News.Scotland.Org

January, 18

With the increase in the number young lads taking up drinking as a new trend these days, a sudden jump in offences including rash driving and accidents are now a normal scene in Scotland. To keep a check to this growing menace and also to make sure these young children don’t get addicted to this liquor mania. Tayside police have stood up with a new plan to have a control on these growing cases.

In this drive, it was thought of implementing extra police patrols in area which are known to be vulnerable to these incidents. To make this campaign more strong and result oriented, few other agencies will also be involved in order to overcome this current issue. Talking regarding this issue, Chief Superintendent Colin McCashey, the divisional commander in Dundee said, if we look to the record of last month of 2007 we can find that hundreds of young children were caught either under the influence of alcohol or with the possession of alcohol.

In one of such recent road accident report, which we published in our blog regarding the death of Mr Newlove, 47 who lost his life when some youths under influence of liquor hit him with car while he was crossing the road. This was just one of such recent incidents, many other such accidents have been occurred which opens a debate for this change in trend among young children.

Now this issue has taken a big toll on the society both practically and physiologically demanding a need for a change in these types of growing habits in youths. Even its more over now the responsibility of parents to keep an eye on their wards and check what they are doing and do they possess some bad habits or company.

Scotland, Dec 27: In a shocking report it was revealed that in Scotland the under age drinking habit is on rise. In the recent days police have arrested under aged children for being drunk in the public. In the past five years at least 2000 children were arrested for being drunk in the public. Among those arrested there are several primary school students that raise concern about the health of the future generation.

Alcohol awareness campaigners and politicians voiced their concern about the new habitual change in the youngsters. They said that the drinking habit has become worsen now than the past decade. Meanwhile one leading charity voiced against the criminalising youth unnecessarily by arresting them for being drunk. They also pointed out that out of 2000 children arrested over the past five years only 34 were of the age 12 or below.

According to Frank Soodeen of the agency named Alcohol Concern said: “Despite the harm the children are doing the drinking habit will affect their developing bodies by if not properly monitored they are likely to have sex or sustain injury or get into scuffle. Other than criminalising young people unnecessarily it is better to consider the option of licensing laws and proper regulation to ensure age restriction to be effectively implemented. Adequate training should have to be given to the staffs who are selling alcohol to help while approaching under age drinkers.”

While commenting on this the Association of Chief Police Officers in Scotland opined that it supports all the initiative that would help in minimising the menace of under age drinking culture. The enforcement is part of the series of restriction measures taken to curb this ruining habit.

Under age drinking habit pose great threat to the future of the young generation in Scotland. As being a delicate issue it has to be approached with great care by chalking out a comprehensive strategy to bring in an amicable solution.

Scotland, Dec 7: The pubs in Scotland have turned out as the victims of the knife culture that is paving way for the increase in the violence rate against its staff. As an attempt to restrict this kind of knife culture the door stewards of the bars will be equipped with hand held metal detectors as a precautionary measure to identify the hidden weapons.

This initiation is a joint effort by the Renfrewshire council and Strathclyde Police and was launched in Paisley. Door stewards in 34 spots will be give the metal detectors

There have been many incidents in the past where the customer pulled out a gun or knife to threaten the staff for some silly reasons.

According to a door staff of Tiger Lily, a lap dancing bar, the device will minimise their tension and will help to identify the hidden weapons brought in by the aggressive customers. It will convert our job easier as the device indicates the concealed weapon and we cannot accuse them for possessing the weapon, what we can do is to deny them an entry so it will avoid the dangerous situation.

“We are expecting that this initiative will affect the practice of carrying weapons. The sense of being detected will restrict the weapons carrying tendency and thereby minimise the violence level,” said Robin Young, deputy sub-divisional officer of the Paisley police station.

The device that is 8inch long will vibrate on detecting metal. Owing to its vibration nature those customers carrying weapons will not get any indication about them being detected. If this initiative turns out as a successful one, then it will be implemented in other areas in Scotland.

