The monks defend their brew

[image image_id=”2222″ align=”left”] You may recall that a couple of weeks ago Buckfast Tonic Wine was fingered as being a major cause of violence in Strathclyde, Scotland. I thought [link2post id=”294″]I had dealt with these hollow accusations quite well[/link2post], but it seems that the monks who brew this euphemistic wine are now standing up for themselves.

They make some very good points, some of which I covered. Buckfast accounts for just 0.5% of alcoholic drinks sold in Scotland (1% in Strathclyde), so it can hardly be the main catalyst for alcohol-fuelled violence. The monks statement also says:

What is clear is that there are serious, social problems in some parts of Scotland and that in some of these parts there are people who abuse alcoholic drinks, including Buckfast Tonic Wine.

Deplorable as these are, it is hard to see how one product with only a small percentage of the market can be held responsible for all the social ills of such an area.

This seems a rather rapid leap of logic. Has anyone considered that the misuse of this wine by some could be seen as a symptom rather than a cause of such problems?

Much as it pains me to agree with theists, I have to say, “Well said, the Buckfast monks”. They are completely right and the bogus Buckfast problem has been made up by the deranged neo-prohibitionists and their cronies in the media.

This doesn’t stop some jumped up fart of a Scottish Labour MEP, Catherine Stihler, from sticking her nose in where it is not wanted by saying that alcoholic drinks that contain caffeine, like Buckfast, should be banned. She said, “Many consumers are unaware of the damage they are doing to their bodies.” What a load of old twaddle. She is clearly part of the neo-pro fun-hating fringe that think anything entertaining is by definition bad and should be banned by the big state that looks after us because we cannot be trusted to look after ourselves.

People like Ms. Stihler really wind me up. They make me want to get blind drunk on Buckfast and threaten them with an empty bottle. Not that I would, of course, I have a very healthy relationship with alcohol that rarely involves getting blind drunk. Mind you, if it would irritate Ms. Stihler even slightly then it would be worth getting blind drunk and have a whale of a time doing so.

When it comes to Buckfast creating a serious problem in Scotland all that is left to be said is, “Move along, please, there is nothing to see here.” Well, I suppose you can look at Buckfast Abbey, which is quite baroque:

Buckfast Abbey