Breaking the grip of our booze cultureBy Philip Johnston, Home Affairs Editor
''We want to make clear that it is no longer acceptable for someone to go out, get legless and vomit over people,'' Lady Scotland, the Home Office minister, said yesterday. It is difficult to imagine a time when such behaviour was ever acceptable; but we knew what she meant.
Lady Scotland was launching the latest stage of the Government's ''alcohol strategy'' aimed at making us drink less or, at least, more responsibly. Ministers have set themselves a pretty ambitious target which is radically to alter the ''booze culture'' that appears to have a greater grip on Britain than any other country.
Sceptics would suggest this approach sits oddly with the more flexible pub opening hours introduced 18 months ago but the Government claims this is part of the strategy.
As well as targeting the usual suspects - youngsters under 18 getting hold of alcohol and binge drinkers aged 18-24 - the Government also has older people in its sights. Caroline Flint, the public health minister, denied this was ''a crackdown on middle-class wine drinkers'' but bottles of fine claret will by next year be carrying health warnings.
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