SNP’S attempt to be seen to tackle Scotland’s drink problem misses the target

As with so much of what they attempt to do, the current Scottish administration is attempting to control the behaviour of people in Scotland “for their own good” by making the minimum price of alcohol 50p per unit.

Will this make any difference to the better-off who wish to drink more than recommended? No.

Will it, on the other hand, make a larger impact on those elements in society who earn less and probably have an unhealthy lifestyle already? Indeed. In essence the SNP, with no doubt the best of intentions, wishes to tell us how to live our lives.

They wanted to have a “Named Person” for every child in Scotland because, clearly, they do not think that parents should decide, as in every other country, but the courts have clipped their wings.

I suspect that if the Supreme Court decides in their favour, the better-off will simply order their booze from English suppliers and avoid the tariff which would apply north of the Border.

That is no good for those with less money, or for Scottish off-licences, but that will not stop the SNP patting themselves on the back, saying how they are protecting the Scottish people from themselves.

Indeed, those who have the problem will simply cut back on other costs to fund their alcohol intake, as anyone with any sense realises.

The net result of all this will be meaningless and the problem will simply continue.

ANDREW HN GRAY Craiglea Drive, Edinburgh The Scottish Whisky Association are quite right taking their appeal to the Supreme Court as the Scottish minimum pricing bill simply will not do anything to tackle excessive alcohol drinking or binge drinking, which are unique historical problems with absolutely nothing to do with the price of alcohol.

It seems that the killjoy SNP administration are hellbent on passing legislation that penalises all drinkers in Scotland instead of getting down to the real social and educational reasons of why Scotland has problems with alcohol abuse.