Blair speaks out on binge-drinking 'disease'
TONY Blair yesterday echoed warnings by the Scottish Executive that binge drinking is in danger of becoming a new national disease.
The Prime Minister spoke out at the launch of a scheme designed to curb the alcohol-related crime that is the scourge of town and city centres at the weekend.
He signalled that the drinks industry may be asked to contribute to the costs of policing city centres as part of the government’s drive against binge drinking.
Ministers hope to win approval for tough measures including the mandatory training of anyone employed in the drinks industry, a curb on the number of off-licences and a ban on 24-hour opening of pubs and clubs selling alcohol.
Mr Blair said yesterday that more action was needed by the police and the alcohol industry to tackle an epidemic of alcohol-fuelled rowdiness, which has seen post-pub violence soar in town and city centres across the country.
Speaking to an industry-organised seminar on the National Alcohol Strategy in London, Mr Blair said: Millions of people drink alcohol responsibly every day and no-one wants to stop the pleasure.
But there is a clear and growing problem on our town and city centre streets up and down the country on Friday and Saturday nights and other nights indeed too.
And at a time when overall crime is falling, alcohol-related violent crime is actually rising.
New powers are there, they need to be used. And as a society we have to make sure that this form of what we often call binge-drinking doesn’t become a new sort of British disease.
The government is working with the industry on the development of a social responsibility scheme which may well include some financial contribution to the costs of policing our town centres and tackling some of the cost of alcohol misuse.
What's this all about this binge drinking disease ?
Is Tony Blair right or .... erm .... what ?
.
Originally posted by SirLoseALotYeah I was pretty shocked when I read it in the papers 😲 It seems like a bit of scaremongering if you ask me. if we didn`t have such draconian drinking laws in this country, and were more like France, Spain Italy etc none of this "binge drinking" would happen anyway.
3 pints!!??Is that all?What's the problem with that?
- Joined
- 20 Feb 02
- Moves
- 58336
He needs to be seen to do something as anyone who has the doubious pleasure to be in a British town centre on a Friday or Saturday night would agree that things do seem to be a bit out of hand. Of course he has to be careful to to be seen as a on old fogey as a lot of his vote / popularity comes from the younger generation.
I think the problem comes from two angles, there is no doubt that there are more people people being disorderly than before, note I don't say drunk. Its a whole society thing as much as anything, there are just a load of kids out there who do not seem to give two s"its about themselves or anyone else. Sure there have always been fights; but blokes punching girls, girls punching girls, teenagers attacking groups of adults, aggression towards innocent people going about their business, endless vandalism - it all seems a bit much. What to blame...lack of police on the streets, yob culture, break down in society.... or booze, well thats easy isn't it.
The other issue I think is that more and more people are moving into town and city centres. You see more and more city centers being rebuilt and modernised, new apartment blocks are going up and the middle class / rich young professionals are moving back into these areas. This just amplifys the cultural issues as these people have a totally different idea of acceptable behaviour, also politically they are a lot more likely to be listened to, while the "original" youngsters are just left feeling more alienated from society and are more likely to show no respect towards it.
It is a concerning issue
Andrew
Originally posted by ROGER THE DODGERIf it wasn't for people like Blair, I wouldn't have to binge drink to forget what a godforsaken shite hole I have to live in.
YES ANDREW I COULDN'T AGREE MORE, IT'S A MAJOR REASON THAT I WANT OUT OF THE UK, IT SURE ISN'T GETTING ANY BETTER . I COULD THINK OF SOME SOLUTIONS, BUT THEN THAT MIGHT UPSET PEOPLE !😵
Serenity please!
Originally posted by PaulieIsn't it considered reasonably safe to drink up to 28 units a week (if you're a bloke) or 21 units (if you're a lass)? On that basis, you could 'binge' every other night and yet your overall alchohol consumption would be OK. Something doesn't add up here...
I think it equates to like 3 pints in a session is considered binge drinking.
Still, William Hague's claim of drinking 14 pints a day sounds a bit worrying... that'd put you in a permanent stupor, even before your liver packed in.