There is an uproar across Britain, as the Chancellor, Alistair Darling, has proposed an 8 % raise in beer duties for next year. As the economy is stumbling into recession and pubs are already closing every day, this is seen as a declaration of war by the pub trade and its customers.
Now, if the intention is to curb binge drinking, he should have had a look at the supermarket booze where there are prize wars for lagers. There are ample opportunities for taxing and regulating that end of the market it that’s what he wants.
I’m amazed that a government that is struggling as much as it is is willing to go for such policies. I’m sure the Tories are laughing all the way to the pub!
Now, if more of the campaigners could have made some jpg illustrations instead of pdf files, I’d be happy to display them, OK?
The Tories might be laughing but we all know that if and when they get to power that they’ll do nothing about reducing the duty/tax.
Our pubs and the associated culture is dying off rapidly. No-one seems to be in them any more. Most people I see in pubs don’t drink real ale any more (one thing that really hacks me off is when people go to a pub, bypass the lovingly crafted beer and end up ordering tasteless swill (which usually costs about 20% more than the real deal). Asking for beers that reflect the seasons usually falls on deaf ears as there’s no market for it. It’s December and I haven’t seen a single cask stout at my local pub yet – they are still serving the bland golden ales that have wider appeal.
I bet we end up like Sweden in a few years – pissheads roaming the streets downing cheap lager getting banjaxed.