Wednesday 22 August 2012

Nannying fussbucket of the week: Councillor Gordon Castle

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You see the folk running Northumberland have spotted a business opportunity. Thousands of Scots cruising across the border to buy up supermarkets full of cheap booze once their especially stupid and puritanical government has introduced a minimum price for said booze. For the Northumberlanders there's a worry:

"Shops in Berwick, Alnwick and Morpeth with easy access to the A1 should be preparing to accept a huge increase in trade but I expect, without an advertising campaign, Carlisle with its easy motorway access will win this race."

So, to stop this lucrative, economy-enhancing trade going to Cumbria a campaign is proposed. Cllr Castle thinks this irresponsible:

 "We want to promote Alnwick, we want Scottish tourists, but we don't want booze tourists,"

Nor, one guesses does Cllr Castle want the jobs and businesses that come with this lucrative trade (at least until our own daft government falls from its tree and introduces a minimum price itself).

However, Cllr Castle may be something of a fussbucket - only wanting the right sort of tourist - but the Scottish government are complete loons when they say this:

...it is highly unlikely that a minimum price, that will only affect a proportion of alcohol sales, would make it worth their while to travel as it would cost people in terms of fuel and time."

How much beer and cheap vodka can you get into the back of a transit? Let's say 1000 bottles of mid-strength lager at 35p per unit (roughly a quid a bottle) - that's 15p per unit cheaper than in, say, Edinburgh (perhaps 40p per bottle). If I sell out of the back of my van at £1.20, I'm clearing £200 per trip. It's a roughly 160 mile round trip. Looks like I'm in profit.

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