Alistair Darling – the man who will kill the British pub

Published on 12 March 2008 in Politics and Government, Pubs, beer, pubs

I’m not one for political posts normally, but sometimes you just have to ask what the hell our politicians are playing at?

I’m talking about you, Alistair “Pub Killer” Darling and your insane 4p rise in excise duty on beer. That is, ladies and gentlemen, a rise of 13% in tax. At a time when the cost of a pint is increasing anyway due to higher prices in materials.

And all this at a time when beer sales are falling, and the number of pubs closing is rocking. CAMRA recently unveiled that the number of British pubs permanently closing every month is now a whopping 57.

Of course all this comes at a time when binge drinking is particularly prevalent in the headlines, but consider this little problem. Binge drinking is done in city centre “cram then in” venues this is true, but there’s a huge binge drinking problem in the home thanks to alcohol bought cheaply at supermarkets, or brought in from the other side of the channel.

In contrast, in the local community pub, you’re in a regulated environment. Responsible landlords look out for their customers and are legally obliged not to sell to people who have had too much.

And they’re the people who are struggling – who are being put out of business. And now Alistair, you’ve just put another nail in their coffin, whilst adding the potential for the UK’s alcohol problem to get even worse.

Alistair, what a clever man you are.