For a round-up of today’s latest news watch the Edinburgh Napier News bulletin. Stories covered today include: the earthquake in Japan; house prices in Edinburgh; vandals damage the city’s war memorial and the Scottish drinks industry fights back at tobacco comparisons.
“Eureka! Wee’ve got it!” Street urinals are the answer
November 24, 2010 By Leave a Comment
By Claudie Qumsieh In London at weekends dark figures connected to the sewers rise out of the pavements: urinals. Edinburgh has unveiled plans for similar, if not as cinematic, urinals to address the problem of drunkards using the streets as make-shift toilets. The proposal was outlined in a report into how the night-time economy of [...]
Alcohol Bill fails to raise spirits
November 12, 2010 By Leave a Comment
By Euan Black Edinburgh’s local business owners and residents gave the Scottish Government’s Alcohol Bill a lukewarm reception today. The bill will outlaw volume discounting – offers such as two crates of beer for £14 – and make a ‘Challenge 25′ ID policy compulsory, and has paved the way for a possible Social Responsibility Fee [...]
National news in brief
November 12, 2010 By Leave a Comment
Expenses MPs to be tried Three ex-Labour MPs involved in the expenses scandal, including Jim Devine of Livingston, have lost their final legal challenge to facing criminal trials. They had claimed they should not be tried as they were protected by Parliamentary privilege. Nigel Pleming QC, who represented Jim Devine, said had told the Supreme [...]
Alcohol Bill set to be passed in Scotland
November 10, 2010 By Leave a Comment
by Leighton Craig MSP’s are expected to pass Stage 3 of the Alcohol (Scotland) Bill today which will introduce key measures to address the issue of alcohol consumption in Scotland. The Bill will prevent retailers from having drinks promotions and raise the age verification policy from 21 to 25. However, key element’s missing from the [...]
Edinburgh pubs branded ‘irresponsible’ for alcohol promotions.
November 5, 2010 By Leave a Comment
By James Davies A number of pubs across Edinburgh have been investigated by Lothian and Borders Police for encouraging ‘irresponsible’ drinking through cheap promotions and discount cards. The City’s Licensing Standards Officers are currently investigating around 65 premises in connection with breaching the Licensing Scotland Act (2005) by offering price discounts and alcohol promotions to specific [...]
New report suggestions alcohol more deadly than heroin
November 1, 2010 By Leave a Comment
An Independent Scientific Committee on Drugs report, co-authored by the former drugs adviser David Nutt, has been published today via the leading medical journal The Lancet. The reports aim to supply a more realistic classification list and was made by grading 20 drug types, both legal and illegal, out of 100 points according to the [...]
Charity Accused of Being ‘Eugenical’
October 25, 2010 By Leave a Comment
By Ryan C. Gavan The current campaign by U.S. charity Project Prevention to persuade drug and alcohol addicts to be sterilised in return for a payment of £200 has been condemned by addiction support groups. David Liddel, Director of the Scottish Drug Forum, believes “the tactics and underlying agenda of this organisation smack of the discredited [...]
Veni, vidi, whisky
October 20, 2010 By Leave a Comment
by Sandra Juncu A Scot, an Asian, a Native – American and an Eskimo walk into a bar, they drink the same amount of alcohol. Who will get more drunk? What sounds like a funny riddle is actually an important question that US scientists answered this Tuesday: it’s in the genes. University of North Carolina [...]
‘Scottish Government Fails to Convince in Raising Drinking Age’
October 6, 2010 By Leave a Comment
By Ryan C. Gavan The Scottish Government’s measures to give licensing boards the ability to raise the age of buying alcohol to combat Scotland’s binge drinking epidemic has failed. After a dramatic deliberation in a meeting of the Health and Sport committee at Holyrood, the plan has been voted down 3-5 against in the most recent review of the [...]
