Minimum alcohol pricing is nigh

Nice article here and about time some in the media are raising the issue about the nanny state.

Ian O’Doherty: Why can’t the nanny state leave the Irish public alone to enjoy a pint in peace? (msn.com)

"In Singapore, eg, they are required to serve some food along with alcohol, often in the form of a mini satay kebab."

Hahaha this is 100% false! But honestly, it is one of the funniest / better fake news I have seen about Singapore! This will be have to be quoted around the office today - Esp. as most were triple parked last night due to Wednesday night drinks promotions and not even a peanut in sight!!

(Do not mean to make light the rest of your sentiment or the subject matter).

The issue I have with these debates and reports is they are never balanced. It never includes the average person who likes a few beers at the weekend. It's always the recovering Alchos who couldn't stop once they had started. The real ironic thing about MUP and some of the supporters is I guarantee the price of alcohol was never an obstacle for Frances, Christy or Shane. So they are talking through their hole. They had an addiction and would have had it regardless of the price.

I fully expect reports to come out over the next few years showing an increase in drug use amongst the younger generation. But any argument that this is related to the MUP will be shouted down by AAI and it's supporters.

Unfortunately MUP is here to stay and the chances are the it will only rise. Has any country ever reversed it?

This weekend. It'll drive me to Newry.

Or I might wait for the Junes Childrens Allowance.

it's been a while, but I am sure I heard Shane Ross talk about the MUP and what a waste of time it was. He was talking about about when he wanted a drink, the price of it was not going to stand in his way, or anything else. One of the first sensible things I heard him say. I believe it was on the Pat Kenny Show (one of the only hosts in the country with common sense)

Anyone with half a brain knows that the price isn't a factor. It will push the down the recorded figures for people buying alcohol in the republic but won't take into account where else people are getting it or what they have replaced it with. But AAI are happy with this as their agenda is to control people. Amazing that they have an issue with the zero alcohol products too.

I remember all of that being said during the lead up to MUP that bulk buying slabs of premium beers wouldn't be overly impacted and that they were trying limit the single units and cheaper brands.

I've said all along that I had no major issue with single cans being sold for €1 or less being banned. However the slabs at €25 or €30 euros shouldn't have been impacted.

Vodaks, GIns or whatever haven't been hit too much. You'll do a lot more damage with a few bottles of that than a few tins of Heineken.

It's a pure myth to suggest that the supermarkets weren't in favour of this. They know the Irish will buy the drink whatever the prices. MUP just means they increase their profits. Like Scotland this will have a minimal impact and cross border purchasing won't be factored into the studies.

Interesting research

These studies of very low risk events are by their nature rather dubious. e.g. the dose-effect relationship for high doses of radiation on an individual (Hiroshima, Nagasaki, nuclear workers in serious accidents) is quite well known but the effects of a tiny bit of radiation on an entire population, not so much. You're looking for a needle in a million haystacks.

Some theorise that minute radiation doses can actually have beneficial effects but it's all but impossible to prove either way. Same with studies which appear to show a benefit from drinking small amounts of alcohol, but of course this excludes people who can't drink due to illness so the studied population is by definition very slightly healthier than the population as a whole.

And when a cancer occurs, with very very few exceptions (like skin cancer and sun exposure, or mesothelioma and asbestos) it doesn't come with a little label on the scan with what caused it written on it. Liver cancer is linked with alcohol alright but isn't it also strongly linked with hepatitis?

I didn't write the paper, or peer review it. Feel free to take up your queries with the author on Twitter. I'd imagine the risks of moderate consumption of alcohol are very, very well established in existing research, but I'm sure he'll be happy to confirm that for you.

I pasted a link to a tweet that references the paper. You can question all you like. I'm not going to engage with the Boards experts on the minutia of the paper that has gone through an established peer review process.

Strange coming onto a forum full of opinions and then saying you won't engage with anyone. Peculiar.

But that's the modus operandi of the anti drink brigade. Don't enter into a logical debate. Just produce reports with tenuous enough links between moderate alcohol consumption and forms of cancer. 1 bottle of wine per week might equate to a 1% increase in the risk of cancer. Or it might not.

I didn't say anything about discussion not being allowed. I said that I'm choosing not to engage in the Boards experts nitpicking of an expert, peer reviewed paper. It's a purely personal decision.

Now who does that remind me of?

Ironically we now have worse air quality in many small towns in Ireland than in large cities due to widespread burning of turf and smoky coal... This is a real issue causing thousands of premature deaths every year but there are no health warnings on a bag of coal

Labeling discussion on Pat Kenny now. He is tearing this one to shreds and she has no comeback at all. **** comical these goons are getting such a platform in Ireland.

This one is a disaster. Just a clear anti alcohol agenda.

Exports and producers should have to label their products too. But this one doesn't seem to think so. No it's just for John and Mary in Athlone on a Friday evening at home having a bottle of wine. Oh and pubs should be exempt also. Hypocrisy.