Comment posted Was no Scottiish University capable of doing the mathematical model on the impact of minimum pricing of alcohol? by Robert Wakeham.
As in ‘What’s your poison’, Islay for ever?
Robert Wakeham also commented
- Update, courtesy of today’s Herald: There was indeed drink taken, her meal was ‘washed down with a bottle of Pinot Grigio’. Could explain the lack of photos or blog. The Herald goes on to describe her as ‘a former newspaper executive’ – so she could have brought her lunching habits with her to her new school, or it might just have been a run-of-the mill lunch for the pupils at this particular establishment.
- For the avoidance of doubt, in the interests of accuracy, and because it’s worth recording for posterity, it was actually the sixth time she’d skipped class; Ms McAlpine started with smoked venison with a Strathdon blue cheese dressing and red wine pear, followed by breast of Scottish chicken with grilled asparagus chorizo, olives and Parma ham. (apparently she didn’t photograph her meal and put it on her blog, and I think the BBC lost a comma). No mention of any drink partaken or pudding course consumed might support the fact that Ms McAlpine was preparing for Health and Wellbeing Question Time. An opposition MSP accused her of being a newspaper columnist, but that smacks of character assassination.
- ‘Falling asleep’ reminds me of that MSP who was brought to book in Holyrood today for three times failing to attend questions in parliament – most recently preferring a very nice lunch indeed that was described in loving detail by the BBC. I wouldn’t be surprised if she’d fallen asleep afterwards, and I think that her parliamentary days might be numbered.
- Unfortunately, sometimes the whole business of politics seems to bring out the rant in some people
Recent comments by Robert Wakeham
- Argyll Flyer spotted going into Ardmaleish yard on Bute this afternoon
Doesn’t the SPTE have a remit to co-ordinate public transport provision here? – maybe I’m imagining it, or maybe they’re just pretending, or maybe they’re only really interested in Strathclyde bus services and the Glasgow subway (on the basis that only a tiny proportion of voters use the Gourock ferries, and politics is all) - 31 hour shout Tobermory Lifeboat’s longest ever, ending in joint operation with Oban lifeboat
The Oban Times reported on 6th June on the MAIB report on a similar incident last July when a small container ship rammed the Isle of Bute, and apparently legal action is ongoing. - Refloated cargo ship MV Fri Ocean escorted to Lynn of Lorne – and on into Oban
Not being a mariner, I wonder why – in this day and age of almost universal use of radar (and GPS?) for navigation – ships don’t seem to be equipped with a proximity alarm, a bloody great klaxon fit to waken the dead, that is triggered if the boat closes with an identifiable hazard.
It would have to be capable of deactivation in harbour areas and, eg, places like the Corran Narrows – but would surely be invaluable, especially at night.
Maybe it would be seen as a dangerous threat to the need for proper watch keeping. - Auchindrain in crisis: facing paying off its two permanent staff
Considering how all the wind farm developers are so keen (and can clearly afford) to provide substantial funding to help local community ventures, this is surely a prime example of an exceptionally good local cause with national significance. - Baton of SAMS Deputy Director passes from Jones to Miller
With the range of expertise at SAMS would I be naive to hope that it should be possible for this country to resolve the controversies surrounding marine aquaculture – the environmental impacts of waste pollution, and of sea lice infestation and treatment?
powered by SEO Super Comments
I think there is a group at Sheffield who for years have been researching this area. They have expertise in the epidemiology, public health, mathematical modelling and economics (plus perhaps further sub-disciplines) necessary to do this work.
Likewise, we have lots of expert teams in our Universities that get used by organisations – public and private – in other parts of the UK and abroad. Think aquaculture at Stirling, political polling at Strathclyde (think how often John Curtice is used by media outlets UK-wide) … you get the idea.
If they went for the people with the right experience and expertise, I have no problem with that.
Like or Dislike:
0 
0
Also, no one can later accuse any Scottish University of any bias in the findings :>] Gail.
Like or Dislike:
0 
0
I think a number of Scottish universities were approached, but the students were all too pi–ed on cheap booze to understand the question.
Like or Dislike:
0 
0
Pathetic comment!
Like or Dislike:
0 
0
One too many alcopops for you today then?
Like or Dislike:
0 
0
Cheap comments about students at Scottish Universities from someone who goes by the title of School Defender is to say the least rather juvenile.
