A reader asks if I might write something about the “ridiculous assertion that alcohol abuse costs every Scot £900 a year”. Happy to do so!
We all know that if a tobacco company sponsors research no-one in the press will ever call any report produced by that research “independent”. Everybody knows that it’s only government-commissioned research that counts as “independent”.
And lo, today’s example of this is a report (original PDF linked to here) , paid for by the Scottish government, from “independent experts” at York University claiming that the social and financial costs of booze amount to £900 a year for every Scottish man, woman and child in the country. I don’t mean to impute the independence of the number-crunchers in York too much, but this is exactly the outcome a government determined to press on with controversial plans to increase the price of drink might want to see.
Coincidentally, the minority SNP ministry in Edinburgh wants to make drink more expensive.
Britain’s best politics newsletters
You get two free articles each week when you sign up to The Spectator’s emails.
Already a subscriber? Log in
Comments
Join the debate for just £1 a month
Be part of the conversation with other Spectator readers by getting your first three months for £3.
UNLOCK ACCESS Just £1 a monthAlready a subscriber? Log in