You wouldn’t believe it from reading some of the hysterical commentary in the media over the past few days, but in fact alcohol consumption in the UK fell by 3% over the past year, and is now 6% below the 2004 figure. This bears out what I have said in the past, that very often the chattering classes’ outrage about something only peaks well after the alleged “problem” has started to diminish. The report linked to also points out that the UK is only 14th in the European league of alcohol consumption, well behind both France and Germany. Given that, it is hard to see why it needs to be seen as a priority for public policy either north or south of the border.
Despite this, we still get pig-ignorant, snobbish drivel like this from the toothsome Janet Street-Porter in today’s Independent. This comment sums it up, really.