Progressive Bill to raise drinking age, toughen law in ballot

Today is expected to see the last Member’s Bill ballot for this year and Progressive MP Matt Robson's bill, which among other things proposes to raise the minimum alcohol purchasing age back to twenty years of age, will be there.

The Bill also proposes to strengthen provisions relating to the supply of liquor to minors and to strengthen liquor advertising law.

"As parents and citizens, I believe a majority of the Members of Parliament feel as dismayed as I am about the challenge posed by youth binge drinking and the effects of alcohol abuse among too many of our vulnerable young," Matt Robson said.

"The time for taking action to turn the tide against alcohol abuse. My Bill, if it is drawn from the ballot, will allow MPs from all parties to help turn the tide against our society's youth alcohol problems," the Progressive MP said.

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Gordon Campbell: On the Sony cyber attack

Given the layers of meta-irony involved, the saga of the Sony cyber attack seemed at the outset more like a snarky European art film than a popcorn entry at the multiplex.

Yet now with (a) President Barack Obama weighing in on the side of artistic freedom and calling for the US to make a ‘proportionate response’quickly followed by (b) North Korea’s entire Internet service going down, and with both these events being followed by (c) Sony deciding to backtrack and release The Interview film that had made it a target for the dastardly North Koreans in the first place, then ay caramba…the whole world will now be watching how this affair pans out. More>>