In a democracy, measures to control the behaviour of the populace have tremendous possibilities for misuse.As a senior health official, Liam Donaldson is most influential in government circles.
His point that our population consumes too much alcohol is quite correct - his response, which is to tax and tax and tax again, is a total disgrace.
Moderate alcohol consumption is a part of our culture and his approach would of course, penalise the poorer members of society.
Has not this government already overseen the closing of many thousands of valuable, social gathering centres called pubs?
His solution smacks of the ever burgeoning 'nanny state'; it is a scam to bleed ever more taxes from a public which is overtaxed to unbelievable levels and worse still, it punishes the innocent to try to get at the alcohol abusers.
Repugnant thinking.
