Who will protect us from those who would protect us from ourselves

This earnest young man is a member of a group called "Medical Students for Global Awareness"

And they or perhaps he are calling for MPs to support National MP Tim Macindoe's Supplementary Order Paper (SOP) to raise the purchase age for alcohol to 20.

Unsurprisingly the headline of the story reads: Students support raising purchase age for alcohol.

But he doesn't speak for students at all, of course, just for Medical Students for Global Awareness, whoever and whatever  they may be.

He tries to appear as reasonable

"We live in a culture that has embraced the unbridled commercialisation of one of the most dangerous drugs available" says Fairweather.

"We don't want prohibition, we don't want alcohol in excess. What we want is a healthy balance of consumerism and protection afforded to NZers by the people who should know best"

And might they be these "people who should know best"?

Politicians, or people like him?

These people are so patronizing as well as ignorant as to what makes people tick. 

And why they think we need to be nannied to death or that nannying will rid the world of its imperfections is a total mystery to me.

People have been drinking alcohol and sometimes getting into strife as a  result  since the stone age and no amount of fiddling with purchase laws is ever going to change that.