Labour bottles it on booze ban

John Reid pointed out today that it had taken the "supposedly middle-of-the-road" New Labour government to implement three of Keir Hardie's first four pledges: Scottish devolution, the minimum wage, and the abolition of inherited privilege through reform of the House of Lords. The fourth? "A pledge to abolish the production and sale of alcohol". The Scottish Labour party has been tasked with drawing up a consultation paper, he claimed. Don't expect a bill any time soon.