There is much wringing of hands in the media and parliament these days about the alleged booze culture that is engulfing Britain. Methinks these hand wringers should take a trip to Russia (where the quantity of booze consumed has trebled over the last few years), if they really want to see a society awash with drink.Anyhoo, the Public Policy Research (PPR), the journal of the Institute for Public Policy Research (IPPR), has come up with a "solution". They say that it is time to practise "tough love", and raise the minimum drinking age to 21.
Here's why this idea is bollocks:
1 Some other countries have a minimum drinking age of 21, eg USA, yet they too have drink related problems.
2 It is, like it or not, part of the British culture to drink. The ancient Romans, when they occupied Britain, wrote many missives complaining about the oceans of booze consumed by the natives.
3 The age at which people can do many other things, as an adult, is less than 21; eg joining the armed forces and fighting for one's country, bonking, driving a car, voting and opening a bank account.
Why, if you are thought old enough to put your life on the line for your country, should you not be allowed to have a drink?
4 The key to responsible drinking lies with how you are brought up with drink as a child. I was allowed to drink sensibly as a child, and look at me now.5 There are far more dangerous things that young people are exposed to when they reach the majority age; eg fighting in Iraq and opening a bank account which exposes them to exploitation by some real shysters.
The suggestion to raise the minimum drinking age an over reaction, which won't work.
Ah yes, but they have to do something don't they! After all if you raise the school leaving age to 18 you run the risk of all sorts of classroom problem when more and more kids role in to school straight from the overnight bars with the aim of sleeping off a hangover.
ReplyDeleteI think that the period of time one spends in each 'age' group should be factoed on the percentage of life expectancy. So if life expectancy has increased, as it seems to have done, by about 10 years or more in recent times and adjustment in the age range for childhood seems appropriate. Add 3 years would be about right. Likewise raise the age at which children can join the armed forces.
Of course it is all bollcks as you say since nature, or aso it seems, has maturity heading in the other direction, especially amongst females. And it would be fascination to see some of the shorter members of the Officiouos Brigade facing down a few of the strapping 6ft 4in young people one sees so regularly these days. Heaven knows what they would do is faced with an even taller male ...
Is it not ironic that the government 'liberalises' licencing hours, encourages city centres to turn themselves into 24hr drinking ghettos, mostly frequented by young people with the stamina to keep going through the night, and then moans that the drinking culture is out of control.
Newarks, one and all. They could of course take the first step to set an example and close down the House of Commons bar ... you could probably get very good odds from one of Tessa Jowells cronies on the likelihood of that happening.
Fighting for ones country is often trotted out. But in WW2 many young infantrymen were turned away from brothels because of official policy. fighting ok , fornicating not ok.
ReplyDeleteBetter would be to dry up their spending money. As with cigarettes - up the price enormously.
Or juvenile booze buses for pedestrians. etc.
cramerj said...
ReplyDelete" Fighting for ones country is often trotted out. But in WW2 many young infantrymen were turned away from brothels because of official policy. fighting ok , fornicating not ok.
Better would be to dry up their spending money. As with cigarettes - up the price enormously.
Or juvenile booze buses for pedestrians. etc."
But were the brothels established and encouraged by government policy as is the case with bars?
Perhaps they should be - it would be another example of 'contintental culture' I suppose - diversity rules.
Raise the age to 21 and the 'age checks' would then be applied for up to 30 years old - from the 25 commonly used now as an excuse for constant ID checking amongst the younger members of society. So people would get used to having ID checks from, say, 13 through to 30. Presumably the easiest way to provide the check would be to carry an ID card ...
Of course the young are relatively identifiable. What will they do about the middle and older age groups who persist with their unhealthy habits?
Well, I suppose your solution about ever increasing prices would appeal to the Chancer since the only acceptable route would be taxation - could not have the brewers, vintners and distillers making more money could we!
Maybe we should go straight for the Finnish system? That way all age groups are caught in the tax and ID trap. Maybe that is why the Finns drink so much when they get the opportunity. In fact they seem to use any excuse to create the opportunity!
In my view increasing ages or prices is simply papering over the cracks of a fragile society. Hardly visionary leadership - and that lack of involvement by people with their 'elected' political leaders may be precisely the reason for the perceived problems.
It is fairly clear that most politicians have an inate sense of self promotion and to be ignored hurts their egos. Hence all of the scares we are offered as a means of giving them air time and, in their minds at least, a reason to exist.
Politicians are not the only people who operate in that way by any means - any 'expert' is likely to have similar traits - but they are the people with the most influence over the lives of others. In that respect they do indeed deserve our fullest attention.
Grant
This is utter bollocks! One of the biggest problem areas is UNDERAGE DRINKING! The current 18-year limit on boozing doesn't seem to have deterred the reeling, puking legions of 14- and 15-year-olds lining the gutters at chucking-out time.
ReplyDeleteAll I know is that if I'd turned up at home ratted out of my skull when I was 14, I'd have more than a bloody hangover to contend with!
"All I know is that if I'd turned up at home ratted out of my skull when I was 14, I'd have more than a bloody hangover to contend with!"
ReplyDeleteSame here! Whilst I agree that Britain's Booze Culture is of great cause for concern, answer this question, who is responsible? Who has done so much to encourage excessive drinking in the last few years?