le Grand calls for UK supermarkets to be banned from selling alcohol

The ‘Chair’ of the Department of Health mouthpiece, Health England , Professor Julian le Grand is at it again.

This time he wants to ban the sale of alcohol in supermarkets, because he clearly doesn’t think adults are capable of managing their own alcohol intake, one suspects he believes unlike him and his elite cronies.

He puritanically sees alcohol as "adult candy" and apparently believes that customers are being ‘seduced’ into buying alcohol, on offer, on their way around the supermarket.

One might be tempted to wonder if he has a relative that runs an off licence ;-)

He also believes the price of alcohol is “disgracefully low" and there should (magically?) be a "dramatic rise" in prices - one presumes he would wish to rectify this by means of yet more taxation.

He seems incapable of understanding, or maybe doesn’t know, that there is no such thing as a “disgracefully low” price, without interference from his ilk the market sets the price. One suspects he would prefer it if the state controlled and set the price of all goods and services.

I have news for him. He may get his wish, at least in the short term and for beer, due to market forces.

The director of food at the British Retail Consortium, Andrew Opie, reacted angrily to what they pointed out was a ridiculous suggestion.

He pointed out that no one buys alcohol accidentally and drew attention to something anyone who regularly shops in a supermarket will have probably noticed: “Supermarkets have the best record on preventing under age sales and are helping to drive a culture of sensible drinking."