Prime Minister Helen Clark is calling for tighter controls on the distribution of alcohol, and we shouldn’t be surprised if there is an amendment to the sale of liquor act passed through the house quicker than you can say ‘moral panic.’ Brendon Burns, Labour’s candidate for Christchurch Central has been pushing this issue too, for longer than its been in the media. In a post to the Canterbury Public Issues forum last month, he spoke of his desire to change the law to restrict the availability of alcohol, in particular the sale of spirits at supermarkets

“Countdown on Moorhouse Ave is leading the charge here, seeking to establish a full liquor store alongside its supermarket. I made a submission to the Liquor Licensing Authority against this application. This can only ultimately end with vodka and cornflakes together in the same store.”

what a tragedy that would be!

While alcohol abuse, along with crime and other issues associated with it, is a big problem in New Zealand, Burns fails to address the root causes of the problem (despite saying he is doing exactly that). Commenting on a New Zealand Herald article about the availability of liquor in Auckland’s working class suburb of Manukau, independent journalist Martin Hurst has pointed out that licensed premises are much more common in the more affluent suburb of North Shore, noting; “The problem is not the alcohol, but the [social] deprivation. Drinking to excess is a symptom, not the cause of the issues.”
Its not a difficult concept to grasp, unless it seems, you’re a Labour party candidate. Could this be because after nearly a decade in government Labour has done little to alleviate social inequality? not even reversing the previous governments welfare cuts? Its certainly a possibility, as for me though, I’m voting for six o’clock closing.