One born every minute

Surely the pub industry won't fall for this?

Alcohol Concern praises pubs

The chief executive of Alcohol Concern Don Shenker has praised pubs for improving community life.

Writing a column in the Society of Independent Brewers’ membership magazine Shenker expressed support for “responsible drinking” and deplores the current drinking culture that “values drinking at home over going to the pub.”

Don Shenker, leader of the country's foremost temperance group—sorry, 'alcohol control' group—wants you to believe that he supports the British pub. The bait on the fish hook is minimum pricing, which some pubs think will draw in the drinkers that the smoking ban forced out. They're wrong, and having been duped by one fake charity (ASH), they're getting ready to be tricked by another (Alcohol Con).

Alcohol Concern are trying to pitch themselves as being against drinking at home, rather than drinking per se. But let's remember that the temperance lobby has traditionally attacked the pub with fury (as you would expect) and have, if anything, been more tolerant of drinking at home. There's a reason why the Anti-Saloon League was not called the Anti-Beer League and it's the same reason anti-alcohol campaigners have always tried to limit opening times and reduce the number of pubs that can open. Pubs have always been their enemy and always will be. Every place that sells alcohol will be in the cross-hairs.

Can the pub companies really be so dumb as to be tricked by Shenker's nauseatingly insincere eulogy? This is a pressure group that wants to reduce licensing hours, lower the drink-drive limit and, only three days ago, was applauding moves to force pubs to pay still more taxes.

The late-night levy is part of the Police Reform and Social Responsibility Bill. Licensing authorities will be able to charge from £300 to nearly £4,440 depending on the premises.

...While the charity Alcohol Concern welcomes the extra charge on venues, it says it will do nothing to prevent the heavy drinking.

"The levy on the drinks industry won't actually address the root cause," said chief executive Don Shenker.

"It won't stop people necessarily from drinking too much alcohol. The way to deter people from drinking too much alcohol is to raise the price of alcohol."

Leg-Iron called this one right...

While the charity Alcohol Concern welcomes the extra charge on venues, it says it will do nothing to prevent the heavy drinking.

If it will achieve nothing, why do you welcome it, Darth? Does it make you excited to see the proles suffer for no reason at all? It does, doesn't it?

"The levy on the drinks industry won't actually address the root cause," said chief executive Don Shenker.

Then why do it? Here is the Chief Puritan himself admitting that this measure will no nothing more than put an awful lot of people out of work. Yet he welcomes that. This man is paid from your taxes, you have no means to get rid of him and he controls the Tory, Lib Dem and Labour policies on alcohol. Remember that at the next election.

The last few years have seen the pub industry lurch from one disaster to another. Five years ago they were tricked by ASH into believing the smoking ban would lead to a great Renaissance of the British boozer. Earlier this year, the Scottish Licensed Trade Association got into bed with the temperance lobby to support a minimum price for alcohol (which is now on its way). The drinks company Diageo was haplessly funding Alcohol Focus until it finally noticed that the temperance lobby is not their friend. CAMRA... well, don't even get me started on CAMRA.

And now we have Dong Shaker sneaking into the picture with a bunch of flowers in one hand and a dagger in the other. How stupid does he think they are?

Pretty stupid, actually. And he might be right...

The Society of Independent Brewers has sought to build a relationship with Alcohol Concern, having earlier this year become a corporate member of the organisation.

“Our dialogue with Alcohol Concern has revealed common ground — in particular the role played by the pub in promoting responsible drinking – which we should be using as a foundation for a joint strategy,” said Grocock.

Good grief. Better bring a long spoon to sup with. The title of the Pub Curmudgeon's post about this says it all: Granny, what big eyes you’ve got.

Alcohol Concern have found "common ground" alright, but it's not with the pub trade. Maybe the Society of Independent Brewers should pop along to their next conference...