Alistair Darling's budget

[STFC_Gazza]

If they put beer in supermarkets up to pub prices, no one would buy it. Of course with your job in mind you have a vested interest in pub beer sales, but that idea is stupid. I love the pub as much as the next man, but i also appreciate a slab of beers from Asda so i can enjoy an ale with my mates without having to pay over £3 for every drink i have.

The idea would be to charge the same "per unit" as has been suggested in the past ie minimum pricing which they are very much in favour of in Scotland. Pubs are blamed for "binge drinking culture" whilst in reality it is likely tescos or Asda as you can get cheap booze, you can get pissed effectively for under £15.00 which helps with the binge drinking.

Pubs have lost their appeal for many reasons. Some say booze it too dear, food prices have dropped dramatically to try and appeal to more but people just don't want to go to the pub. Someone did point out though if beer dropped by 10-20p a pint would you see a dramatic rush to the pub? No probably not. The damage is done now. Let's just hope England do well in the World Cup which should boost trade!

[spacey]

For sure saw it coming, of course. People say that "we dont talk anymore" the pub used to be a meeting point to socialise. Some would blame perhaps email, internet, mobile phones etc but a decent local can be a focal point for any community. There are very few left now thanks to constant increases.

Over 2 years booze has gone up by 20%, brought in the smoking ban and then the government says they want to help save the british pub. How do they plan on doing this with putting prices etc up to stupid prices. One way perhaps is banning cheap booze in supermarkets. I'm not say ban booze in supermarkets all togehter just bring it in line wtih booze in the pub etc so the market is fair again.

Since 2008, beer tax has increased by an eye-watering 26 per cent – a £761 million tax rise - and we have seen the loss of 4,000 pubs and over 40,000 jobs up and down the country. Beer sales are down £650m in the last year alone.

This is a further tax raid on responsible beer drinkers and community pubs. It is however a tax raid that will yield little extra money for the Government as any extra beer duty will be outweighed by job losses, pub closures and reduced business taxes.

Can anyone spot the point where Gazza stops giving his own views and then starts quoting CAMRA?

[STFC_Gazza]

No one, least of all the Government or taxes, has forced pubs in to charging £3 for a bottle of beer that costs 60p in the supermarkets. There are plenty of things pubs can do to survive and they've only got themselves to blame if they don't.

That is Absolute bollocks. We have had pubs for example sell bottles at a quid. And still no one goes there. There is so much more than just "getting a bottle of beer that costs 60p and selling it for £3.00" besides the average cost of a bottle is 90p for pubs to order from the suppliers. There are overheads etc like rent, electric, water, gas etc. to pay how can you pay that by selling a bottle for 90p? Before anyone says yes they have those things at asda as well gas etc. but they also sell other things to compensate for the cheap booze.

[STFC_Gazza]

Can anyone spot the point where Gazza stops giving his own views and then starts quoting CAMRA?

Yep second 2 paragraphs and its the "Morning Advertiser"

[Simon Pieman]

We should ban supermarkets from selling food so we all have to eat in restaurants.

[Talk Talk]

Any political party who achieves contol is on a hiding to nothing.

The people in charge have to make tough decisions and those decisions are usually disliked by some part of society.

Still, gives us something to moan about, doesn't it?

Urgh, blurble, ick...

I'm keeping my mouth shut about all of this for a change... 

[herthab]

Urgh, blurble, ick...

I'm keeping my mouth shut about all of this for a change... 

Bet it won't last.............

[Ardiles]

I'm a CAMRA member, but don't quite share the feeling of panic about pub closures.  The pubs that are closing are, on the whole, shit.  The good ones - the decent community locals - are surviving...because they offer something that people want.

So the Rovers Return, where responsible drinkers head to have a quick pint and a natter after work, shouldn't fear for its future.  But the bar in Still Game where old men spend 5 nights a week on their own with the barman probably doesn't have much of a future.  They're the ones buying the cheap lager in Asda and drinking it at home instead.

[Arriba]

i reckon the village pub demise is due to the clamp down on drink driving.people used to drive,sink a few pints then drive home.

[spacey]

Bet it won't last.............

Yeah, I reckon he's scared like a big scaredy girl.

[pauld]

I reckon pubs would have a better chance of surviving if the big chains cut some overheads - surely some of them must have some useless layabouts on their staff with nothing better to do than post on Internet forums? That's got to be worth 3p off a pint for starters.

(Only joking Gaz)

[ghanimah]

The idea would be to charge the same "per unit" as has been suggested in the past ie minimum pricing which they are very much in favour of in Scotland. Pubs are blamed for "binge drinking culture" whilst in reality it is likely tescos or Asda as you can get cheap booze, you can get pissed effectively for under £15.00 which helps with the binge drinking.

Slight problem with minimum pricing Gazza - it's against EU law

[sheepshagger]

Sorry Gazza - thats just a lot of old bollocks !

So because I don't drink in the pubs too much but enjoy a couple of pints at home every now and then I should have to pay more for that ?

Why ?

So I can pay for some crumbling wreck of a pub where the landlord/brewery/aunt fannie haven't bothered to chnge with the times ?

Sure pubs have suffered - but so the fuck has everyone else !  Part of my business has halved in the last 4 years through absolutely nothing I have done wrong - should I bleat about it to government and any other fucker that will listen ?

No, I get on with it and find other opportunites to develop !

Get a fucking grip !

[Reg Smeeton]

£3.80 for a Budvar in the Beehive on Saturday. I only had the one...

You could drink the weak shitty Carlsberg for 1.99....something for everyone, not all can afford a decent pint.

Think the price increase is a kind of payback for the liberalisation of the opening hours.

[STFC_Gazza]

I reckon pubs would have a better chance of surviving if the big chains cut some overheads - surely some of them must have some useless layabouts on their staff with nothing better to do than post on Internet forums? That's got to be worth 3p off a pint for starters.

(Only joking Gaz)

Now that you mention it..... good idea!