As if we needed encouragement on a Friday night, here's one more reason for hitting the bar like a battering ram: the EU has come out against drinking.
[The report] says 23 million Europeans are alcoholics and that alcohol
causes 16% of child abuse and 2,000 murders every year. The report says that
extending the opening hours of bars and pubs leads to an increase in violence
and suggests a 10% rise in alcohol taxes for the EU15 could save 9,000 lives
annually, lead to a cure for cancer and make cars run on water.
Actually, I added a bit to that paragraph, but it's not out of keeping with the tone of the report. After all, it has been written by a group of self-confessed neo-prohibitionists. Of course, the EU coming out against hooch isn't that surprising - one of its spiritual fathers was a notorious teetotaller.
(A wave of the glass to Tim Worstall)
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