Buckfast and Caffeine

The news has carried a story that the Labour government is proposing to cut the amount of caffeine (yes, you heard, caffeine) in strong alcoholic drinks, like Buckfast.


It seems that these turkeys (there I go again) need something to hang on to, to make it look like they are doing something about the boozed up, binge drinking culture of the UK. Since minimum pricing for alcohol isn't favoured by the Labour Party, they have latched onto the amount of caffeine in the alcoholic drinks! More turkeys, and they are all over the place, even in government. 


As far as I know, the Emergency Rooms in our hospitals at the weekends are not filled with people with too much caffeine! If that was the case, then most coffee drinkers would be there. It's a well known fact that turkeys don't think, they scramble about in their pens looking for food. Hey, that's good... our elected representatives don't think, they just scramble about looking for something to make them appear to be doing something.


One of the biggest problems in the boozy and binge drinking culture is Buckfast. So the independent experts say. These expert people are not in someone else's pocket. They don't answer to government or the drinks industry, and they say there is a link between the amount of alcohol (no, not caffeine in products like Buckfast), and violence. All sorts of violence which leads the victims, and sometimes these victims have a self inflicted injury, to the hospital Emergency Room, again usually at the weekend. What is it that the ordinary, modestly educated man or woman in the street, can see that the so called clever government representatives can't? And guess who is laughing? Yep, you got it in one! It's the drinks industry again, not the hospitals, not the affected wives and children, not the workplace. 


We are becoming so clever we are no good to anyone. Whatever happened to good old common sense, and morality? I think there is a moral question to be answered here too. For me, it is immoral to pretend to be addressing a serious problem like alcohol and violence, while doing nothing about it. It's even worse to turn the spotlight on something else and say it will help us. Are we serious about protecting the vulnerable and doing the right thing? That's morality, and it means taking on the tough questions which our leaders often say they are doing, but don't! All of them lack moral judgement, because it's not popular and certainly isn't a vote winner!


Oh yes, we can't forget that Buckfast is a strong drink made by monks, and they are not changing their product to suit anyone. Does that tell you something about common sense and morality on their part? Hmmmmm.......