My tribute blog doesn't accept abusive posts, but, boy, can it give them out
Thing is, (and please don't let him hear I've said this), but he's absolutely right. In Scotland you can marry at 16, but to have to wait 33% of your life again to be able to toast your nuptials does seem a bit weird.
I have to say that I was less than chuffed when Lib Dem MSPs defied party policy and voted in favour of the cigarette purchasing age to be raised to 18. I am therefore delighted to see that Health Spokesman Ross Finnie has condemned the SNP's proposals.
If there were enough test purchasing schemes and enforcement of the current laws, then it would make a serious dent in underage drinking.
There's a reason that Liberalism and Nationalism are polar opposites.........
3 comments:
What purpose does crackdowns on underage drinking in pubs serve?
We had a mini-debate about this a few years ago, see
http://www.alexfoster.me.uk/2007/09/08/underage-drinkers-in-liberal-england/
and
http://liberalengland.blogspot.com/2007/09/jd-wetherspoon-talks-sense-on-underage.html
That is a really intelligent, balanced posting. The SNP's proposals up here are, I think, confined to off licences, although I might be wrong.
One thing my parents got right was to instil a fairly healthy attitude to alcohol in me. I was always given a glass of wine if they were having one with a meal which did give me a bit of a taste for expensive reds, but also meant that I never really had the urge to go out and get completely wrecked. Providing young people with role models of sensible drinking is a very important part of tackling alcohol abuse, which is a huge player in all sorts of unsavoury things, from crime to ill judged sexual encounters. I still think we need to enforce the law and stop retailers selling alcohol to under 18s - shutting a few persistent offenders down for a while would help give the idea that we're serious.
Caron the 21 year old proposals are those that relate to off licences. While the police have confirmed that the Armadale experiment had a noted effect in Armadale and Blackridge there did seem to be an increase in and around Bathgate off underage drinkers and anti-social behaviour.
I'm still waiting for a straight answer regarding effects slightly further away than neighbouring villages.
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