Legal disclaimer

The opinions expressed by the authors on this blog and those providing comments are theirs alone, and do not reflect the opinions of the Freedom2Choose organisation or any member thereof. Freedom2Choose is not responsible for the accuracy of any of the information supplied by the blog Authors.

Sunday 28 March 2010

Tales from the Darkside-Alcohol & Tobacco News #2

[Knock, knock, knock] helllllllooooo, can anybody see that bloody great big elephant in the “community pub?”

header_blocks

The Government has unveiled measures to protect community pubs in an effort to stem nearly 40 closures a week. What is your reaction?

The measures include £3.3 million to be spent on business support to make pubs more successful and to help communities buy into struggling premises to keep them open. Pubs will also be allowed to extend into ventures ranging from restaurants to
gift shops and book shops without planning permission.

Pubs minister John Healey said, "This package of tough, practical measures aims to put some real support behind our community pubs, giving publicans more support to
diversify and punters more choice".
[Ed: more choice eh, will they be able to offer me the choice to smoke then? No… thought not.]

I wonder if CAMRA (The Campaign for Real Ale) can see Nelly the elephant then?

The Campaign for Real Ale (Camra) welcomed the announcement. Camra chief executive Mike Benner said: "This is a great day for people who care about the future of our community pubs". [Ed: Well one can dream, can’t one!]

Talking about CAMRA, those beardy types that take an out of focus picture, The Pub Curmudgeon takes a sharp, clear and concise picture of that elephant.

Forgive me for thinking this is all just pathetic fiddling while Rome burns. As long as we continue to see no amendment of the smoking ban, above-inflation duty hikes and the constant insistence that drinking two pints at a sitting will lead to an early grave, not to mention the prospect of slashing the drink-driving limit and thus rendering thousands of pubs unviable, the pub trade will remain under serious threat, and for government ministers to pose as its friend is laughable. There couldn’t be an election imminent, could there?

Giving up the filthy weed can be a bloody killer, try Chantix!

An anti-smoking drug, combined with heavy drinking, contributed to Warner Robins Mayor Donald Walker's suicide, according to autopsy results.

The results released by Houston County coroner Danny Galpin confirmed that his cause of death was death by self-inflicted gunshot wound. The manner of death was ruled as suicide.

Ah, heavy drinking, it must have been the nasty alcohol wot done it?

The GBI crime lab report says, "He was taking Chantix to stop smoking, which caused severe depression. On the day of his death, his severe depression caused him to consume large quantities of alcohol. This acute ethanol intoxication state, superimposed upon his severe depression, severely impaired his remembering, reasoning and cognitive abilities."

In 2008, an FDA public-health advisory warned that Chantix could cause mood and behavior changes, including "anxiety, nervousness, tension, depressed mood, unusual behaviors and thinking about or attempting suicide."

Rest in piece Donald, the righteous can’t get at you now…but they WILL try, make no mistake about that.

God, I need a fag and a drink so I’m off down to our local village pub…Where’s my pub gone?

Things must be desperate: the Government is trying the old warm-beer-and- maiden-ladies-bicycling-to-matins routine. It is making a bid for that piece of the village green that is forever England (or Britain, if you must): the pub. [Ed: Warm beer? Maidens? Bicycling??? Matins? boy how pubs have changed since this old fart was a 16 err 18 year old lad.]

How desperate Clive? NO, don’t answer that.

Having noticed that rural pubs are closing in droves, the Government has rallied round, offering to match funds raised by local people to support efforts to run such places themselves as community enterprises. Picture Gordon Brown, [Ed: Do I have to? Is this a test or something?] pint mug in hand, swapping wit and wisdom with the village elders, while the horse brasses twinkle in the firelight.

Oh, you did answer Clive, tell it how it is mate.

There is a tiny irony in this. Not only might it be argued that the Government itself has precipitated the closure of many pubs by making it illegal to smoke in them — a blow to the traditional boozer, where sons of toil would spend all evening, perhaps several nights a week. [Ed: Wow, that is TINY, isn’t it?] Without this trade, licensees have only been able to survive by reinventing their establishments as gastro pubs, serving meals at prices that few locals could afford. I shouldn’t worry; I don’t smoke. I like the fact you can get a decent meal on your travels. But now the Government is considering making it impossible to get into a car if you’ve had so much as a single pint of bitter. That means they’ll lose my custom too. [Ed: And mine.]

And of course the bastion of non bias journalism, the BBC, just have to stick their oar in!

86958Pubs? Minister for pubs? That tie just makes me see RED. 

The measures include £3.3 million to be spent on business support to make pubs more successful and to help communities buy into struggling premises to keep them open. Pubs will also be allowed to extend into ventures ranging from restaurants to
gift shops and book shops without planning permission.

Pubs minister John Healey said, "This package of tough, practical measures aims to put some real support behind our community pubs, giving publicans more support to diversify and punters more choice". [Ed: Really John, go tell it to Nick Hogan.]

Nick Hogan, ironies of ironies.

PICT0435

A MAN who was kicked out of smoke ban rebel Nick Hogan’s pub for lighting up returned brandishing a knife.

Surely Nick was putting on a Carvery, all you can eat for a fiver and bring your own cutlery?

carvery-menu

Mr Hogan, landlord of The Swan with Two Necks, in Hollinshead Street, Chorley, spent 12 days in jail for non-payment of fines he received for flouting the smoking ban at one of his former pubs in Bolton.