Pubs Get Rid of the Glass, a Senior Violence Researcher Pleads
September 24, 2010 By Leave a Comment
Has the time come to ban the bottle? Alcohol related attacks involving glass in the UK are currently costing taxpayers £100m a year in reactionary services. A senior violence researcher is now urging the abolition of glass in pubs and clubs, however, the idea may not be very popular with licensees. Dr. Alasdair Forsyth, of Glasgow [...]
Labour rejects minimum alcohol bill
November 27, 2009 By Leave a Comment
By Joanna Park & Natalie Deacon A Labour MSP has condemned the SNP minimum alcohol pricing bill as ‘unworkable.’ Labour MSP John Park said: “The proposal brought to us by the SNP was unworkable and unfortunately while labour did suggest the idea of a commission, this was rejected by the SNP, so unfortunately we are [...]
Parents Drinking Causes Harmful Consequences on Scotland’s Children
November 19, 2009 By Leave a Comment
Bottle www.12steptreatmentcentres.com By Jennifer Flett ChildLine issued a new worrying report this week stating that in the last year 230 children in Scotland have called the charity help line about their parents’ drinking, with 87% claiming physical abuse as a consequence. These figures demonstrate a different aspect of Scotland’s ongoing problems with alcohol, as they [...]
British Winemakers Bask in Climate Change Sunshine
November 10, 2009 By 2 Comments
By J.C Dick Two people wander gaily through a vineyard in the balmy autumnal sunshine, buckets in hand picking pinot noir grapes. However this is not Burgundy, or Champagne, this is Dorking, home to Denbies Wine Estate and the largest vineyard in England with 265 acres of land under vines. Denbies are in the process [...]
Tories Try to Block Cheap Booze Ban
November 5, 2009 By Leave a Comment
by Una Purdie A heated debate is expected in the Scottish Parliament today as the Conservatives try to vote down plans for a minimum price on alcohol. Setting a minimum price per unit is a key plank of the Scottish Government’s alcohol strategy. The move would end high strength, cut-price booze such as supermarket own [...]
Supermarket cheap
October 30, 2009 By Leave a Comment
By Carolyn Mearns and Kenny Simpson. Supermarkets are flaunting strict new alcohol guidelines with the sale of cheap booze, according to health experts. Debra Evans, a Bristol NHS chief executive has warned that despite price increases in alcoholic drinks, supermarkets are still providing cheap and accessable alcohol. Yet stores across the country are promoting the sale of low [...]
Local residents suffer from Grassmarket revamp
October 21, 2009 By Leave a Comment
By Ross Doyle The Grassmarket area of Edinburgh is now facing problems with the lead up to the festive period, as the British drinking culture continues to disturb local residents. The area as benefited from a £5 million rejuvenation to promote the area and attract more visitors, with the introduction of outdoor seating and more [...]
Alcohol responsible for two thirds of ambulance call outs
October 7, 2009 By Leave a Comment
by Anna Fenton A BBC Scotland investigation this week reveals that alcohol plays a major part in 68% of all Scottish Ambulance Service call outs at weekends. Alcohol awareness week runs from 4th – 10th October and aims to raise awareness of the dangers of alcohol abuse and encourage responsible drinking across Scotland. Chris Sorek, [...]
Ambulance Service are overwhelmed by Alcohol Call-Outs.
October 5, 2009 By Leave a Comment
Latest figures from the ambulance service reveal that 68% of all weekend calls which require paramedic assistance are caused by alcohol abuse. The incidents can range from anti-social behaviour, people injuring themselves from being intoxicated with alcohol and ending up so drunk that they are in need of hospitalisation. This is beginning to delay the service from [...]
Minimum Prices for Alcohol to be set
March 16, 2009 By Leave a Comment
Pressure is increasing on the government to set minimum prices for alcohol in England, following the publication of Chief Medical Officer, Sir Liam Donaldson’s annual report. This follows similar proposals made by the Scottish Government earlier this month. According to Sir Liam: “Cheap alcohol is killing us like never before”. He hopes that setting a [...]
