'Nail in coffin of rural life' argument is nothing new
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IN 1994, when the then Fine Gael, Labour and Democratic Left rainbow coalition lowered the drink-driving limit, the Licensed Vintners' Association warned the measure was a "nail in the coffin of rural life".
Their counterparts, the Vintners' Federation of Ireland, said the lower limit would hit people who liked no more than a couple of pints, and just three weeks after the new limits came into force, publicans took to the streets threatening to withhold VAT payments.
And yet alcohol sales increased. In 1991, the average Irish person drank 10.9 litres of pure alcohol. In 1996, it rose to 12.1 litres and in 2001, it peaked at 14.3 litres.
Now, history is repeating itself, with plans to lower the limit to bring Ireland into line with our EU neighbours, and the move being portrayed as destroying the fabric of rural life. Not until 1963 was a drink-driving limit introduced, and trade magazine the 'Irish National Vintner' was not impressed.
It noted in February 1965 that "nothing could be more damaging to the interests of road safety" if the "real causes" of collisions were to be "overlooked by a carefully cloaked campaign against drink".
There was little fuss in 1978 when the limit was lowered to 100mgs per 100mls, but in 1993 there was uproar. Fine Gael's Austin Deasy warned if the limit was lowered to just 80mgs, social life for many living in remote areas would be "eliminated." His colleague Andrew Boylan said the regulations would "close rural Ireland".
- Paul Melia
Irish Independent
