Pensioners bring experience to bear

THE president of the Vintners Federation of Ireland, Paul Stevenson, referring to the appointment of Gay Byrne as chair of the Road Safety Association, asked: “Who in their right mind would appoint someone over pension age?”

On that basis, I wonder if he would suggest that the Chief Justice, John Murray, be sacked or that Justice Catherine McGuinness, who was born in 1934, is too old to think about subtle legal issues.

Mr Stevenson also suggested public transport be provided for those who drank over the driving limit.

Brilliant! That would be one way to keep the drink flowing and the drinks industry and vintners happy.

But here is another suggestion. Even though I am of pension age, Gay Byrne might listen to it: In Massachusetts, where I was a publican, there is a law referred to as the ‘dramshop law’. Simply put, the law declares that the shop owner (the publican) who sells drink to a customer who becomes intoxicated and subsequently causes harm is financially responsible for the damages.

It sounds harsh but it works like a charm and it virtually eliminates public binge drinking.

No bar owner will sell liquor to an intoxicated person. Publican insurance against this is astronomical, so most publicans do not carry it. They send their bar-servers to classes to learn how to identify and deal with intoxicated people.

The law would certainly work in Ireland, although our love of binge drinking, and the VFI, would probably hardly favour it.

Orin Flint

Mill Cove

Rosscarbery

Co Cork.