What do nylon socks have in common with public transport? Nothing. And it is with this same logic that Australia’s Government has adopted in addressing binge drinking. You see, they have slapped a massive tax on ready-to-drink alcoholic beverages (ie, alco-pops).
My understanding of alcoholics is limited to having watched the movies Arthur and Trading Places but I do feel confident in drawing the following conclusions:
1. If a can of bourbon and coke is all of a sudden 25% more expensive it is fair to assume that punters will go out and buy their own bourbon and their own coke. They are already doing it aided with the knowledge that the constituents are somewhat intuitive.
i2. Perhaps the problem lies in allowing 24hr multi-storey drink barns to operate. Ever notice you can replicate a full pub crawl across several bars spread over multipe floors and varying themes. No barman would ever have to serve you twice – handy for avoiding those pesty do-gooder barmen trying to exercise responsible serving of alcohol. Thankfully, there are also no windows or clocks ensuring that your good times and drinking are not disrupted by reminders of what day it is. Best of all, you only have to contend with the one bouncer at the start of the night. You can be completely off your nut but as long as you can still remember your PIN number, you’re in!
3. Prohibtion doesn’t work – Learnt that from watching The Untouchables.
