Letter: I lost my father to alcoholism - if we can take steps to reduce the spread of the disease in Northern Ireland, then we should

If public health officials and charities are saying that minimum unit pricing of alcohol can evidently reduce alcoholism in terms of deaths and hospital admissions then it’s very difficult for me to ignore that. Even if the reduction is minimal, I still believe it is worth trying. Ideologically, I generally prefer the government not to intervene in our lives but in evidenced cases like these where it is in the interests of public health and we have a socialised healthcare system, I believe the government has the right to intervene.

It has never been claimed that minimum unit pricing of alcohol can solve everything but it might be part of the answer to reducing alcoholism.

On a wider political point, we often hear talk of unionist unity. If the DUP cannot support the UUP on introducing minimum unit pricing of alcohol then where on earth do people get the confidence from that we could somehow have unionist unity?

This should be an easy political issue for the DUP given the medical evidence and some of their own elected representatives being in favour of it.

The DUP’s own support base I would have thought would want to see a reduction in alcohol consumption, so why this issue is causing the DUP difficulty I do not know.

I suggest putting ideology to the side and following the medical evidence to make a decision. If not that, please consider the personal impact alcoholism has on families. I lost my father to alcoholism. We must do everything we can to reduce alcoholism.

Michael Palmer, UUP member, Newtownards