It seems that Mandy has failed. He and his department had been fighting our corner, but appear to have either given in or been overruled. All they appear to have achieved is a slight reprise.

From October 2011 large shops will have had to remove all tobacco displays from the point of sale and smaller businesses will have to comply by 2013. (Telegraph)

It is disgusting that Labour are planning to make it illegal for shops to display some of their legal produce – in this case cigarettes. They shouldn’t have to …

Peter Mandelson is actually doing something positive for the country! I know that you’re probably sceptical of this, but it’s true – he is indeed:
Peter Mandelson is at the centre of a Whitehall row over a planned clampdown on cigarette sales which threatens to overshadow this week’s Queen’s Speech.
Alan Johnson, the Health Secretary, is said to have legislation which would ban big displays of cigarettes – effectively forcing their sale under the counter – “ready to go” as a key part of the Government’s programme for the next 12 months.
However, …

The “happy hour” in pubs and bars will no longer exist if the government gets its way. They want to make it illegal for them to have happy hours, offer time-limited free drinks, and “all you can drink” offers, as well as cans and bottles of alcohol and adverts to all carry cigarrette-style health warnings.
I objected to the signs on cigarettes packets, even though I don’t smoke, for the simple reason that those who smoke know the risks and continue to smoke anyway. And the same goes for those of …

David Cameron has given a speech saying, basically, what we all know to pretty much be the truth. Basically, in the words of the Telegraph, “the obese, the idle and the poor have no one to blame but themselves”.
I have an issue with the inclusion of “the poor” in that list – being poor isn’t a choice, and anyone with half a brain wouldn’t be. And being poo can be caused by so many issues that are way beyond the control of any individual.
However, “the obese” and “the idle” certainly …

ASDA are my hero of the day.
In response to the SNPs nanny state proposals to crack down on cheap alcohol, they have declared:

There is nothing to stop companies looking at expanding their home shopping network or opening up depots just south of the border and delivering to homes in Scotland.

So if the SNP continue with their stupid idea, they will build distribution centres in England and sell cheap alcohol to Scottish homes.
Good on them!
Apparently, according to the SNP, “high-strength, low-cost alcohol is not a right.” Erm, why? It is my …

This government just keeps on plowing out illiberal shit. Anything to prevent us from being able to make our own decisions and take responsibility for our own actions.
First of all, they want to ban cigarette vending machines and packs of ten. To “prevent children and young people smoking”. They have already raised the cigarette purchasing age to 18 and banned smoking in all public enclosed areas, and just want to keep on with their vendetta against smoking.
Let me make one point clear now: I am not, never have been, and …

They just can’t leave us alone, can they?
Firstly, the Scottish “Government” wants to raise the age at which alcohol can be legally drunk to 21. Why? Because “we all know that Scotland as a nation has a drink problem and the implications of this are very serious – not least for our health.” So because of the potential of some health problems caused by a few youngsters habitually over-drinking, they are considering banning all under-21s from drinking alcohol completely. And what exactly will stop them crossing the border to England …

Supermarkets sell alcohol. They have an entire section set aside for it, well marked and often sud-divided and sign-posted by type – beers, wines, spirits… – and people then choose to buy them because they want to drink.
Apparently it is a bad thing that they are allowed to do this.
It seems that us mindless proles just aren’t clever enough and don’t have a strong enough will be steer clear of these well-marked sections, and are instead “lured” into buying alcohol. After all, we’re not Professors, so we couldn’t possibly be …

Why won’t they just leave us alone?
Ministers are threatening to change the law to stop supermarkets advertising beer and wine at bargain prices in a bid to tackle the epidemic of binge drinking sweeping Britain…Ministers have become frustrated that supermarkets discount beer and wine to the extent that they sell it at a loss in order to entice customers through the doors of their shops.Ideally ministers would like to force retailers to charge customers more for beer, wine and cider. (The Telegraph)
Why is it any business of the government what …

Regulation: causing alcohol-related deaths.
In the past decade, the UK has seen an increase in alcohol related deaths. This has been accompanied by an increase in government regulation to try and combat the problem…Increased control isn’t the way to solve the problem. Countries with a less restrictive attitude toward alcohol don’t have the same problems of youth abuse. In many European countries, children grow up with alcohol as an accepted part of daily life, rather than a forbidden novelty, so when they reach adulthood the desire to overindulge is much less. …