Alcohol:Portal

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Welcome to the Alcohol Portal

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Welcome to the SpinProfiles— Alcohol Portal, a guide to the activities of the alcohol industry and associated topics.

The alcohol portal aims to examine governance processes in the area of alcohol and public policy. The extent of a range of problems associated with alcohol within contemporary society demonstrates why governance and public policy is so important to public health in this area and to society more generally. The portal aims to make connections between the alcohol industry, public policy makers and their relationships with the media, scientists and current research and debates within the field. The fragmented nature of the framework of the multi-level governance structures that govern alcohol are also outlined in order to assess alcohol industry involvement within public health policy circles. The overriding aim of the alcohol portal is to highlight relationships between elected and non-elected actors within this field.

As a guide through the portal you can see all pages on Alcohol here. The portal focuses in large part on the most important policy actor which is the Alcohol Industry and its personnel, and in particular tries to uncover the links between the industry, Alcohol Lobby Groupsand Alcohol Lobbyists and PR people. We also focus on the Alcohol NGO's, often poorly funded and struggling to raise public health issues against the plethora of other Alcohol Policy Groups and indeed the often covertly industry funded Alcohol Front Groups. Lastly we also focus on the issue of the science of alcohol and examine the role that Alcohol Science and Scientists play in the policy process.

Spinprofiles has a policy of strict referencing and is overseen by an Managing editor and a Sysop and several Associate Portal editors. The Editor of the Alcohol Portal is Claire Harkins claire.harkins AT spinprofiles.org.
Priority pages on Alcohol
  • S&N This page needs updated to include the firm's 2008 take over John Dunsmore briefly ceo has moved to an Irish drinks giant sparking fears they may be subject to a hostile take over as well.
  • The Free Society A libertarian think tank with an increasing focus on alcohol which we need to include
  • Brian Monteith A detailed page on Monteith exists, it could do with information on Monteith's job as an alcohol lobbyist prior to his stint in politics and his new post as policy director of The Free Society
  • Simon Clark another member of The Free Society who feels increased alcohol legislation is more evidence of the nanny state. Along with Monteith Clark is using the issue of alcohol to advance his libertarian position.
  • Marketing Society Advertising firm founded and run by Hugh Burkitt
  • Scottish Retail Consortium and its head Fiona Moriarty are involved in alcohol policy groups
  • Department of Health
  • Alcohol Concern Prominent UK NGO which should be in the portal
  • Priority Companies

Below are some of the largest alcohol companies in the world and must be included in the portal. Just how big are these corporations? At least two of them are still owned by the founding families. Do all of these firms engage in high level lobbying? Would love to know!


See more...

Alcohol Facts and Figures

  • Alcohol causes nearly 1 in 10 of all ill-health and premature death in Europe [1]
  • Since 1980 there has been a 240% increase in alcohol-related deaths in Scotland [2]
  • People from the most deprived areas in Scotland are three times more likely to be admitted to hospital with alcohol related issues and seven times more likely to die from them than those from the most affluent areas [3]
  • According to Scottish Health Action on Alcohol Problems “Between 1980 and 2005 the price of alcohol increased by 22% more than prices generally. However because disposable income has increased by 97% in real terms (Between 1980 and 2005), alcohol was 62% more affordable in 2005 than in 1980” [4]
  • 45% of Scotland prison population claim to have been under the influence of alcohol at the time they committed their offence [5]
  • In 2006, UK alcohol drinks advertisers spent £194m advertising their products on television, radio, press, outdoor and cinema

[6]

Alcohol Policy Issues

  • The relationship between price and consumption
  • Industry involvement in public health, policy development and implementation
  • Industry involvement in science and research
  • Individual Vs population level controls
  • Contested definitions of "binge" drinking
  • The alcohol lobby
  • The alcohol industry and the revolving door
  • Alcohol industry and the media

Categories

There are a list of categories associated with this page:


Recent changes to pages on Alcohol on Spinprofiles


References and Resources

  1. ↑ Peter Anderson, Five Facts About Alcohol & Health EUROCARE accessed 12th November 2008
  2. ↑ Health Scotland (n.d.) Alcohol: Background & Policy Information, accessed 14th January 2008
  3. ↑ Health Scotland (n.d.) Alcohol: Background & Policy Information, accessed 14th January 2008
  4. ↑ SHAAP Alcohol, Price, Policy & Public Health (2007:11) accessed March 2008
  5. ↑ Scottish Government Changing Scotland's relationship with alcohol: a discussion paper accessed January 2008
  6. ↑ Ofcom, November 2007 Young People and Alcohol Advertising accessed January 2008

Getting Started

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Research and Writing Tips

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Spinprofiles can be made more effective if more people join the project. If you have research or writing skills or just spare time, you can help.

If you are unsure where to start, you could expand some of the recently created but currently very brief articles. (If you look at the recent changes page you will see some noted as being 'stubs' - articles that may just be a line or two and needing to be fleshed out). So if you would like to add to some of those you would be most welcome.

There is an automatically updated page which includes the pages which have been signalled by Spinprofiles users as most wanted. In addition there is a page which includes a list of Things you can do to help.

Or if you would like some other suggestions closer to your interests you could drop Spinprofiles editor, David Miller an email. His address is editor AT spinprofiles.org


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Spinprofiles history

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