Price of booze

If politicians believe that by increasing the price of drink, people will drink less they want their heads examining. Kids will go without shoes before people give up their fags and drink. Youngsters will still go out and binge drink at the weekend with their mates, often starting at home with high strength lagers and designer drinks. It is a British thing and brings shame to the Nation. Living in Spain, as I do, we never see it in our little backwater where even the ex-pats drink more sensibly. Perhaps it's the climate.
There are things that the Government can do. Where police are called to an incident in a public house, the landlord should be held to account, particularly if it is shown that he is serving alcoholic drinks to a person who already is drunk. If a landlord is found to be persistently selling drinks to unfit people he should be closed on the third count and his license withheld for a time at the Magistrates discretion.
People found on the streets unable to stand should be named and shamed with notices in the local papers and on notice boards outside public buildings and subject to curfews. People that attend a hospital A & E whilst over the driving drink limit should be charged for the service.
If I had my way, the stocks would be re-introduced so that offenders could be exhibited on a Saturday say for twelve hours and subjected to cast rotten fruit and vegetables. The public have a human right to be free from the behaviour of drunken louts.