Mediolana

Alcohol Policy in Turkey: The Limitations of Existing Paradigms and the Imperative of Informationalism

wmistudymovie — Sat, 25 May 2013 14:55:58 +0000

Having amassed and pored through a fair bit of research on this very subject in the last few months, it was with some interest that we at Mediolana have been following recent legislative developments in Turkey on the issue of alcohol policy. Following the example of countries such as Sweden, Turkey is looking to regulate various aspects pertaining to the alcohol industry, and a bill was passed by the Turkish parliament earlier this week to this effect. The proposed law – it still has to be ratified by the Turkish President, Abdullah Gül, before it becomes official – contains a mixture of provisions; some of them are world-class, others anything but. However, the abject quality of both the debate surrounding the draft bill and the initial versions of the law evince nothing more than the limitations of at least three longstanding paradigms – with implications that reach far beyond the shores of the Turkish Republic:

1. Existing Policy. On one of his rare holidays, in the summer of 2012 our CSO and Creative Director came across a can of Efes Pilsen on a Cypriot beach. It had all the health information of a bottle of mineral water; unlike containers of alcohol even in a largely-unregulated country such as the UK, there were no warnings about the suitability of the drink for groups such as pregnant women, no unit information, and no medical officer’s warning. Given that at present rates of c.2.25-2.5m global deaths per annum, alcohol will kill up to 250,000,000 this century (World Health Organisation, 2011), and that ethanol is a class 1 carcinogen or cancer-producer, this is exactly the kind of situation that the new legislation should be aiming to remedy.

2. Authoritarian Solutions. Most of the provisions in the final version of the bill voted on by the Turkish parliament are well within the norms of best-practice international legislative standards. But the initial drafts posited by the governing Justice and Development Party (‘AKP’) were riddled with overbearing and unrealistic demands, such as the obfuscation of the consumption of alcohol in open-air eateries. Most disappointingly, the emphasis was on negative restrictions rather than the positive provision of information. Even in model jurisdictions, the ignorance and lack of imagination of alcohol regulators (let alone the general population) on the effects of alcohol consumption is arguably the core problem in this context. The knowledge that even moderate alcohol consumption engenders conditions as diverse as breast cancer and reduced orgasmic capacity and intensity is a much more powerful deterrent to drinking alcohol than whether a bar is placed 99 or 101 metres from an educational establishment.

3. Cultural Wars. Turkey’s main opposition party – the Republican People’s Party (‘CHP’) – yet again demonstrated the limitations of an approach based almost entirely on adversarial politics, in this case via ‘exposing’ another political party’s ‘secret agenda’. Whilst happy to water down the AKP’s proposals, they proffered no model of their own, let alone a recognition that individual and corporate liberties at some point do intersect and conflict with the public interest. Their lack of knowledge as to just how seriously many Western jurisdictions treat this issue ended up undermining their credibility. As our CSO recalls from his early career as a football journalist, not even the hosting of the 1998 FIFA World Cup made France change their strict laws regarding alcohol and sports sponsorship: official FIFA sponsor Budweiser was barred from the tournament, their advertising space instead being allocated to Tokyo-headquartered electronics company Casio.

Choices, Choices: Europe’s Messi Chooses His International Future!

wmistudymovie — Thu, 23 May 2013 10:27:19 +0000

Alen Halilović accepts #Croatia call-up for #2014FIFAWorldCup tie against #Scotland; father Sejad played international football for #Bosnia—
Asad Yawar (@Mediolana) May 25, 2013

#Bosnian influence on #HR squad historically massive, including current captain #Srna; #Croatia squad mixes East, West + #Latino influences—
Asad Yawar (@Mediolana) May 25, 2013

#Halilović second-youngest debutant in #UEFA Champions League; superb dribbling, intelligence; siblings 'even better' tinyurl.com/qflq6v3—
Asad Yawar (@Mediolana) May 25, 2013

Smash and Fab: Cracked Mobile Telephone Screens ‘Ultimate Fashion Statement’!

