Nigel Latta TV Series

[drelly]

Give the penchant for social commentary on here, I think this series deserves it's own thread.

What do you think about it? There certainly seems to be a lot of emphasis on the damage that alcohol is causing society!

[Davo36]

Drelly for a long time alcohol has been the number one cause of crime and most other social ills.

Other substances all combined are nowhere near as bad.

But we don't hear anyone (apart from Nigel) saying we should drink less etc.

[drelly]

But we don't hear anyone (apart from Nigel) saying we should drink less etc.

I think it's because alcohol is so ingrained in our society that it is hard for many to accept that it could be a national issue. I know a few years ago when I tried to explain to my group of (boozer) friends that perhaps there were better things we could have done with our time, I got looked at like I had not only lost my marbles but betrayed them all at the same time.

[speights boy]

Liquor lobbyists press Collins

Justice Minister Judith Collins met liquor industry lobbyists repeatedly in the weeks before the Government's controversial U-turn on measures to restrict sales of alcopops, official papers reveal.

The documents, released under the Official Information Act, reveal the extent of the pressure exerted by the industry, including a joint letter to Prime Minister John Key warning him his Government was about to "make a very serious and highly public mistake".

www.stuff.co.nz/national/politics/7994823/Liquor-lobbyists-press-Collins

[speights boy]

Drink-drive limit likely to be lowered

The legal limit for drinking and driving is likely to be lowered, even if the Government opposes the change.

The Ministry of Transport says the total social cost of crashes involving alcohol was about $660 million last year.

However, the Government is warning there may be extra costs to the taxpayer if the limits are lowered, as more people would end up in the court system.

"We have around 32,000 people convicted in our courts each year on on drink driving under the .08 limit," said Justice Minister Judith Collins.
"If we went to a .05 limit I would expect that level would go to around 70,000."

http://tvnz.co.nz/national-news/drink-drive-limit-likely-lowered-5594867

[Maccachic]

Have they provided evidence that many crashes are caused by people under the limit and that alcohol was the factor in these causes? Why not just ram down the pressure on those actually drink driving that cause the issues instead of this (like crushing the vehicle they are driving, regardless of who owns it):

A judge sentenced a prolific lawbreaker to 21 months' jail after he clocked up his 14th conviction for drink-driving and 13th conviction for driving while disqualified.

It was the 31st time he had been caught driving while disqualified and this is the 12th time he has been jailed. http://www.3news.co.nz/Drunk-driver-...#ixzz3AtbUGpFG

49, a shearer, was before Judge Peter Whitehead on his ninth conviction of driving while disqualified.

45, appeared in the Dargaville District Court for sentencing on a charge of driving with excess breath-alcohol for a third or subsequent time - his ninth drink-driving conviction.

[speights boy]

Have they provided evidence that many crashes are caused by people under the limit and that alcohol was the factor in these causes?

I agree with the new .05 limit.
Do you ?

[Maccachic]

Unsure as I don't know what it means in the scheme of things. If its not going to make any difference to crashes and going to punish those having a glass of wine or beer after work then i'm not for it.

[Davo36]

I don't actually agree with the lower limit.

The problem is not with someone going slightly over the existing limit on occasion.

The problem is when you're like 3 times the limit. And then you get slapped with a wet bus ticket.

[speights boy]

I certainly agree with harsher penalties for recidivist and high reading offenders.

But, I support the .05 because I believe enough drivers at higher levels have difficulty in making the rational "do I, or don't I" decision whether they are safe to drive or not.

The bravado "I'll be right" effect of higher alcohol levels.

[Glizzle]

Who cares its all a money grabber, when do you see booze bus check points in Otara, Mangere or Manurewa ? yet the North Shore, East Auckland have one every friday/ sat. They target who can pay the bills to enforce the law, it relates nothing too incidents or death surrounding cars and alcohol and who are the worst offenders.

[Keys]

I believe, for any traffic infringement, all licence holders in the vehicle get the fine and the demerit points.

Let peer pressure work for road safety.

[flyernzl]

It comes down to personal responsibilty, which is a rare thing these days.
Cannot be imposed through legislation, fines or threats.

If I'm flying tomorrow, then my own self-imposed rule is no alcohol within 12 hours prior.
Sometimes that means no wine with dinner, but that's the way I deal with it.

I have watched the Latta programs. The first one - on poverty - tended to blame Landlords somewhat, but the following episodes have not.

[Damap]

No one seems to ask the real question which is is why do people drink too much.
As a third generation alcoholic I have seen people use alcohol to deal with pain. When they deal with their pain the need to drink (too much) stops.
So controlling peoples drinking will do nothing to fix the problem of people using grog, ( and drugs), to ease their pain.
It's an extreme example but a relevant one in some Arabic states where theft is punishable by amputation. You would think the consequences would stop all theft but it doesn't. Same with drinking to excess.

[Maccachic]

Unfortunately its also part of our culture - turn 18 go out with mates and get plastered - go to places in Europe where kids drink with parents before 18 and its no where near as bad, low alcohol alternatives may help? Unsure how you would go about changing this?

Maybe stopping drunk people being allowed in bars may work as opposed to stopping serving them - which obviously doesn't?