Guest 640- Registered: 21 Apr 2007
- Posts: 7,819
21 February 2009
12:5615822#1
With all the fairly grim things on the political agenda these days it surprised me to see that the Conservative Party has launched a campaign to save the Great British Pub. Its a peripheral thing surely in these dire days of dire economics, where families havent got enough spare cash in their pockets to even consider for a moment the idea of going to the pub. However launch this campaign they have, and who would argue with the motives...its a worthy cause after all and sure to be a vote winner.
I feel sure David Cameron is a regular down at his local spit and sawdust Dog and Duck. You can bet on it. That notion is as safe as banking shares !
The Conservatives are calling on the government to cut taxes on beer and lager in an effort to get the oul traditional drinkers back into the pub. They would balance this by raising taxes on popular drinks, or perhaps I should rephrase that...drinks popular with young people, however young people are the people really going to the pubs these days.So not sure how welcome the shift would be.
However something needs to be done to stem the tide of closures. The figures are shocking...
39 Pubs closed per week in the tail end of 2008.
1,973 pubs shut overall in 2008 getting worse as the recession worsened. Thats up 40% on the previous year. However the closure rate was still alarming even before the recession.
Perhaps the market has just moved away now from the traditional pub. Times change, new ideas take hold, new flavours of the month in commercial terms move into the high st. Despite the high profile coverage active community pubs get on mass media shows like East Enders and Emmerdale..the crowds are still drifting away.
Guest 655- Registered: 13 Mar 2008
- Posts: 10,247
21 February 2009
14:2115826#2
This is a serious problem and its important to remember a lot of jobs are at stake in our 'traditional pubs' and in many instance they are at the heart of their communities.
It is also sensible to target the 'binge drinkers' tipple of choice and those terrible alcopops. All this Government has done with its tax policies is to lump the real ales in together with these, drawing no distinct between mature drinkers in traditional establishments and the bingers.
21 February 2009
14:2915829#3
Do I smell the whiff of a populist diversion on the barmaids apron?
Guest 670- Registered: 23 Apr 2008
- Posts: 573
21 February 2009
20:3915838#4
Barry I cannot help but smile at the first paragraph of your posting.
May I remind you it was the Tories in 1989 that passed the Supply of Beer Act, thus banging the first nail in the coffin of the great British Boozer. Hundreds of pub landlords refused to sign the new lease agreements with companies who were basically property speculators as there was little advantage and in any event their rents in many cases were raised beyond a sustainable level
The trade on the whole was satisfied with the trade being left as it was but as usual the Tories knew better and succeeded in 'cocking' the whole thing up.
There is clearly a lot more I could add but will leave it at present.
The second paragraph of your posting is just sheer rubbish and not worthy of reply.
Brian Dixon
- Location: Dover
- Registered: 23 Sep 2008
- Posts: 23,940
21 February 2009
20:5615839#5
yes binge drinking is a problem,the question is what do you do to stop it and secondly how do you enforce it.this brings up another question do you get rid of alcopops altogether or do you heavy fines on the pubs and bars or the drunken yobs or both.
DT1- Location: Dover
- Registered: 15 Apr 2008
- Posts: 1,116
21 February 2009
21:2215842#6
Targeting alcopops to tackle binge drinking is like increasing road tax to tackle drink driving.
Guest 640- Registered: 21 Apr 2007
- Posts: 7,819
22 February 2009
18:4815895#7
I dont think this is a serious attempt at arresting the wide scale closure problem. Its probably more a populist vote winner. While the Tories seem to be serious about it, there seems little that an opposition political party can do..other than organise a petition. But this will only tell the government what they already know..ie.. that there is a crises in our pubs.
Most pubs seem frequented by younger people now..if you hit the drinks they like with taxes, then even they might disappear...that prospect will bring a shudder through the industry I hazard to guess.
Guest 644- Registered: 12 Mar 2008
- Posts: 1,214
22 February 2009
18:5315896#8
If we are serious about saving the local pub, we could start by stop promoting the empire of Weatherspoons here.
Ross Miller
- Location: London Road, Dover
- Registered: 17 Sep 2008
- Posts: 3,709
22 February 2009
18:5515898#9
And stop supermarkets loss leading beer
"Dream as if you'll live forever. Live as if you'll die today." - James Dean
"Being deeply loved by someone gives you strength,
While loving someone deeply gives you courage" - Laozi
Guest 640- Registered: 21 Apr 2007
- Posts: 7,819
22 February 2009
18:5815899#10
Well fair point Phil but of course Wetherspoons exists so we as a media outlet cant ignore it. If it offers events or indeed bargains then we feel duty bound in a way to pass it on so that readers can benefit...indeed as the newspapers do. We arent or cant be campaigners but will issue press release bits and bobs with the wider view.
Much as we did with say LDLines last week. We arent trying to put Seafrance out of business by reporting on that development.
howard mcsweeney1- Location: Dover
- Registered: 12 Mar 2008
- Posts: 62,352
22 February 2009
20:4815908#11
an acquaintance of mine in the licenced trade feels that a lot of the chains, especially britains oldest brewer have noted that the value of their properties is more than they could expect to make from flogging booze.
iteresting situation now, we see pubs boarded up, but not being redeveloped due to the drop in property prices.