Missed this brilliant obituary for the English pub in The Economist:
The 2007 smoking ban drove regulars onto chilly backless benches in hastily improvised beer gardens, or into the street, or simply home (1,409 pubs closed in 2007; 1,973, post-ban, in 2008). Around 24,000 pubs, roughly 40% of the total, are tied to giant “pubcos”, hooked to one particular brewer, and must buy their beer from them at premium prices. Pubs, selling pints for £3.50 ($4.50) must compete with sixpacks of beer in the supermarket, or cheap plonk at £3.50 a bottle; they must also pay a swingeing government duty on beer, now ten times as high as Germany’s.
There's more - read and mourn. Or better still start the resurrection - get out and visit your local, have a pint and a chat. And tell the new puritans to lay off with their nonsense about drinking, smoking and other fine pleasures.
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2 comments:
the pub closure figures are more telling if you compare pre-smoking ban with post July 2007. Also despite duty being far less in Germany, pub prices are about the same or a bit more than UK. Also The Geman supermarket booze prices make Tesco's seem expensive. But, in Germany you can smoke in virtually all pubs. Smoking bans are simply the main cause of the demise of pubs.
Andy
Simple answer let me have a smoke in my local and i will start using the place again.
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