wmistudymovie — Tue, 21 May 2013 23:53:50 +0000

Age of technological abundance 'official' as broken mobile telephone screens 'all the rage' across the United States; adjudged 'ice-breaker'—
Asad Yawar (@Mediolana) May 24, 2013

#Cracked screen wallpaper, screensavers now common; shattered #iPads 'certain to be the next big thing' #technopolis tinyurl.com/ocuf2xd—
Asad Yawar (@Mediolana) May 24, 2013

Ask Milk! Danone ‘Fomenting Chinese Dairy Revolution’!

wmistudymovie — Mon, 20 May 2013 23:48:45 +0000

#Danone announces €325m venture in #China worth 21.0% of the Chinese #dairy market; annual sales revenues should reach €500m, future 'big'—
Asad Yawar (@Mediolana) May 21, 2013

#Danone could profit from dire food adulteration record in the #PRC, especially dairy; trust perception 'imperative' tinyurl.com/njwsm3y—
Asad Yawar (@Mediolana) May 21, 2013

Pretty Vacant: UK Shopping Centres ‘Face Biblical Exodus’!

wmistudymovie — Sun, 19 May 2013 20:17:48 +0000

UK town centre vacancy rates reach 11.9% in April 2013, meaning nearly 1/8 of 'mainstream' commercial premises empty; recession 'corrosive'—
Asad Yawar (@Mediolana) May 21, 2013

IRL retail 'facing existential crisis' in atomised UK; race to the bottom 'now well underway for the majority' tinyurl.com/on74hvm #Shops—
Asad Yawar (@Mediolana) May 21, 2013

Can Florrie Rescue Pop Culture from The End of History? Article Now Posted at Mediolana.com!

wmistudymovie — Sat, 18 May 2013 12:44:42 +0000

Regular readers of this blog should surf to mediolana.com’s creative section where the above article on one of Europe’s most sensational musical prospects awaits!

The Russians Are Coming (to Football Stadiums in Ukraine): New Superleague ‘Will Circumvent UEFA Financial Fairplay’!

wmistudymovie — Fri, 17 May 2013 22:45:30 +0000

Russian clubs express enthusiasm for joint Russia-Ukraine premier league offering a cool €92m prize for the league winner; details 'sketchy'—
Asad Yawar (@Mediolana) May 18, 2013

Main attraction of new competition is commercial; #RPL attendances still low despite enormous budgets, transfers tinyurl.com/cg4wdzw #SU—
Asad Yawar (@Mediolana) May 18, 2013

Stop Press (And Just About Everything Else): David Beckham to Retire!

wmistudymovie — Thu, 16 May 2013 15:45:44 +0000

Minor deity who featured in 3 World Cups (1998, 2002, 2006) and 2 European Championships (2000, 2004) to finish career with 2012-2013 season—
Asad Yawar (@Mediolana) May 16, 2013

Player known for revolutionising personal branding + marketing leaves football image 'transformed' tinyurl.com/bs6y656 #BeckhamRetires—
Asad Yawar (@Mediolana) May 16, 2013

Entering Uncharted Territory: Eurozone ‘In Longest-Ever Recession’!

wmistudymovie — Wed, 15 May 2013 14:06:16 +0000

Economic output hits -0.2% across #eurozone for Q1 2013; France, Spain, Italy and #Holland all reporting negative figures, #Germany at +0.1%—
Asad Yawar (@Mediolana) May 15, 2013

Six consecutive quarters of economic contraction new #eurozone record; trajectory continues despite currency wars tinyurl.com/c3ffpn2 #EU—
Asad Yawar (@Mediolana) May 15, 2013

Development’s Dark Side: Chinese Sex Workers ‘Plunged Into Legal Vacuum’!

wmistudymovie — Tue, 14 May 2013 23:21:00 +0000

Between 4m and 6m sex workers in #China operate in generally hazardous conditions, with no legal recognition + subject to arbitrary measures—
Asad Yawar (@Mediolana) May 15, 2013

Torture, assault + 're-education' camps loom large; lack of compassion 'not stopping social decay, roots of problem' tinyurl.com/c9s33dr—
Asad Yawar (@Mediolana) May 15, 2013