they all can't afford it.

Plenty of people have cut down on drink, definatey here we were'nt drinking through slabs in January just because it was here after being bought cheap.

Those with no drink problems tend to prioritize other things and so cut back a little. Those with drink problems will prioritize drink and cut back on other items often to the detriment if their families.

A reduction in alcohol consumption dies not equal a reduction in problem drinkers

Nice little bargain from tesco.. I have a liking for the bavarian beers, cheers 🍻👍