minimum alcohol price, tax on gum, ban on butter

[IggyB]

Does more government intervention and the increasingly extreme expert warnings do more harm than good?

Do you think people will be less likely to listen to their doctors health advise because we are often being told things like "butter should be banned"

Do you think the government should use legislation so freely to control businesses and citizens?

Butter ban link
http://www.independen...-surgeon-1870920.html
gum tax link
http://www.express.co...-consider-tax-scheme-
alcohol legislation link
http://news.bbc.co.uk..._politics/8465939.stm

[jake-the-peg]

You've not included tobacco

Is that because there is a clear precident of a time when people thought that it was fine and the tobacco companies knew what a killer it was.

Alcohol is different too - Gum and butter are not implicated in a large percentage of violent assaults.

But if you don't want Government to intervene for our health the logical extension is to totally legalise all recreational drugs.

Or is it only the interference in the drugs that you personnaly use that concerns you?

[R1Geezer]

Prohibition doesn't work, we should use taxation to control these things, especially chewing gum, b00dy digusting sh1te! Make it £5 a pack and only Fergie could afford it!

[Oneeyedvic]

"Prohibition doesn't work" - well it didn't in America.

Seems to work quite well in most Islamic countries.

When we last went to Thailand on holiday, we were quite amazed on day 13 when we saw a drunk bloke (who was surprisingly enough British) as we hadn't seen a single drunk previously to that.

<tongue in cheek> Very simple (and I am sure that Geezer would approve) - anyone who gets caught drunk and disorderly should get banged up for 10 years with no parole. After all, this has far more impact on NHS, policing, anti social behaviour that burglary does. </tongue in cheek>

[youngmafbog]

I am always sceptical when it comes to taxing things to control the masses. Firstly on booze, will the Government also abide by the minimum price in their bar ? Secondly it is usually used to raise cash, not for the reason it is said.
There are plaenty of laws already in place to control drunkeness but they are not used properly. Liberal mgistrates and judges have alot to answer for.
Taxing alochol is abit pointless anyway. Get to a certain point and people start breqing their own. Going to tax that
These measures are a hammer to crack a nut. By Govt figures 10% drink 40% of alcohol consumed. Why punish the 90% who are ok ? Easy answer becasue it wouldnt rais emore money for a broke Government.

[daffy654]

I really don't think it would be fair to put an extra tax on cigarettes and apply a tax to sweets and crisps because 'some' people are scumbags and throw their litter on the floor. I would wager that the great majority of sweet and crisp buyers dispose of their litter properly so penalising them is grossly unfair.

[IggyB]

I don't think taxation and more government intervention is the answer to controlling the populations eating and drinking habits - I feel uneasy that the rich (politicians/ elite) would tax to control the poor (who would be the only one affected by raising prices 50% for example).

When it comes to anti-social drinking I think we already have a solution - the bars etc have to apply for their licenses’, if alcohol fuel anti-social behaviour is problem in an area then the licensing body should discuss changes needed with the pubs / clubs and if improvements aren’t made (stop drink deals etc) they should review whether the owners are suitable... by making the rules legislation you are creating all pubs, clubs, bars etc as being exactly the same when they are clearly not and problems of alcohol are not spread evenly over the UK.

Legislation should be the LAST choice not the first reaction!

Jake – I would de-criminalise most drugs (make them available on prescription), but thats a sperate question i think!

[R1Geezer]

In Bournemouth, we have a Walkabout and they had their licence revoked because of constant agro. The Governement overrode the local council + Police. Presumabaly because they are a big outfit and bunged the Labour party a decent donation. sorry Iggy, the governemnet will not let local authorities have the controls they need