What’s an alcopop anyway ?????
Like or Dislike:
0 
0
Grow a sense of humour.
Like or Dislike:
0 
0
Imagine what the Scottish media and politicians would say if a national newspaper criticised the UK government for using a Scottish university to produce a report. Surely the best policy is to use the people with the most experience in a particular field.
Like or Dislike:
0 
0
Surely you go for the expertise wherever it is located!
Like or Dislike:
0 
0
Of course you do. It is just a surprise that no Scottish University had the required level of expertise in mathematical modelling.
Like or Dislike:
0 
0
I’m all for keeping it local but that’s a wee parochial, newsroom. The study needed to be robust and beyond reproach, so best for it to go to where the research is being done. Horses for courses.
Like or Dislike:
0 
0
The very essence of Universities is that they do research – pushing out the boundaries of human knowledge. That wouldn’t happen to the same extent if they all research the same things. So proper expertise is always going to be dispersed.
Like or Dislike:
0 
0
I think its a moot point anyway. The whole exercise is useless. The people they want to target with minimum pricing, will not stop drinking – they will just do without other things.
Everyday people who don’t abuse alchohol will be the ones that stop buying the odd bottle of wine etc now and the industry will be the true bearer of the costs.
Like or Dislike:
0 
0
http://moridura.blogspot.co.uk/2012/05/media-boozeand-hidden-hand-of-booze.html
A little sensible perspective?
Like or Dislike:
0 
0
Spare us the partisan blogs, Morag. This is about the Universities and specialist research.
Like or Dislike:
0 
0
I found the “partisan” blog from Morag to be interesting and a suitable counterblast to the approach to this proposed legislation of the Scotch Whisky Association and their friends in high places.Moderate drinkers have little to fear from this.
Trying to do something about the problems that Scottish society has with alcohol is surely preferable to doing what past administrations have done up till now.
Like or Dislike:
0 
0
For ‘Scotch Whisky Association’ you can effectivey read ‘Diageo’ – whose buying power in the lobby is unparallelled.
Like or Dislike:
0 
0
I think you’ll find the ‘partisan blog’ was a response to Crazy’s cynicism, Mairi. No need to be quite so touchy.(Crazy, I would add I defend your right to cynicism although I agree fully with Ken above.)
Like or Dislike:
0 
0
Thank you Alison. I am afraid having spent most of my life in proverty-striken and deprived areas ie the Land of Neds, I have cynicism deeply rooted in my bones.
However, in this case, I wasn’t really aiming to cynically dismiss the government’s attempt to curb the after-effects of drink – I was just stating the facts as I see them. Knowing lots of people who this whole exercise is aimed at and knowing it will not change a thing for them.
Except of course, some might decide to switch to drugs when they realise that drugs are cheaper than booze.
Like or Dislike:
0 
0
That the Scottish Government provided work for an English University is testimony to its intent that we should also be good neighbours.
Like or Dislike:
0 
0
That there is even a discussion on this subject , shows how far the poisonous nationalist agenda has percolated
Like or Dislike:
0 
0
As in ‘What’s your poison’, Islay for ever?
Like or Dislike:
0 
0
Bile, seemingly…. bad day at the polls, maybe.
Like or Dislike:
0 
0
LOL More of your liberty and wealth getting stolen by the Scottish Nazi Party,
how Kim Jung Fat salmond and his green shirt colleagues have embraced the EU version of Hitler’s plan from 1941 lets punish all the people for the sake of the few, Here is a novel idea lets lower the drinking age say (15) set up 15-18 year old educational pubs have responsible “adults” to monitor the consumption guess what maybe our children would learn to drink sensibly, rather than sitting outside with a group of their peers drinking till the stuff is finished
Like or Dislike:
0 
0
How offensive can one get.?
If Keith McMillan believes he is a “sensible adult” then if you don’t mind I will seek out someone who does not call their fellow human beings by such gutter words. Should be ashamed.
Like or Dislike:
0 
0
Hamish100
You get the award for being the most sensitive poster LOL now what gutter words have I used? Damn Argyll has got so PC? Maybe we should pass a law banning words that people don’t like (demolition man comes to mind “John Sparta you have been fined 100 credits for using inappropriate language”)
In the UK as a whole we have 68,835 statute laws not including the UN, EU or HSE enforced statute laws look at the way your police are dressed (safety for them or intimidation) is that a free democratic society?
