The Prohibitionists that dominate all the main political parties have learned little from history.It is widely acknowledged that the failed American experiment with Prohibition did little but create and consolidate a well resourced criminal fraternity that persists to this day.
Already I would guess that the exorbitant prices charged for Motor fuel and cigarettes is creating a new smuggling elite as we speak.
Speaking plainly the most socially destructive social scourge in this country is that of heroin.Addicts must have their fixes daily and do rob their own mothers and anyone else they can to get the price of their next fix.Other drugs are nearly as addictive.If there are 30,000 such addicts robbing for their fixes each day and indeed twice a day you don't have to be a genius to work out the number of robberies resulting..Given that the stolen goods are fenced at way below their actual value the stolen property must be worth millions of Euro each day.
I have never heard of a person mugging another for the price of fags nor drink,but I have often come across people mugged or threatened for the price of a fix.
Yet the Authorities devote far more resources in fighting the legal pastimes of smoking and drinking than in the other more destructive areas of addiction.
For over 30% of the population having a drink and a smoke concurrently are a pleasurable past time.Michael Martin initiated a Taliban like Prohibition on smoking in Public Houses that signalled the death knell of the Public House in Ireland. All parties contributed to this and had no problem bullying thirty percent of the population.
There were three public houses in this Parish.Now there are two.A blind man could see that the trade of the remaining Pubs is way down on what it was.It is the same all over the country.
Between the smoking ban and the over zealous drink driving laws single and elderly people in rural Ireland have been turned into depressed recluses .
A more insidious by product of this is that house parties are on the increase.There is no knowing what goes on at these.At least in the pub there was some check on behaviour.I have little doubt but that there are those in the Prohibitionists Taliban that would only be too glad to patrol the private homes of everybody to impose their will.a la the Stasis.
The politicians that made a basket case of the country are proposing an increase in the price of drink and the banning of advertising by drinks companies to penalise all drinkers and sports fans.These are the same politicians that swore blind that all the proceeds of the National Lottery would be filtered back exclusively for sports and recreational needs.Yeah right,
By far the most social destruction in the Country was caused by the behaviour of the banks and the regulators etc.Think emigration,suicide depression, premature death,mental and actual illness,hunger ,and unending stress.
These institutions have given nothing only unremitting miseryA few pints or glasses of wine will give some little relief.
Leave the drinks companies and the millions of imbibers alone and ban advertising by the banks.
And don't fuck up the sporting organisations in the country the way ye did the entire country by sticking your unwanted oar in.
Rather run the health services in a way that doesn't involve depriving the old ,the disabled and the feeble of mind of essential services and stop killing them with neglect.
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