Now Look What You've Done, Dave

Rather than sit in an ivory tower like Cameron and his few supporters on minimum pricing, The Times went out and asked 'binge-drinking kids' about the policy.

Sadly hidden behind the paywall, it's worth quoting a few passages.

None of the group [of 16 to 19 year olds] seems remotely bothered about threats to make alcohol more expensive. They will simply take more drugs. “I can get a gram of ketamine for £10,” says Bella, who gets a £20 weekly allowance from her mum. “Adults don’t know how many drugs people our age take,” she adds, breezily. “It’s only a tiny bit more for drugs [than alcohol].” If cheap vodka becomes unaffordable, she knows she’ll still be able to spend her money on mephedrone or MDMA.

Mephedrone, or miaow-miaow, costs £15-£20, adds her friend.

[...]

Their attitude was shared by most of the teenagers who spoke toThe Times yesterday. Not one believed that higher pricing of alcohol would stop them getting drunk, and more than a few suggested they would probably take more drugs.

[...]

Would it make any difference to them, if the Government set a minimum price of 40p per unit? “All my friends take drugs [as well], so if the price goes up people are gonna start dropping [Ecstasy] pills more. You can get four pills for a tenner.”

Now, I might be wrong, but I don't reckon the idea of kids being pushed towards drugs, thanks to a Cameron pet policy, is going to go down very well in the true blue shires.

You're a bit of a berk, aren't you Dave?

H/T Educator Caz