I can't help wondering.......

[Easydrinker]

.............If the UK governments announcement today about the U turn in minimum alcohol pricing had anything to do with someone having a word in someones ear about the number of home brewers and distillers that exist.
And by just how many that number would rocket with even higher prices in the retail outlets.
And how tax revenues would tumble.
And how difficult it would be to police home manufacture,on a home by home basis.
Sure,it could be done,at great expense.
They cannot be unaware that we are out here.
Small problems are so often ignored. Even when we provide IP addresses.
I hadn't done the sums until today,but it seems I can produce a decent tasting unit of alcohol for less than 4 pence.
I can produce something far superior for a couple of pence more.
I can't (sadly never expect to) replicate my favourite malts,so these will remain the gifts I receive from friends and family,but, really, 45-50 pence per unit for "cooking" alcohol !
Maybe this U turn is a social mistake,as the drinkers it was so obviously aimed at would have learned a whole new respect and love for the product,had they made it themselves.
Musings and soapbox away.
Robert.

[chill]

I think you give politicians too much credit. They were probably thinking about millions of even more angry voters and the next election.

Chuck

[Almanac]

Thinking politicians? That's an oxymoron if ever I heard one

AM

[John51]

Home brewers are a minority and always will be.

imo the binge drinking culture started when supermarkets were allowed to sell booze. We now have the situation where people are drinking too much and pubs are going bust.

I think pubs should be allowed to sell beer brewed on the premises free from excise duty and 'off the premises' booze have a higher rate of duty.

[Phantom]

Binge drinking started when the government brought in licensing hours (defence of the realm act sometime during the early part of WW1). On the patronising basis that a drunken worker couldn't be trusted/safe/etc etc.

The fact is that they've always used excise goods as a political piggy bank, kept filled up by the "working classes" (no politics, just that the biggest "class" is the working class....by far). Hence its usually increases in excise taxes that are termed as such i.e. "a tax on the working man/working classes".....you've all heard this emotive type language!.

"They" always use the political twist that its for our own good. Which is the politico twist for minimum unit pricing, but its more likely that its been dropped thanks to lobbying - and while the current bloke isnt that convincing in many ways, he fully understands the meaning of that phrase often cited as having come from US politics....."plausible deniability".

He's connected enough through his OST/Uni chums to be able to say about no direct lobying but equally its easy to see them sitting around in button studded winged leather armchairs, cigars and fine single malts/cognac akimbo discussing the downsides of fixed unit pricing (and plain ciggie/baccy packets for that matter) to industry in that "nudge nudge wink wink" way, so they still get to maximise the bottom line.....

They know we're here ? Most certainly. Is there a problem ? Maybe, but it's easier to put it all into "chattering classes"/liberal (as in open minded) "sound bites" and not forgetting, the Scottish gov and the various influences of the Protestant/prestbytarian churches. Hence "big booze" from all over the EU are trying to play the "unfair competition" trump card ATM because once one state allows it, it sets an EU wide president for others to cite.

By the same virtue, "they" are equally unlikely to change the rules for home distilling, as that rescinds a little bit of the control back to us, and all the sensible reasons in the world won't alter the fact that the NZ example is too remote......."it wouldn't or couldn't work here" rings loud in the halls of Westminster (similar, but different reasons why the current discussions on both distillers and new distillers mailing lists should be considered as spam from a naivety point of view - it'd be brilliant for those in the US if they could get legal support for small scale domestic production, but as with home brewing, most people just can't be arsed).

Many things could make our lives easier, but as long as the OBN sees some sort of threat, whether to their control or power trips, or just their industry bottom line, "it" ain't gonna happen anytime soon......