Get your mitts off my pint!!!

[Wolfshade]

Yeah Hobgoblin are spear heading a campaign, you can find out more on their facebook page or here: [url]http://www.wychwood.co.uk/#/mischief//hobgoblin/bpny[/url] over 18s only...

[Psychosplodge]

Think I've already signed that, 35% increase in three years is ridiculous.

[Wildeybeast]

On that note, how many people here are Camra members? Cos this is exactly what Camra campaign about. I'd recommend you all sign up, especially as it costs £20 and you get £20 quid worth of beer vouchers for Weatherspoons, so it's effectively free and you supporting saving proper beer and pubs.

[Denzark]

I never knew that Wildey, I may take that up. I am getting into my ale in my old age.

[Denzark]

Look, I like to drink in Pubs and like to buy 3 crates for 87p and half a sucked toffee for barbecues in the summer. Lets not confuse this as a linked issue - moral because it is providing a levle playing field for the Publicans. The ever increasing, over inflation increases on pubs is wrong - issue 1. But the proposed minimum price per unit is nanny state coddling to socially engineer a response to a perceived health issue - not to correct issue 1. Just because the collateral of this bollocks measure is good for pubs in the round, doesn't make it any fairer on responsible drinkers. It is a group punishment and the only winners will be the government not pubs. Because your average white walls, beams and brassses real ale boozers, are not where the binge drinking alcopop heads want to go - so they won't be driven back into the conducive atmosphere of the pub if they can't get cheap hooch in tescos.

And, would we want them there? In all their chavvy glory?

[Wolfshade]

Maybe they could resort to moonshining?

[Kirsten]

not really accurate though. A lot of people are getting very drunk on cheap booze from super markets. alcohol related admissions to hospitals are soaring every year, and alcohol related arrests are similarly soaring. forcing super markets to charge higher prices will help limit those figures. It will also help the struggling pub trade because fewer people will drink at home. it is not just chavs that are the problem, a lot of responsible people these days prefer to stay home and drink with friends, they might be more inclined to go out if there wasn't such a massive price disparity, and they will go to the nice responsible bars. Prices in super markets need to be increased, there is really no other choice.

[Denzark]

If the pub prices are going to remain the same, and supermarket booze goes to that price, why would people automatically flock to the pub? If they can afford that proportion of their disposable income in a boozer, they are there already. It is a fallacy to state that parity of prices would make people go (back) to pubs. At home you can smoke indoors if you wish, deny entry to knob-ends, have your dog there, not have flashy gambling machines or pool tables, not walk far at the end of the night, the toilet is always in an accpetable state. So home drinking is perfectly acceptable. You can even get dcent bottled ale that is the equal of some brands of draft.

As I've said, you're talking about responsible people preferring to stay at home. The government claims they are not targeting responsible people. If it is just collateral effect that still does not amke it right. What you mean is chavs aren't just the problem affecting the pub trade. Chavs, by which I mean in this context, irresponsible binge drinkers who take up resources of the nation because of their drunken antics, is who this policy is aimed at - not as a sop to the publican trade.

[Wolfshade]

Indeed, you can even get polypins or mini kegs in if you are having a games night, for instance.

But you do get pubs where dogs can go and there are no fruit machines, though you can buy pork pie.
But it does have a long walk home along unlit country lanes.

I think what one of the issues is that with people generally having less disposable income "staying in is the new going out". Certainly, with the wife out of work we are instead of meeting friends for the ballet or a meal are now entertaining at home and they are recipricating.

Certainly you can see it with cinema attendances, as soon as you are not the only one going to the cinema it is way cheaper just to wait and by the DVD. Either that or my old age is catching up on me....

[Psychosplodge]

I think the problem is the smoking ban. If I was a smoker and had to go stand outside for a faag everytime I wanted one I probably would consider a night in instead.
I really don't see why they can't have smoking rooms, as long as they specify they must be smaller than the main room. you wouldn't even need a bar in there, you can make the smokers walk through to the main room to get served...

or why not go the other way, and lower pub prices, so the idiots don't "pre-load", then when they start to feel it maybe they'll stop drinking rather than suddenly have it hit them all at once