Grieving Parents Should Not Make Policy

Megan Craig-Wilkinson lost her life after drinking 1.5 litres of 7.5 per alcohol 'Frosty Jack's' cider at a party with friends.

Tragic

A bereaved mother [is] calling for an end to the scandal of 'pocket money' booze in an open letter to the Mirror.

And sympathy gone

Distraught mum Joanne Good found her dead just hours later - but has vowed her death will not be in vain.
She said: "This is for Megan. I feel she is with me, behind me, wanting me to push ahead with this."

And with those words, she can push for anything. Who would deny the wishes of a dead little girl?

Well me, for one.

Three litre plastic bottles of strong white cider sell for as little as £3.59 - yet contain the equivalent of 22 shots of vodka.

So? Just don't drink it all at once

"Our [Sic] children are able to get hold of the equivalent of 22 shots of vodka for pocket money prices.

How? How are they able to get hold of it? It's illegal for children to purchase alcohol. If someone is buying it for them, or some dishonest shopkeeper is selling it to them, it's not an issue of price, it's an issue of breaking already existing laws. How about we concentrate on enforcing those?

"This is a drink of choice for heavy drinkers and the homeless. Too many of our children have access to it. Raising the price would reduce alcohol-related death and illness.

Heavy drinkers and the homeless do not care about prices. If they can afford the current price, they will find a way to afford a higher price, or maybe switch to something a little more dangerous

It would boost the economy by reducing working life years lost due to alcohol and would leave 80 per cent of mainstream ciders unaffected."

Erm, the economy? You blithering idiot! Heavy drinkers and the homeless do not have any working life years to gain. As for everyone else, we're not cash cows with a duty to live as long as possible to maximise our benefit to the economy

It goes on: "A poll showed 66 per cent of people would support an increase in tax on white cider.

That doesn't make it right

An isolated tragedy involving one irresponsible action by a teenage girl, is no good reason for heavy handed Government intervention that affects other people but is unlikely to come even close to solving the problem at hand

Joanne, full-time mum to Aidan, 16, Amelia, 10, and nine-year-old Hannah, has been 'trolled' about her daughter's death on-line but said: "If I can help just one person, it will have been worth it."

'Trolled'. Newspeak for: 'People disagree with me'