With all the attacks on the pub from the Daily Mail/Express, (notably the latest on large wine glasses which is surely just a scapegoat!) the constant bleating-on about binge drinking, the outrageous taxes on alcohol and of course the predatory pricing of drink from the Supermarkets...
...are we finally in danger of losing that most great of British traditions - The Boozer?
Your thoughts please...
Is the Great British Pub in danger?
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Anonymous
But is it?
It's not something that's been discussed much on these forums, and is currently a hot topic in the media, and one that concerns me especially.
It's not something that's been discussed much on these forums, and is currently a hot topic in the media, and one that concerns me especially.
Apart from that fact that I don't bother going to the pub very much, I think you are exaggerating the problem of pub closures. In Plymouth they've just announced a quota system for new licences being granted in areas where there are too many pubs/bars/clubs.leavingmenow wrote:It's not something that's been discussed much on these forums, and is currently a hot topic in the media, and one that concerns me especially.
The only people to complain about the demise of pubs would be someone like Rob, who would miss his darts and Sky Sports on a big plasma screen. He could, of course, set up both in his front room and invite his mates round instead.
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The only place in the village with Sky Sports is the local members club, every other pub has the dodgy foreign channels or Santana so it doesn't really bother me.StuartPlymouth wrote:leavingmenow wrote:The only people to complain about the demise of pubs would be someone like Rob, who would miss his darts and Sky Sports on a big plasma screen. He could, of course, set up both in his front room and invite his mates round instead.
This is insanity. The only thing such restrictive licences do is limit competition and provide a (generally tradeable) asset which gains value over time, such that they are later very difficult to remove. If you insist on having licences, they should be used purely as a permit which is provided to anyone who wants to operate an establishment serving alcohol so long as they meet certain conditions (responsible serving laws in particular). They absolutely should not be used to protect existing firms by blocking new entry. That is unambiguously bad policy.StuartPlymouth wrote:In Plymouth they've just announced a quota system for new licences being granted in areas where there are too many pubs/bars/clubs.
When someone suggests the need to introduce a licencing regime, I am instantly sceptical. By whose judgment are there "too many" pubs/bars/clubs? The fact that they keep opening suggests a commmercial willingness to supply them, and demand from consumers for them to open. The only people who reckon there are "too many" are social conservatives who believe alcohol consumption is some sin that needs to be stamped out, supported by bureaucrats who reckon they can do a better job of deciding what the market wants than the market itself.
As I've said before, this idea of a "binge drinking epidemic" is a beat-up - a gross exaggeration. There is to my mind no crisis here. It is an issue politicians can hop on their soap box and pontificate about. It is an issue the Daily Mail can report on to sell papers. But it is not an issue with any substance. Any genuine concerns about binge drinking can be addressed by enforcing existing laws - in particular, ensuring that establishments stop serving intoxicated patrons. Let's worry about making the existing regulations work effectively before we start worrying about adding new ones.
I completely agree with you, Mr Q. It was actually the local residents who complained to the council and their reaction was to introduce this quota system in certain areas. The complaints centred around the noise and other disturbances in the street when the pubs close.Mr Q wrote:This is insanity. The only thing such restrictive licences do is limit competition and provide a (generally tradeable) asset which gains value over time, such that they are later very difficult to remove....StuartPlymouth wrote:In Plymouth they've just announced a quota system for new licences being granted in areas where there are too many pubs/bars/clubs.
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When someone suggests the need to introduce a licencing regime, I am instantly sceptical. By whose judgment are there "too many" pubs/bars/clubs?
However, if there are going to be 100 yobs in the street at 1am causing a disturbance on their way home, it doesn't make much difference whether they came out of 5 pubs or 15. The same number of people will go out, they'll just have less choice as to where they spend their money.
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