Those immoral supermarkets

Anyone reading this blog regularly will have worked out that I’m not a great fan of the present government. But scarcely a day goes by when the principal opposition party gives us another reason for not voting for them.

Take, for example, this nonsense from Iain Duncan Smith, someone who has long struck me as one of the biggest twerps in politics, and who gives the impression of having no understanding of or belief in liberty.

David Cameron should impose significant increases in taxes on beer, wine and spirits if elected prime minister, according to the man charged with leading Conservative social policy.

In an interview with The Times, Iain Duncan Smith accuses the supermarkets of “being as close to immoral as you can get” by selling alcohol so cheaply and of “creating alcoholics”.

The former Tory leader says that the political parties are “in the grip of cowardice” for failing to advocate a big jump in the cost of alcohol for fear of alienating the voters before the general election. He says the tax should be ring-fenced for spending on the treatment of alcohol-related illnesses.

“We are into unpopular territory, but to deal with something like alcohol that is damaging the fabric of the nation we need to raise prices. There is a direct connection between the price of alcohol and consumption.”

As Woolpack Dave has said, “it's like choosing what colour stick to be beaten by.”