Drinks shame

The childish opposition of the Tories, Liberal Democrats and Labour in Holyrood to alcohol minimum pricing shows that they are far more interested in point-scoring than in the health of Scotland.

Who could honestly object to a measure that will raise the supermarket price of big bottles of white cider sold for 3 and bottles of industrial vodka sold for 7 – a measure backed by doctors, nurses, the police, the pub trade and children's welfare charities?

Claiming, as the Tories do, that banning below-cost selling would be an effective alternative is a total red herring that will make barely any difference to the price of the cheapest alcohol and will only serve to punish small retailers who already find it hard to compete with the supermarkets.

With the Lib Dems at Westminster backing minimum pricing, it is particularly cowardly of their Holyrood corps to shy away from it.

Meanwhile, Labour and the Tories have been only too happy to swallow the bogus arguments against minimum pricing from drinks industry lobby groups. They should hang their heads in shame.

JAMES TOUT

Water Street

Edinburgh