November, 14

Now sale of alcohol will be done in a sophisticated manner in shops, soon it will get a separate area in the supermarkets. It is known that the Scottish government is all set to ban the display of alcohol in stores. Earlier, Kenny MacAskill, the Justice Secretary mentioned that alcohol will not be sold like a ‘pint of milk or packet of tattie scones’ in supermarkets. This massive decision has raised a severe feeling of discomfort among the retailers, who are against this decision.

It was noticed that alcohol was available so easily in every supermarkets and shops with more and more cross-merchandising generating a wrong message to the masses. Beer placed next to barbecues and other things will be a past from now, this decision will oblige these supermarkets to sell alcohol in a different shelf or area.

With the on set of the festive season the decision has raised some serious concern for the shopkeepers, who now has a mammoth task on hands. Christmas is nearing and all shopkeepers are busy to generate their sales and in between this new change will be a challenge for them says retailers like Asda. This new bevvy culture will refine the market look and will give alcohol a separate area to woo its fans.

In recent years it is clearly seen that alcohol has taken a prime place in almost all shops and supermarkets. That too the way these hard drinks are displayed and promoted can fascinate even a non-drinker. Even many strange cross-merchandising was seen, like beer displayed next to barbecues and white wines in the lingerie departments. Even the checkout area remains flooded with wines; all over alcohol is projected so heavily which was a worry sign. But sooner or later the Scottish government has decided to restrict the area for alcohol sale in shops and supermarket.

This new way of merchandising is making buyers attracted towards the new alcohol culture and getting the innocent buyers to flow along this wave of promotion. Hope after this decision the alcohol lovers would get a separate area to grab their favourite bottle, while the rest buyers can enjoy their shopping without the alcohol effect.

November, 12

Now beer drinkers have to pay more in order to quench their thirst. With the increase in the prices of beer, now this refreshing drink would get bitter for these brewers. It is known that with the increase in the prices of raw material this sudden hike in beer rates has came into picture. The new hike in prices would come into effect from next year. The steep rise in the prices of malt, barley, glass and aluminium is the main cause for this sudden rise.

Another factor responsible is the heavy rains which destroyed the barley cultivation in Europe and affected the quality of the barley crop. While it was noticed that, drought in Australia havocked the barley cultivation, creating a decline in the quantity of raw material for the preparation of beer. This in turn made the cost of barely to rise in the market, with the increase in the prices of glass, fuel and aluminium adding to the woes.

This unpredicted price rise has made the farmers worried and forced them to plant corn to cope up with the rapid demand for biofuels. On the other hand market analyst said that this upward trend in the prices of beer will not bother much to the big suppliers and supermarkets, but the small players will have to bear tough times ahead. Nigel Pollard of Scottish and Newcastle said even brewers would face the brunt of price rise and it will be tough for them to sustain this spiraling cost. He also hinted that lot much is in the offing to march upwards along with beer rates. He said this price rise will effect the rates of other alcoholic beverages like cider and soft drinks too.

The beer manufacturers and traders are not left with any other option, and have to up the rates of bear. It is for sure that this new year beer fans have to get ready to pay more to relish this bubbly delight.

Scotland, Nov 12: A strict control on the display of alcoholic products is to be implemented in supermarkets. This move which is to be approved by the MSPs next week aims to control alcohol abuse.

In a report to the Scottish Parliament Justice Committee, Justice Secretary Kenny MacAskill insisted that many stores are already selling alcoholic drinks like any other stationary products. The display of these products should have to be restricted to certain areas. It has to be kept away from other products; alcohol is not like buying any other consumer goods.

He further added that the government is conscious that the presence of alcohol throughout the stores will indirectly boost the alcohol consumption. This move is as part of shifting attitudes and will focus on long term benefit. The new rules were introduced as the retailers were not showing any tendency on this regard voluntarily.

While responding to this the supermarket giant Asda hinted on the unintended after effects of this move. The letter from Asda hinted that the move by the committee will shrink the customer choices. The product stock will also experience a decline. There will be a 14 day exemption as a prelude to Hogmanay to facilitate the stores to handle the excess demand for alcohol.

