Opponents accuse �arrogant� SNP of ignoring public opinion on under-21 ban
By John Bynorth, Home Affairs Editor

THE Scottish government yesterday suffered a blow to its plan to raise the age limit to 21 for alcohol sales in shops and off-licences after 10,000 people signed a petition opposing it.

The Coalition Against Raising the Drinking Age in Scotland - whose members include the National Union of Students Scotland and the Scottish Youth Parliament - will hand the petition to Holyrood's public petitions committee, which is considering the initiative aimed at ending Scotland's drinking culture.

Co-ordinator Tom French said: "We have shown the Scottish government, beyond doubt, that the evidence from abroad and at home is clear - raising the minimum purchase age for alcohol is a bad policy that will not help solve Scotland's alcohol problem, and could increase alcohol misuse as it has done in the United States.

"It is a policy that demonises young people and infringes on the rights of the responsible majority of young adults who would be trusted to go to war, get married, and even run a pub at 18, but could not have a glass of wine over dinner with friends or family."

He accused the government of "steaming on ahead" with the plan, which he said was deeply unpopular with the public, every other political party and some SNP MSPs.

French added: "By relentlessly pursuing this policy in this pig-headed manner, the SNP administration risk appearing arrogant, out-of-touch, and in the business of following the politics of spin - where grabbing the headlines is more important than doing the right thing."

The government said its proposals for a national under-21s sales ban in off-licences to cut alcohol-fuelled crime and health problems were supported by medics. Alcohol abuse is estimated to cost the country £2.25 billion every year.

This week marks the end of the government consultation following trials of a "stop the supply" scheme banning the sale of alcohol to under-21s.

A Scottish government spokeswoman said alcohol abuse is "affecting our health service, our criminal justice system and our economy, and we need to take action now to rebalance our relationship with alcohol.

"The job of government is to listen carefully to a breadth of views and all the interests at stake - and take decisions which promote the wider, national interest."

She added that there was clear evidence that the pilots backed by local off-licence owners had seen a "significant decline in anti-social behaviour".