The reveller was kicked out by security staff on Saturday night after smoking on the dance floor, but returned at around 3am with a knife, although he didn’t approach anyone with it.

Shit, does that mean I cant bring my own cutlery or you don’t do “all you can eat for a fiver” Nick?

"I just find it so ironic that I have actually been to jail after allowing customers to smoke and this should happen.”

But, care in the community apart, did the knife wielding victim perpetuator  of the governments your “no smoking” policy get his bloody dinner?

"Luckily the security staff locked the doors and the man went off. The police are now looking for him.”

Guess not! Bloody unpaid police landlords/ladies, upholders of draconian laws, defenders of their trade…off with their heads I say, but please ensure that the blade is well sharpened because they will rise up and fight against unjust laws like the smoking ban, it’s a given.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Bloggers who unknowingly contributed to this blog piece were,  in no particular order:

Dick Puddlecote

Anna Raccoon

That bastard Old Holborn

That defender of the drinking faith classless classes doh, you know I mean you, The Pub Curmudgeon, a man after my own heart.

To name but a few, because they are many, those libertarian bloggers, god bless ‘em.

And, as ever, my thanks go to the good people on the Freedom2Choose forum, who scan the hinternet for the anti-smoking, anti-alcohol absurd bansterbators.

5 comments:

Eddie D said...

MEANWHILE IN SCOTLAND THE PUBS THREATEN TO BOYCOTT TOP BRANDS BECAUSE DRINKS COMPANIES ARE AGAINST THE MINIMUM PRICING OF ALCOHOL.

This quote from a Glasgow Pub Owner:-

"Michael McHugh, who owns four pubs in Glasgow, said, “There’s a lot of support for not stocking these drinks.

“The firms that have come out against minimum pricing are being very short-sighted.
“They seem to forget the pubs built up their brands long before the big supermarkets started calling the shots.

“Our industry has lost 40,000 jobs and if alcohol continues to be sold at below cost in supermarkets thousands more will go.”

40,000 jobs lost and not a mention of the Smoking Ban.

Yet the Trade Response below which I have been assured is not from the Shit Licking Toilet Association, states

"Paul Waterson, chief executive of the Scottish Licensed Trade Association, says anger among publicans is growing.

He said, “The decision whether to boycott certain drinks is a matter for individual pub owners but the companies who oppose minimum pricing have clearly misjudged the strength of feeling.”

The boycott would mirror similar action taken in 1998 when thousands of pubs across Scotland joined forces to ban Bell’s whisky in protest at its owners’ defection to England. The move had a significant impact on the drink’s sales north of the Border.

But Rob Bruce, of Whyte and Mackay, said his company would be standing firm."

IT IS A PITY THAT THE SAME PUBS AND ORGANISATIONS NEVER PUT THE SAME EFFORT INTO FIGHTING THE SMOKING BAN.

PS. OF THE 40,000 JOBS LOST, HOW MANY WERE DIRECTLY ATTRIBUTABLE TO THE SMOKING BAN.

Link to the article below:-
http://www.sundaypost.com/postindex.htm

Unknown said...

Whatever happened to choice Eddie eh?

I used to assume that public houses, you know, those places where you could go and leave the nannying bastards behind you for a couple of hours whilst you contemplated your life as it stands. Only the Mrs or girlfriend would come into your retreat and tip dinner over your head. Now the politicians have taken over the public house and are tipping shit over your head.

I want pubs to be how they should be...look away now, you ex-alcoholics/righteous/can't think for myself arseholes, you will not like this.

Or maybe you will cos there's not a cigarette in site! Not that, as a smoker, I noticed, I just enjoyed the fucking music, singing and acting, and the movie nor the song does NOT make me want to run out and get blathered, eat junk food nor spew up.

The righteous will use ANY means of curtailing your enjoyment of ANYTHING and they will not give up...and nor shall I give up shitting on their parades.

Anonymous said...

I wouldn't go back to a pub if they gave away free drink and food.

The pubs are soulless creches with high chairs instead of bar stools. The stench in pubs now is disgusting. Chips, baby sick, used nappies, body odours etc.

Pubs are not community centres. They are places for ADULTS to go to drink, smoke and socialise.

So the cash from the taxpayers is just a total waste of time.

Bring back the smokers into the pubs and chuck out the kids.

Anonymous said...

Bloody Hell, Big Yin,you must have
missed Mass this morning to write that lot. Any way a little ditty
about Satan and The Anti Christ,
Camra and Wetherspoons.
A friend of mine related a little story from the States.
The police spotted a gent on his knees at the side of the road
having a seance and giving the kiss of life to a dead Possum which
was in a bad state of decay.
Nothing new I said to my friend,
thats a regular feature when
Camra have their Monday and Thursday Soirees at the local
Wetherspoons sipping Old Kent 2.7%
Rigor Mortis

Cheers


Forever Amber

Unknown said...

Bloody hell Amber, I'm not that good. Whenever I put links to other bloggers then I'm saying that they ARE good, very good. Those very same bloggers will see that I've done nothing extraordinary, just a few cut and pastes with my silly wit and wisdom attached...but if you must give me a good rating well, what can I say, I'm humbled.

BTW, look out for a supliment to #2 as I couldn't get all of last weeks news on one blogcast.

opinions powered by SendLove.to

LinkWithin

Related Posts with Thumbnails

Pages on this blog