Another letter from Iain McMillan the director of CBI Scotland opined that the retail outlets of all sizes will have to pay an extra cost to store extra stock in the storehouses and the staff will experience more pressure to keep the shelves filled every time.

Meanwhile the Edinburgh City Council has given shape to a rough licensing policy which is expected to be implemented at the end of this month. The policy insists that the alcoholic products should be displayed for sale in a separate area within the shop. It is considered that the policy would be altered as according to the new regulations.

November, 5

A scary news for those young boozers who like to experiments with their drinks to get that extra energy in every drink they take. So if you are mixing your alcohol with energy drinks then you could be risking yourself. This new trend of boozing, mainly seen by young drinkers who like to mix it with some energy drink to enjoy more energetically in the clubs all the night. In a study conducted on 4000 students, it was seen that consuming alcohol mixed with energy drinks has doubled the risk of clubbers hurting themselves or taken advantage sexually. It is also found that the cocktail, made of alcohol and energy drinks contains high levels of caffeine which again is a matter of concern.

The change in the nature of consumption of alcohol by youngsters has shown that by mixing alcohol these young drinkers have raised the amount of consumption of alcohol in comparison with other drinkers. They are also more exposed to take sexual advantage of others and also being taken advantage of themselves. This psychology also points out the fact that nowadays youngsters are inclined towards drinking more, so they mix alcohol with energy drinks which helps them to consume more liquor. According to Dr Mary Claire O’Brien, a lead researcher in this study said, the risk of serious and potentially deadly consequences is so much higher for those who mix energy drinks with alcohol.”

Even researchers feel the need of proper guidance to youngsters and educate them with the risk of mixing alcohol with energy drinks. The students should understand how fatal this experiment could result for them and others. Parents should also come up and take the initiative to make their wards aware of the ill-effects of this new trend of drinking. Also they should check the amount of alcohol they are consuming.

Scotland, Oct 19: Too much alcohol is dangerous for health, more and more Scottish people are developing affinity towards drinking dangerous amount of alcohol each week. This fact was revealed by a new report stating that more than a million people drink excess alcohol at least once in a week in Scotland.

A study conducted by an expert group of leading clinicians found that at least a fifth of the population drinks a dangerous amount of alcohol. The study is a follow-up of the report in England that found the people in affluent areas were consuming more alcohol than their poorer counterparts.

Dr Bruce Ritson, chairman of campaign group Health Action on Alcohol Problems, which conducted the survey, said: “There seems to be quite a widespread belief that most of us drink responsibly and sensibly and, while that is often true, there are a lot of people who are exceeding the recommended amounts in a week in Scotland. That is why we think it is important to adopt a policy approach of prevention, rather than just focusing on the heaviest or addicted drinkers.”

Three to four units a day for men and two to three units a day for women are the recommended amount of alcohol consumption. Even the past surveys have found that these limitations are exceeded on a regular basis and this latest finding give a clearer picture about increasing amount of Scots drinking habit.

Not only excess alcohol consumption but also the alcohol related illness are on a increasing mode, this gives the adverse effect of the excess drinking habit in Scotland. Liver related disease to which alcohol consumption is attributed as the main reason has doubled in Scotland in the past decade. In some region it has increased up to four fold.

Those who have the habit of regular drinking are prone to alcohol related illness as the study disclosed that binge drinking would not create a ruining effect as regular and consistent drinking habit will do. Now-a-days drinking alcohol has become normal rather than abnormal behaviour.

“We are increasingly persuaded drinking alcohol should be part of every leisure activity, but many people are unconsciously drinking much more than they realise, not only because they don’t understand how to keep track of this habit, but also many beers and wines have become much stronger in recent years,” said Jack Law, chief executive of Alcohol Focus Scotland.

A proper campaign to create awareness in people particularly among younger generation is what needed to bring out a permanent solution to this issue. Everyone should be made aware of what they are drinking and the adverse effect of drinking.

Scotland, Oct 16: The Edinburgh council’s decision to implement the controversial plan to restrict the number of people allowed to stand in pubs is set to be dropped. The decision in this regard was taken after the raise in opposition from various quarters regarding the feasibility and effectiveness of this process.

