Ellee Seymour

Can anything be done to save the future of thousands of post offices doomed to close? Charles Hendry, Shadow Minister responsible for Post Offices, makes a convincing case about how they can survive financially, with more support from government and business.  You can find out more from his frank interview on Tory Radio.

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How clear are you about the size of alcohol units if they don’t measure up in pints? What about alcopops? And surely I can drink more cider as it is not as strong as wine? I’m confused already.

Veronica Callanan also thinks the governmment’s plans about labelling alcohol is not workable. She says:

I have yet to meet anyone who counts there alcohol units, have you?

I mean, does anyone go out on a Friday night and think; “well I had 4 units on Wednesday and Monday so I can only have 4 tonight and the other 2 tomorrow lunchtime�.

Nobody does this.

The government drinking guidelines are that men can drink up to 21 units per week and women can drink 14 units per week, by the way these aren’t safe drinking levels (as there is no such thing) but low-risk drinking levels. These units need to spread over the week (not taken in one go) with at least 2 alcohol free days.

It was in the news today that alcohol manufacturers will start labelling bottles with how many units are in each bottle to help drinkers regulate how much they consume.

Don’t get me wrong anything that drinks manufacturers are willing to do to address our nations drink problem is a good thing, however there’s something here that doesn’t quiet add up. Alcohol is a mood and mind altering substance people don’t drink it because they like the taste (generally speaking who actually liked the taste when they first tasted alcohol?) we drink it primarily for the effects. And the effects are that they alter your perception slightly, loosen you up and make you feel differently so there is something bizarre about expecting people who drink this mood and mind altering substance to be able to regulate the amount they take in.

It changes how you feel, so before you drink it you may feel you only want two glasses of wine but after having those two glasses its not unlikely that you feel differently and may feel that another 2 or 3 or 4 or 5 glasses are a good idea.

It’s kind of like asking 5 year olds to regulate their candy intake all by themselves.

There’s something about alcohol that makes you want more of it no matter what your intentions were. I don’t really see how labelling bottles differently is going to change that, after all there are big labels on cigarette packets that scream “SMOKING KILLS� and thousands of people still die of smoking related illnesses every year. Well done to the drinks industry that they are doing something but they are going to have to go much further than that and take responsibility for the drinking culture they helped create. This is what needs to change.

There is a lot of money at stake here, the drinks industry is booming and the more alcohol that is sold the more taxes the government can rake in…………………is it any wonder that no one wants to regulate our alcohol intake too much?

I would be interested in your comments on this issue.

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Leo Balley vanished while on a camping holiday with his father and friends  near the idyllic Lake Fourchu in the Taillefere Mountains in France nine years ago. The men were putting up the tent when the six-years-old disappeared.

Amazingly, the colour of Leo’s eyes are not known.

The lakes and forests were thoroughly searched for signs of Leo, who is from Grenoble, but his disappearance remains a mystery. A French serial imposter called Frederic Bourdin assumed his identity in 2006, but DNA tests proved  him wrong.

In memory of those who are still missing.

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