As excuses go, blaming bad behaviour on alcohol is one of the oldest in the book. It is also, as Justice Secretary Kenny MacAskill makes plain, one of the most pathetic. Speaking at the World Health Organisation's violence reduction conference today, he will take another step towards addressing one of Scotland's most serious and pressing concerns, namely the violent and destructive culture associated with excessive alcohol consumption. As Mr MacAskill says in The Herald today: "We are sick and tired of alcohol being used as an excuse."
It has long been clear that alcohol has played a large part in crimes such as knife attacks, domestic abuse and dangerous driving. Currently, the defence for those in the dock often includes a plea for their inebriation to be considered as a mitigating factor. Alarmingly, around 44% of prisoners in Scotland blame drink for their criminal behaviour. Mr MacAskill's challenge to this moral cop-out is a clarion call for the law - and society as a whole - to see criminals who act under the influence of alcohol not as victims of drink but as being every bit as responsible for their deeds had they merely been sipping tea.
In England and Wales alcohol is seen as an aggravating factor in a criminal's actions and can lead to a longer prison sentence. While not gone as far as this, Mr MacAskill wants to eradicate a plea of drunkenness as a mitigating factor that can lead to a more lenient sentence. His proposal follows the Scottish Executive's announcement earlier this summer of stricter licensing laws, among them banning pub happy hours by 2009 and introducing stricter labelling on bottles of alcohol by the end of next year. Mr MacAskill has also indicated that he will consider targeting off-licences and supermarkets to reduce access to cheap alcohol.
This is tough talking, and is also long overdue. Six people die in Scotland every day as a result of problem drinking. This is a country where it can be cheaper to buy beer than bottled water, where binge-drinking is a definition of a good night out and where the loutish behaviour that follows is shrugged off as an integral part of having fun. Attitudes need to change radically, and to embody in law such a spirit of intolerance to alcohol is a powerful antidote to a climate poisoned by our unthinking acceptance of it.
This is not a cry for teetotalism, but for restraint; for drink to be a pleasure, not a plague. The drinks industry, which represents a significant part of the Scottish economy, is in a delicate position, not wishing to contribute to society's ails, yet aware that it must continue to thrive. Already it is rethinking its position and beginning to play a part in the debate about responsible drinking, with health programmes, for instance, and creative education initiatives aimed at children.
Since Scottish society has for centuries revolved around a hearty drinking culture it is no surprise that many have shied away from tackling this issue head-on. "Tread softly because you tread on my dram" was the silent threat hanging over those who have tried to wean the nation off the bottle. But given the country's high rate of violent crime, and the population's anxiety about everyday problems of antisocial behaviour in our communities, we can no longer afford not to address this problem. It took courage and conviction to implement the smoking ban. The proposals Mr MacAskill is putting forward to end Scotland's problem with drink are also radical. No amount of legislation, however, and no amount of education or advertising will bring about a fundamental change in attitude if individuals do not take the lessons to heart themselves. Obviously, this is one message that won't be found in a bottle.
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