Christopher Snowdon

2 weeks ago | thecritic.co.uk | Christopher Snowdon

Hiking taxes on cigarette substitutes is public health madness A leaked report from the European Commission has revealed plans to tax the pants off e-cigarettes, nicotine pouches and other life-saving substitutes for cigarettes. It is in the process of reviewing its Tobacco Excise Directive which sets a minimum tax rate for cigarettes. It was last set in 2010 and its impact, which was never very significant, has been completely eroded by inflation.

2 weeks ago | insider.iea.org.uk | Christopher Snowdon

Many readers will be familiar with the concept of the Bootleggers and Baptists, in which self-interested businesses find common cause with moral busybodies in rigging the market against consumers. The classic example involves alcohol retailers joining forces with temperance activists to restrict licensing laws in neighbouring counties.

2 weeks ago | open.substack.com | Christopher Snowdon

Many readers will be familiar with the concept of the Bootleggers and Baptists, in which self-interested businesses find common cause with moral busybodies in rigging the market against consumers. The classic example involves alcohol retailers joining forces with temperance activists to restrict licensing laws in neighbouring counties.

2 weeks ago | velvetgloveironfist.blogspot.com | Christopher Snowdon

Ian Gilmore has been mouthing off in the letters section of the Financial Times. I have written about it for The Critic... Prof Ian Gilmore, who runs the neo-temperance pressure group the Alcohol Health Alliance, is cheesed off with the chief executive of the brewer Asahi for saying that while he is “absolutely not denying that there are risks” associated with drinking, there is also “lots of evidence” that moderate alcohol consumption can have health and wellbeing benefits.

3 weeks ago | thecritic.co.uk | Christopher Snowdon

Plus, what has moderate alcohol consumption done for us? A junior doctor has responded to Tim Worstall’s cheeky suggestion in these pages that she and her colleagues be described as “medical students” from now on. One of the many concessions the medical profession has wrung out of Wes Streeting since the election is to have junior doctors rebranded as “resident doctors”. The sensitive souls think it is demeaning to be called “junior” even when they are fresh out of university.