281 lines
7.6 KiB
Plaintext
Executable File
281 lines
7.6 KiB
Plaintext
Executable File
comment
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columnists
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alancochrane
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8121663
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# Politicking MSPs must follow doctor's orders on alcohol pricing
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## Nicola Sturgeon is following the best medical advice in seeking a minimum
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unit price for alcohol. Improving Scotland's unhappy association with booze
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should be based on that, not on petty party politics, writes Alan Cochrane.
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![Scotland's unhappy association with alcohol requires urgent and drastic
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action. ][1]
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Scotland's unhappy association with alcohol requires urgent action Photo:
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ALAMY
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[![Alan Cochrane][2]][3]
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By [Alan Cochrane][4] 11:16AM GMT 10 Nov 2010
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[Comments][5]
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If you had a touch of the flu, would you look to Jackie Baillie of Labour for
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a cure? If you had a queasy tummy, would it be to the Tories' Murdo Fraser
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that you would turn? I accept that you wouldn't take either of the above
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ailments to Nicola Sturgeon, either.
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Like most people you would go to a doctor, wouldn't you? In a way, that is
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what Scotland's Health Minister has done regarding what is often regarded as
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the nation's number one illness - its relationship with alcohol.
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She is at the bar of the Last Chance Saloon today in what is her final attempt
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to bring in a minimum price regime for alcohol. Her plans to include this
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provision in the Alcohol (Scotland) Bill have met with resistance every step
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of the parliamentary way, with the three main opposition parties at Holyrood
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all ganging up on her just as they will at its third and final stage today.
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By way of contrast, however, she has the doctors on her side - in the shape of
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the British Medical Association. At the top of this particular pile sits Dr
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Harry Burns, who just happens to be the country's Chief Medical Officer.
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Scotland is a country that has always taken great pride in, and shown
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reverence for, its medical men and nowhere more so than in the field of public
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health. It is to men like Harry Burns that our politicians have always turned
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when they have sought a remedy to a profound national ill.
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All our politicians are agreed on one thing - that Scotland's unhappy
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association with alcohol requires urgent and drastic action.
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What they cannot - or will not - agree on is how to do it. Specifically, they
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refuse to countenance setting a minimum price for a unit of alcohol, such as
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is advocated by Ms Sturgeon and more importantly, at least to this observer,
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by Dr Burns.
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The minister and the doctors say such a policy is the best way of reducing the
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damage done by strong drink and they have powerful backers. As well as the
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BMA, they have Scotland's chief police officers - not bad judges when it comes
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to seeing the worst effects of a drink-sodden society.
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Interestingly, our top cops believe that well regulated licensed premises -
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pubs to you and me - are the best places to consume alcohol. As anyone who
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frequents Edinburgh hostelries will confirm, the prices charged tend to limit
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consumption, and drunks can be refused service.
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The problem, according to the police and others, is the strong drink that is
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bought cheaply, and away from supervision, in off-licences and supermarkets.
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Given that one of the unintended effects of today's bill would be to give a
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boost to the licensed trade, Scotland's publicans are very much in favour of
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the measure. Embarrassingly for Labour, so too is Henry McLeish, a former
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Labour First Minister.
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However, while their opposition is understandable in party, if not petty,
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political terms it is their rejection of Dr Burns's advice that Labour, the
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Tories and the Liberal Democrats most need to explain. As far as I am aware,
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he is no raving Nat. Indeed, he was appointed by the previous Lab/Lib Dem
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coalition.
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Did they ignore the advice of their in-house expert then? And will Labour, if
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they win next May, dispense with his services, so little do they reckon to his
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counsel?
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Holyrood has not exactly covered itself in glory in relation to this measure
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so far. Unfortunately, it is unlikely to redeem itself today.
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[What are these?][7]
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* Share: [Share][6] [ ][8] [ ][9]
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[Tweet][10]
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http://www.telegraph.co.uk/comment/columnists/alancochrane/8121663
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/Politicking-MSPs-must-follow-doctors-orders-on-alcohol-pricing.html
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Telegraph
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## [Alan Cochrane][3]
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* ### [News »][11]
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* ### [Politics »][12]
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* ### [Scotland »][13]
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* ### [Comment »][14]
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* ### [Personal View »][15]
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In comment
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[![Lord Young][16] ][17]
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### [Lord Young has always been politically nave][17]
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[![Scotland's unhappy association with alcohol requires urgent and drastic
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action. ][18] ][19]
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### [Politicking MSPs must follow doctor's orders on alcohol pricing][19]
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[![Trident submarine HMS Vengeance][20] ][21]
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### [Faslane is for Trident, not Nat rowing boats][21]
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[X][6] Share & bookmark
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Digg Fark LinkedIn Google Buzz StumbleUpon Y! Buzz
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[What are these?][7]
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Share:
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* [ ][6]
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* [ ][8]
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* [ ][9]
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* [Tweet][10]
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* Advertisement
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![][22]
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Please enable JavaScript to view the [comments powered by Disqus.][23] [blog
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