Our government is created and operated as a for profit corporations (look it up on D&B business solutions) our police force, courts, NHS, DVLA and any government agency is set up as a profit making company (here is a link D+B http://www.dnb.com/) try looking up Oban court house or Strathclyde police.
Hamish we have all been stitched up sold on the ticket of “this is for the safety of our country” yet your money and wealth has been stripped and sent abroad for the banker’s enjoyment.
The Scottish people will let the SNP introduce this law and the price of drink will go up, but guess what the people that drink will continue to drink, it won’t stop underage drinking, it won’t stop binge drinking, but you will be happy because you have a new law
Why not just make the drunks pay for their hospital treatment, or the police time dealing with their bad behaviour, What a silly idea of trying to make people responsible for their actions
Like or Dislike:
0 
0
Bad day somewhere , that’s for sure!
“Scottish Nazi Party”, “Green shirts”, “EU versions”, “Hitler’s plan from 1941″.
Where is this fantacist coming from?
Like or Dislike:
0 
0
Unfortunately, sometimes the whole business of politics seems to bring out the rant in some people
Like or Dislike:
0 
0
Robert; sometimes in politics the people fall asleep and listen to the polimagician crap and guess what when the truth comes out they don’t want to hear it
Like or Dislike:
0 
0
‘Falling asleep’ reminds me of that MSP who was brought to book in Holyrood today for three times failing to attend questions in parliament – most recently preferring a very nice lunch indeed that was described in loving detail by the BBC. I wouldn’t be surprised if she’d fallen asleep afterwards, and I think that her parliamentary days might be numbered.
Like or Dislike:
0 
0
Joan McAlpine’s parliamentary days should be numbered for this latest (and sixth such absence) of a series of varied errors that point to high degree of juvenile irresponsibility and lack of judgment. But she is the First Minister’s aide, is said to have been lunching with him today, so, although this calls Mr Salmond’s judgment into question as well, the betting on her survival has to be off.
Like or Dislike:
0 
0
For the avoidance of doubt, in the interests of accuracy, and because it’s worth recording for posterity, it was actually the sixth time she’d skipped class; Ms McAlpine started with smoked venison with a Strathdon blue cheese dressing and red wine pear, followed by breast of Scottish chicken with grilled asparagus chorizo, olives and Parma ham. (apparently she didn’t photograph her meal and put it on her blog, and I think the BBC lost a comma). No mention of any drink partaken or pudding course consumed might support the fact that Ms McAlpine was preparing for Health and Wellbeing Question Time. An opposition MSP accused her of being a newspaper columnist, but that smacks of character assassination.
Like or Dislike:
0 
0
Update, courtesy of today’s Herald: There was indeed drink taken, her meal was ‘washed down with a bottle of Pinot Grigio’. Could explain the lack of photos or blog. The Herald goes on to describe her as ‘a former newspaper executive’ – so she could have brought her lunching habits with her to her new school, or it might just have been a run-of-the mill lunch for the pupils at this particular establishment.
Like or Dislike:
0 
0
Bad day somewhere , that’s for sure! (a great day actually)
“Scottish Nazi Party”,(look at the laws these people have put in place) “Green shirts”,( have a look into the treaty of Rio and SNP plan for a one size fits all police force) “EU versions Hitler’s plan from 1941″ (try stop watching east enders for one night and have a look into the history of the EU)
Where is this fantacist coming from? (Everything you have quoted is correct mate well documented just a case of you researching it.)
But here Ken if I have it all wrong tell me about Alex Salmond SNP and the cover up of the “Abuse of Hollie Gregg” you know the case that when the mother found out the truth and exposed it she was sent to a mental hospital or the lawyer representing her getting his office and home raided “case papers and some other evidence being taken” tell me when was the last time you heard of someone being locked up for a year on a breach of the peace
Fantasist yeah that’s me mate so guess that must make you one of the sleeping sheep
Like or Dislike:
0 
0
Looks like I got it wrong. I misspelt fantasist!
Like or Dislike:
0 
0
Damn Ken don’t tell me there is spelling police on this board LOL
Like or Dislike:
0 
0
I think when someone is this angry it’s best just to step back.
Like or Dislike:
0 
0
I think forargyll.com could do with a Loving Mallet of Correction.
Like or Dislike:
0 
0