At a 2001 meeting with Town Hall leaders he is reported to have attacked those who said the industry was some kind of pariah, damaging local communities as 'extremists'.

The truth, he said, is that the industry is the mainstay of our local communities and our national economy.

According to Cambridge academic Andrew McNeill, who has advised the government, his main thesis is that it is a benign product.

In June 2002 he said Sales .... exceed £30 Billion. Everybody in society has got an interest in the industry thriving because the revenue buys an awful lot of schools, hospitals, roads and policemen on the beat.

Later that year he warned If you are divided you could hand victory to the nanny-staters.

Who is he?

Andrew Cunningham

Head of Licensing at the Department of Culture

 

So a good word at last for cars?

 

Errrrmmmmmmmmmmmmmm, No:

That's alcohol licensing!

 

Oh, and where are these roads and policemen on the beat ??!?!?!

 

Quotes from Mail on Sunday 16.01.2005

 

Blair's 24-hour drinking plans spark backlash

14:06pm 12th January 2005 PM Tony Blair was today forced to defend his plans for round-the-clock drinking.............

Mr Blair told MPs in the Commons that the law would "come down really hard" on drinkers who abused the freedom of longer opening hours.

He told MPs it would be wrong to deny the majority of people the relaxed hours enjoyed elsewhere in Europe for the sake of violent binge-drinkers who were a "tiny minority"..............

"My view of this is very clear: we should have the same flexibility that other countries have and then we should come down really hard on those who abuse that freedom and don't show the responsibility.

Greater police powers

"The law-abiding majority who want the ability, after going to the cinema or theatre say, to have a drink at the time they want should not be inconvenienced, we shouldn't have to have restrictions that no other city in Europe has, just in order to do something for that tiny minority who abuse alcohol, who go out and fight and cause disturbances.

"To take away that ability for all the population - even the vast majority who are law abiding - is not, in my view, sensible."............

From:

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/pages/live/articles/news/news.html?in_article_id=333879&in_page_id=1770

 

So why do they believe that the opposite should be true if you substitute driver for drinker?

 

Because "everybody" does it.