I don’t know about you Dear Reader, but I sometimes wonder if I was some terrible fellow in a previous life and that the fates and karma have conspired to reincarnate me into a mad, mad, mad, mad world. How else could one explain Scottish Health Secretary Nicola Sturgeon’s mad plan to legislate for a windfall profit for such as Tesco, by setting a minimum price of 50p a unit for alcohol?
Is it not enough to have this country governed by traitors? If the country has to be governed by traitors, can we not at least be governed by competent traitors? Is that too much to ask? Alas, it seems so.
Mrs Murrell, or Ms Sturgeon as she prefers to be known, is concerned (rightly) about the level of excessive alcohol consumption and the damage it is doing to public health and of course the concomitant costs on the NHS.
Why oh why does she not propose a tax?
Such a tax could easily be introduced as a fixed level additional duty of 50 pence on each unit of alcohol. This would have more or less the same effect as the measure she proposes but the money would go to the Scottish Treasury to enable the costs of treating such as cirrhosis of the liver instead of into the coffers of such as Tesco.
Speaking the Truth unto the Nation
I suspect that some of the increased return will go to “support” a price reduction on the stronger booze….thus creating minimal overall affect to the liver damage and a marginally increased profit for Tesco.
As you say, we deserve better. You could not make it up!