The Council leader Jenny Dawe said that the crackdown on so-called “vertical drinking”, which had been backed by fellow Liberal Democratic and licensing leader Marjorie Thomas, as they considered that as an “utterly ridiculous” one. She also opined that there is no need for the cut in pub opening hours.

Deputy council leader Steve Cardownie has already criticised the new draft licensing policy, which promote cutting weekend opening hours and forcing bars to offer seats for at least 50 percent of the customers. The Lothian and Border Police authorities had also refused to back the proposals because of the fears over the impact of all pubs in the city closing at the same time and complications in implementing the rules on “vertical drinking”.

While commenting on this Councillor Dawe said: “Our group was unanimous on these proposals. It is regrettable that we did not have the chance to discuss these proposals before they went out for consultation. The proposals on vertical drinking were utterly ridiculous, and nobody really wants to stop people standing up in pubs. We also felt the existing licensing hours worked pretty well and my understanding is that the police are generally happy with the way they work at the moment. There is no great demand in the city for them to change”.

Even before putting out for consultation the new rules were already given approval by the licensing board, which aims at restricting the anti-social behaviour in licensed premises across the city. The draft licensing policy that all licensing boards are required to draw up under the 2005 Licensing Act, will be brought into discussion by the city’s licensing board later this month and is due to be enforced from November.

Licensing lawyer John Louden said: “There had been huge opposition to the plans.The general feeling is that to keep an open mind on these things and not lay down such strict regulations. Some licence holders have been very concerned about their hours being cut back.”

Patrick Browne, chief executive of the Scottish Beer and Pub Association while expressing his version of thins said: “Edinburgh has a very good reputation because of its liberal licensing laws and anything that harms that reputation is obviously bad news for the trade. These proposals would have been a huge backwards step, inconsistent with what the city is trying to achieve generally, and would convey completely the wrong message to customers.”

Meanwhile the city’s licensing board has the final say on this but the gaining opposition from the licensing trade and within the Lib Dem/SNP-run council gives the apparent implication that the plans are almost certain to be sidelined.

October, 8

Good news for Scottish whisky lovers, in an initiative to protect the Scottish whisky industry, government has decided to regulate the imitation of Scotch whisky. It is know that many of such whisky’s like Highland, Lowland, Speyside, Campbeltown and Islay will be made illegal. This decision was taken by the Westminister Government yesterday.

Government took this step to conserve the heritage of Scottish whisky; this new law will take over from the Scotch Whisky Act 1988 and the Scotch Whisky Order 1990. It will also permit few labels of Scotch whisky to be added to an EU list of Geographical Indications. The Scottish whisky industry is worth £2 billion a year, which gives the economy a great push and also provides employment opportunities to many.

The new move by the government will also help to check the rapid incidences of foreign distilleries trying to misrepresent Scottish whisky and harming its authenticity in the global market. Many such brands are forged into markets creating a wrong impression of the age old Scottish whisky industry. There has been a long waiting by the Scottish Whisky Association for a revised regulation to safeguard the Scotch whisky.

The association needed to protect the place of Scottish whisky in the export market, said Hilary Benn, the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Secretary. He further added “The proposed legislation will make special provisions relating to Scotch whisky. The proposals will define tightly the descriptions applied to Scotch whisky - for example ’single malt’ or ‘blended grain’. They will also tightly define its geographical provenance - such as Highland or Islay - and ensure that if the product uses the name of a distillery then it must also come from that distillery.”

Another benefit of this regulation is that it has widely classified the Scotch whisky into five categories, single malt, single grain, blended, blended malt and blended grain. It also has categorized five geographical areas including Highland, Lowland, Speyside, Campbeltown, and Islay. The regulation mentioned that the whisky will only have the label of these areas if it has been completely made here. Another important point mentioned in the regulation was the whisky exported should be bottled and labeled properly.

Experts says that this move from government will benefit the Scottish whisky industry, to raise the exports which are worth over £2 billion and holds a major part in the economy of the country. This move will help the industry to make its ground firm in the market.