Drinking less - part 1

Come January I'm feeling the guilt from over indulgence at Christmas. And so, like many others, I try to eat less rubbish and drink a little less. So it's no surprise at this time that some retailers are looking for ways to buck the trend and keep the sales coming in.

Cue plenty of liberal outrage at the fact that Wetherspoon's are planning on dropping the price of some of their drinks to 99p a pint.

Naturally, there's a free market aspect to this. Who the hell are any of us to tell Wetherspoons how to run their business? The Libertarian argument only applies, of course, until they're doing something that adversely impacts on society. You could claim that this is the case if they're dispatching lashed-up yobbos into our town centres at the end of a busy week.

But it's all pish. Price has relatively little impact on demand - but it does form part of the solution in a way that most people don't realise.

Wetherspoon's cheapest beers are normally local real ale. These are significantly cheaper than the fashionable european lagers they sell. If you pop in on a Saturday night you'll see the yobbos on the more espensive tipples rather than a nice pint of Storm.

Same applies to disruptive kids in the park who are under the sauce. We blame cheap supermarket prices, but they're usually drinking more expensive, fashionable drinks. Perversly, it's only tramps that have enough sense to work out the White Lightening and sainsburys own is the most economic route to unconciousness.

But price is relevant - and we'll never improve drinking attitude in the UK until we realise that. Hold that thought until tomorrow.