Call to ditch alcohol 'crusade'

Published on Wednesday 25 June 2008 23:23

THE Scottish Government yesterday faced claims that it was in "crusade mode" over alcohol abuse.

Labour's Pauline McNeill hit out at Kenny MacAskill, the justice secretary, over comments on the issue in which he made an "analogy" with child porn.

But Shona Robison, the public health minister, said the government was not against alcohol, only alcohol abuse.

The SNP government last week unveiled a series of radical proposals to crack down on alcohol abuse including raising the buying age for off-sales to 21 and setting minimum prices to tackle cheap drink.

The issue came under the spotlight of MSPs in parliament yesterday. Mrs McNeill said no attempt had been made to get a cross-party consensus.

"We do ask that the government climb down from the crusade mode that some ministers were in at the weekend.

"It doesn't help the tone of the debate and analogies with child pornography do not help the tone of that debate either."

Mrs McNeill called on the government to get down to the "serious business" of convincing the country about their proposals for changing attitudes.

"We don't want to be part of a crusade against alcohol either, but we want a properly toned debate," she said.