Powers

For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. Ephesians 6:12 NIV

The UK government has two big ticket items that have hit the news in the recent past, namely: Minimum Pricing for alcohol, and the Redefinition of Marriage. In the beginning (now there’s a place to start) the government decided that they should support traditional marriage and families who try to work and do their best in difficult circumstances, and they also recognised the problems caused by the abusive use of alcohol, and the policy of minimum pricing was conceived.

For one reason or another, the protection of traditional marriage was sacrificed for the policy of redefining marriage, and the policy of minimum pricing of alcohol has been dropped. There is a very obvious common factor here. Both of these principles have large and powerful lobbies at work to get their own way. The alcohol industry does not want to have any limit placed on their ability to sell alcohol to whoever they want, including those, usually young, vulnerable binge abusers of alcohol, and they dismiss all and any evidence from the medical groups who see the effects on a daily basis. Then there is the Stonewall group, who have a very vested interest in pushing the self interests of the very small homosexual community, which was less than 2% in the 2011 surveys.

So, one group controls their profits, and the other, a minority (not even a large minority) push their agenda at every opportunity, but (and a big but), both have powerful friends in government. What chance does the ordinary, normal, rational, thinking person of any moral standing have against such a heavy and organised opposition? Paul tells us how we should respond in the next few verses which follow:

Therefore put on the full armour of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled round your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests.

Alcohol - Minimum Pricing (again)

It is being raised again, but this time by the Prime Minister. He was responding to the challenge we all face, up and down the UK, to clean up the streets of under age binge drinking, which affects us all, and especially the responsible city centre party goers. I don't agree with all that the SNP stand for, but they have got it spot on when they called for minimum pricing in Scotland, where the problem is huge, and more so at weekends.

Of course, as expected, the other opponents of this idea, come out of the woodwork to tell us it won't make any difference. We have to find another way, they say. One of these apologists was on the news today. He was a spokesman for the supermarket chain, Morrisons, and talked an awful lot, but didn't actually say anything. He defended the cheap booze on sale in their aisles, and said it was to compliment their food sales! Oh brother! Don't let anyone fool you. Supermarkets don't lose money on the so called, 'lost leaders' where they undercut the price of alcohol. They have the nerve to say that the price and availability is not a part of the problem. When will they wake up and smell the roses, or should I say, the vomit!

You don't have to be very smart or clever to see why they like to sell cheap booze. It's good for income. If it really was a money loser, do you think they would be doing it? They must think Joe Public's head buttons up the back. I wish they would treat us as grown up, and accept the link between the price of alcohol, and violence at all levels in our community.

I am glad the question has been brought into the open again, and maybe since the Prime Minister is sympathetic to the problem and solution, we might get somewhere. The supermarkets are behaving exactly like the tobacco companies who said there was no link between smoking and ill health. It didn't take long to see the results, and I suspect it will be the same with minimum pricing. As I have said before, we just need some politicians with bottle to lead the way.