Letter: Swedish solution

I AM lucky enough to have spent a bit of time in Sweden and the way the Swedes deal with alcohol is much better than us.

Their state monopoly on sales may be too extreme, but severely limited off-licence hours and high prices ensure a more cautious approach to alcohol.

Their attitude stems from a societal acceptance that alcohol is dangerous and that without proper checks and balances, as a culture they would assume an abusive relationship with it.

The position that Scotland's main political parties have taken - with the exception of the SNP - is deeply disappointing. Labour was once a protector of the people positioned to the left or centre left.

While I can understand and accept these actions from the Conservatives, and I'm unsure about the Lib Dems, I thought Labour would have understood their duty is to listen to the experts and help Scotland deal with this problem.

I hope the parties eventually realise what a huge mistake they have made. I also hope that if given the opportunity to support an idea like minimum pricing of alcohol in the future, they would.

TOM GIBBS

Greenmount Drive

Burntisland