Alcohol pricing a John Knox tax on the poor

Sir, – The next time I hear Nicola Sturgeon talk about fighting “austerity” I will remind her of the austerity she and her government have just imposed on Scotland’s low-income population. A tax on the poor no less, the people most affected by the sudden increase caused by the introduction of minimum pricing per unit on alcohol. They have in effect rolled several years’ worth of budget increases into one huge hike.

I’ve voted SNP in every election since 2013 having believed their hype about social justice and fighting for the poor. After years of right wing Labour betrayals there seemed to be light at the end of the tunnel – a socialistic leaning independent Scotland, confident and outward looking, our own progressive government in Holyrood, grappling with issues like the Scottish Land question, investment in infrastructure and new technologies, putting Scotland at the forefront of the green economy, forging ahead in education, health and housing, branching out into a new era of “hope over fear”.

And what did we get? A moralistic John Knox Tax, inward looking and laced with hypocrisy – middle-class health professionals trying to save the working class from their own selfdestructive tendencies. Meanwhile the tipple most preferred by Nicola and her technocratic buddies – wine – has been virtually unaffected. I wonder why? We’re people, Nicola, not supermarket carrier bags. Stop trying to socially engineer us.

I won’t be voting SNP again and neither will my friends. I’ll be going back to Labour and Jeremy Corbyn. Can someone book me a seat on the next booze-cruise to Berwick? Chris Sutherland. Kirkhill, St Andrews.

The first minister’s recent legislation on alcohol has been controversial.