TOPIC:

Banning the advertising of alcohol in our jurisdition would not be of great effect (in my view), as it still leaves people open to being advertised at through non national TV channels and magazines etc. So in effect, it would only work against smaller local producers and leave the big players untouched. You will still have ads for Budweisser/Miller coming at you as they are international brands.

It irritates me to see TV programmes like "Scrubs" where the characters are always seen drinking Bud, the essence of 'cool'.

The next step that might be taken would be to ban sports sponsorship, similar to what happened with tobacco. I'm sure that the GAA/FAI/IRFU etc. would be devastated if this were to occur!

I think we're most of the way to a voluntary ban on sports sponsorship by the drinks companies. The GAA's policy on it kicks in this year, IIRC.

I totally take the point that ads from abroad would severely weaken the effects of a ban here. And yet, if the UK's ads are effective, how come Diageo run completely separate ad campaigns for Ireland?

"The Competition Authority":2kseu4qx wrote: the Authority recommends:
iii. That direct taxation should be used to influence the price of alcohol. To the extent that the trend of increasing average alcohol consumption is a social problem and that consumption is price-sensitive, tax rates should be raised.[/quote:2kseu4qx]

That is generally accepted as a proven fact alright, seems TCA has accepted it as such. But I'd imagine there are several studies out there that can back up the claim. I'd hardly argue with someone who said that if you jacked up a pint to €30, consumption wouldn't decrease. It's essentially a factor of disposable income rather than price tbh. So reducing the population to indentured slaves would dramatically cut alcohol consumption.

"TheBeerNut":2kseu4qx wrote: I don't think that an advertising ban would be a panacea, but I think it would help reduce the extent to which people will automatically choose to go drinking rather than do something else. That said, I think advertising at point of sale is fair and I don't think we should go the way of Norway, with a ban on beermats, for instance.[/quote:2kseu4qx]

That's the problem though, an advertising ban would help a little bit, an increase in duty would help a little bit, an earlier closing time would help a little bit, limiting the supply of outlets would help a little bit.

When in totality none of these things work at all, when the real the problem is the removal of personal responsibility. All the above helps to reinforce that you've none when it comes to having a few beers. If the policy is going to be that you treat adults as such and not like naughty children when it comes to alcohol, then disbarring the populace from seeing an advertisement is the exact wrong message to send.

A few sensible guidelines would be better; that children can't be seen in the adverts, or cannot be targeted or that over-indulgence shouldn't be promoted might be a better plan.

Fair point, and I'm fairly sure those guidelines are already in place.

So, are we taking a liberal stance on this: that we are promoting and encouraging individual responsibility and seeking greater liberalisation of licensing laws, while refuting that there has been a past connection between higher taxation and reduced consumption.

That make sense?

"sbillings":1td8r8zr wrote: the years the HSE uses as justification for their recommendation of a duty increase[/quote:1td8r8zr]
Séan, can you point me to where the HSE argue for an increase in duty?

Right, first draft. Be brutal.
[quote:21rwl7kb]Irish Craft Brewer is an Internet community of beer enthusiasts. The group was founded in March 2007 and is based around the web site IrishCraftBrewer.com. At time of writing there are 135 registered members, mainly in Ireland. One of the group's primary aims is to encourage greater choice and higher quality in the Irish beer market.

We fully recognise the problems in Irish society caused by the abuse of alcohol. However, we believe that the problem is ultimately a cultural one, and that there are no quick and easy solutions. Engendering personal responsibility and a healthy respect for alcohol is the only strategy capable of successfully tackling the problem.

In particular, we refute that there is any direct connection between the raising of alcohol duty and a decrease in consumption. In its report [i:21rwl7kb]Alcohol Consumption in Ireland
1986 - 2006[/i:21rwl7kb], the Health Services Executive correlates changes in the amount of alcohol consumed in Ireland with increases in alcohol duty. The table in Appendix 2 (p.7) shows that decreases in consumption happened in 1987, 1993 and 2005 without an increase in excise, and that the 1989 increase in excise duty coincided with a significant [i:21rwl7kb]increase[/i:21rwl7kb] in alcohol consumed. Clearly, raising excise duty is not the answer. Furthermore, the impact of higher duty is certain to have a negative effect on the fragile Irish craft brewing industry, many of whose practitioners depend on the special excise rates for microbreweries introduced by section 63 of the Finance Act 2005.

We believe that the current licensing system, of large high-density bars and simultaneous closing times, is a major causative factor in the social problems associated with excessive drinking. The café-bar licences considered by the previous Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform would, we believe, have had a strongly positive influence on the Irish attitude to alcohol. The continental model of drinking is one which ought to be encouraged, and further restrictions can only help to exacerbate the problem. We note with dismay how busy the off trade is on the day before Good Friday each year: this panic buying followed by binge drinking is illustrative of the effect that restrictive licensing has on the Irish drinking public.

Irish Craft Brewer implores the Group to avoid the temptation of knee-jerk quick-fix policies, or any strategy which has been tried in the past and failed. Altering the unhealthy perception of alcohol as solely a means of intoxication should be the main thrust of this campaign. We believe that those parts of continental European society where alcohol laws are more liberal offer the best role model for Ireland. Tighter controls on the sale of alcohol can only move us further from our goal.[/quote:21rwl7kb]