per unit of alcohol. How about £8?
2009-07-25
On a recent visit to Helsinki I found myself in a not-at-all-bad ‘pub’ close to my hotel, not only was it convenient but it had Spitfire on draught and a selection of English bottled beers which are apparently popular with the locals. As a matter of principle I try to drink the local beer where possible, so perused the list chalked up above the bar. They were all about € 6 for half a litre (0.88 pint) which a rough conversion made it over £6 ($ 9.30) per imperial pint. I could have really pushed the boat out with Stella Artois which was a whopping € 7.5 a half litre!
The bulk of the cost of alcohol in Finland is tax and it brought to mind the U.K. government’s intention to introduce minimum pricing per unit of alcohol in England and Wales; 50 pence per unit is the figure bandied about. The aim is to stop alcohol abuse particularly amongst the young, a laudable aim indeed. Of course the consequence of such a broad brush approach is that all of us will be paying for the misdemeanours of the few, as always those who can least afford it, such as pensioners and those on low incomes, will be hit hardest.
The pub industry broadly supports minimum pricing, not least as a means of preventing supermarkets from heavy discounting, which it believes is encouraging drinkers to stay at home. Prices in most pubs are far higher than the proposed minimum pricing anyway, a pint of average strength bitter would be about £1.30, roughly half what you’d expect to pay now. There is a danger though, once introduced, the minimum price would undoubtedly be increased, perhaps to 75 pence or a pound, as the measure fails in its aims.
Scenes of young drunks flailing around in our city centres causing havoc are nothing new, but the increase in violence is a worrying trend, as is the rise in the number of children and women who abuse alcohol. Perhaps the young have always gone out to get drunk, the purpose rather than the result. Drinking shots is another ‘imported’ behaviour that an older generation like my own doesn’t recognise. Drinks in clubs have always been expensive, but the practice of drinking before going out, or ‘pre-loading’, is more prevalent. From an historical perspective we’ve seen it all before; drunkenness, rioting and alcohol fuelled violence, both nationally and locally, incidents are recorded throughout our history. Not that it makes it any better but the lessons from history are still relevant, first: well intentioned reforms often backfire or are ineffectual, and second, changing behaviour is best done with carrots as well as sticks.
Drinking alcohol is part of our culture and is best done in an inclusive environment, such as a friendly pub, where all generations are welcome. It’s as well to remember that the vast majority of us do not get drunk in public, have fights, or cause the police any concern; what’s more, we already pay a considerable amount of tax on our drinks which contributes to the welfare of all.
That night in Helsinki I had a couple of pints as usual and returned to my hotel. On the way back I saw quite a few drunken Finns swaying along the streets. Perhaps they need to put the prices up?
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