Scotland must have thought they were so smart when announcing a raft of measures to cut down alcohol abuse and protect our poor children from the sins of the drink. Pretty disappointed then they must be that ASDA have given them a very simple and very obvious wake up call. At it's most immediate it just goes to show how pointless "tough talking" is when politicians attempt to engage in it, and shows that a lack of courage nationally to stand up to the free market where it is causing a problem will mean you don't get anywhere. Cynically it more tenuously shows that independence and devolution isn't the solution to all of the devolved counties problems.

Rob Chester, head of licensing at Asda, said: "There is nothing to stop companies looking at expanding their home shopping network or opening up depots just south of the border and delivering to homes in Scotland.

An obvious statement that makes it pretty clear that governance on the issue of alcohol is going nowhere, fast. Meanwhile governments, of course mainly the one in over all power, continue to make it harder and harder to operate more sociable and reputable business around this supposedly evil substance pushing more and more in to the hands of the cheaper supermarkets that they clearly don't have the intellect or the balls to properly address.

Fighting alcohol abuse without first of all dealing with the issue of cheap and far too readily available alcohol at supermarkets (by comparison to other licensed venues) is like fighting a heavy weight prize fighter with one arm tied behind your back. Why are politicians so readily lining up to get their arses kicked on this subject?