The Tory crackpot policy machine has been given another crank over the weekend - this time by someone called Iain Duncan-Smith (I hadn't heard of him either). The Tory's latest battle against society is the plight of binge drinking. The Tory’s social justice policy group, headed by this Iain Duncan Smith chap, will today recommend a sharp increase in alcohol prices to reduce consumption. That will go down well with the electorate, then. IDS said that there is “almost an alcohol epidemic in Britain, particularly amongst youngsters”. Almost?! That bad, eh? So there isn't an epidemic, Mr Scaremongerer? What you are actually saying is "shock, horror - kids drinking booze". Well surely most of these kids shouldn't be drinking in the first place, so added a few pence on the price of a beer at the rest of our expense doesn't sound fair to me.
The British Beer & Pub Association is also against the proposal “An enormous tax hike for everyone will neither target nor tackle those people who decide to binge drink... It would direct drinking into the unofficial or black markets: once again we’d be facing booze cruise Britain.” Surely tackling a social problem by putting up taxes is not the Tory way? It will neither halt the problem nor attract voters who are fed up with Labour raising its coffers by claiming taxation is necessary on everything. David Cameron told the BBC over the weekend "It’s absolutely necessary to mend Britain’s broken society". And you're the man to tell us how to do it are you? Why do governments/politicians feel that in order to tackle a problem the whole of society should be legislated against? Cameron's one man mission to save society is treading a fine line and has so much potential to back fire. Let me offer you a slogan, Dave, for your misguided campaign to interfere with our lives - how about "Back to Basics"?