Now the wowsers are attacking

Now the wowsers are attacking ‘shouting’, at least in NSW. Shouting a mate who’s had a few too many may soon prove costly. The state’s liquor watchdog has proposed a fine for drinkers doing what many Australians would consider is their moral duty – buying a round. The fine could be as much as $5500. In this article in the Sydney Morning Herald the Nanny State strikes against society. The proposal arises from a submission to the alcohol summit by the Liquor Administration Board, calling on the Government to consider making it an offence to buy alcohol on an intoxicated person’s behalf. How are they going to police this piece of loony thinking? There is enough arguements in pubs now over who’s shout it is, let alone when admission could incur a fine of $5,500. I can just see those we all know, with long pockets and short arms, using this as an excuse not to shout. It also fails to take into account that shouting presumes all drinkers in the shout have had an equal amount of drinks so who’s going to be sober enough to make the call. This is not to say that we don’t have alcohol related problems, we do. But might I suggest that the answer lies more with education than baseball-bat type Nanny State laws. Still, once the wowsers start talking you know it will gather speed. I think it’s time to start dusting off the bar at home. No, they wouldn’t, would they…..I mean come around home and book me for having that last beer I didn’t really need?