Supping with the cheap and nasty

THE justice secretary, Kenny MacAskill, has taken a determined line on making Scotland confront its love affair with drinking. No-one denies the poor health and economic costs that result from alcohol abuse. Too often Scottish society has turned a blind eye to the extent to which alcohol pervades our culture, not least because it forms a major part of the economy.

Taking a brave, if unpopular, stance is one thing; failing to cho0se the correct path to reform is quite another. Mr MacAskill's plans to raise the age for buying alcohol from off-licences were rejected last week by Holyrood. Now his proposal to intr...