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Is there a place for the pub in the brave new world?
Since banning smoking in pubs, the government have managed to create a senario where we have around 40 pubs closing a week. Beer sales are falling through the floor and Rt Hon Darling is going to ramp up the tax on alchohol even further, over the next three years. Pubs are disappearing faster than house sparrows.
Are they fair game and should they be taxed out of existance, or is this all just getting out of hand.
I know the government are working hard on the cheap supermarket drink angle, but it’s the smoking ban that’s done it and the tax hikes are just going to make the situation worse.
I think it’s a shame a part of our way of life has been deliberately wrecked.
I was talking the other day to a pub landlady who explained to me that, over the last couple years she had increased turnover by over 30% through a number of different initiatives but mostly by hardwork on her part.
This year the brewery put her rent up by £8,000
and she was told by the Area Manager ‘if she didn’t like it she could do one.’To be fair I don’t know if the original rent was too low in the first place or had been frozen for a number of years but even so the way the brewerys treat their tenants doesn’t help.
That’s the spirit firefox and while we’re at it let’s ban alcohol as that’s bloody dangerous and self harming too. And cars. And let’s ban fat people too, they’re the cause of more ill health and cost than smokers, drinkers and car drivers put together.
No, let’s not, let’s just pick on the smokers and now we’ve banned them from enjoying ourselves and destroyed the pub trade we’ll carry on selfishly enjoying ourselves at huge cost to the country.
Pffft.
That’s the spirit firefox and while we’re at it let’s ban alcohol as that’s bloody dangerous and self harming too. And cars. And let’s ban fat people too, they’re the cause of more ill health and cost than smokers, drinkers and car drivers put together.
No, let’s not, let’s just pick on the smokers and now we’ve banned them from enjoying ourselves and destroyed the pub trade we’ll carry on selfishly enjoying ourselves at huge cost to the country.
Pffft.
Well said, that man!!!
Maybe the trouble with pubs these days is that they’re characterless; we went to a pub the other week to see a band play..this pub has music and storytelling evenings..it probably hasn’t had a coat of fresh paint in 30 years but it was full to capacity…
Yes firefox, but those people won’t have to worry soon as they either don’t go to pubs or the pubs will soon be shut so they can’t and nobody will be working in pubs, smoking or not.
But how are we going to stop the fat people from eating and the damage they do to themselves and others and drivers and drinkers – we must stop them all, enjoyment and choice of enjoyment must be stopped.
That’s the spirit firefox and while we’re at it let’s ban alcohol as that’s bloody dangerous and self harming too. And cars. And let’s ban fat people too, they’re the cause of more ill health and cost than smokers, drinkers and car drivers put together.
No, let’s not, let’s just pick on the smokers and now we’ve banned them from enjoying ourselves and destroyed the pub trade we’ll carry on selfishly enjoying ourselves at huge cost to the country.
Pffft.
sberry, oh the drama you create!
Sometimes it takes years, if not life times, or indeed lives before common sense and correct rulings are put in place. How would you react if I were to sit outside your home in my car, with a hose pipe running from my exhaust through your letterbox, whilst I sat in my car with a few friends having a drink and a laugh?
"lets ban drinking as thats bloody dangerous and self harming too"
What? Saving people from themselves is not the issue here as much as saving non smokers from smokers for christs sake man. You are free to kill yourself which ever way you choose – that luxury is yet to taken away.
Do you not realise non smokers have been getting the shitty end of the stick for so long?
If the pub trade dies a gruesome death because of such the ruling then I for one, who happens to love pubs, will lose no sleep.
I simply can’t believe anyone would fail to see the fairness. It really is ignorance of the highest degree.
Complete tosh Onthesteal and I’m astounded at your ignorance in not seeing the unfairness in removing choice!
Anyway, you should not have a car as you are damaging my environment and I am having to breathe your car fumes and have done ever since you selfishly chose to drive at the expense of my health – where’s the bloody fairness in that?
And what about my rights to health treatment that are being damaged by fat people’s selfishness in giving themsleves health problems which drain the health service of resources which could ultimately cost me if iIever need healthcare!
If you’re happy for me to remove your right to drink freely, which is a right that adversely affects other people’s health and lives every day, if you’re happy for me to remove your right to drive, which is a right that adversely affects other people’s health and their lives every day and if you’re happy for me to remove your right to eat what you want as it could affect other people’s health and their lives every day then i believe we will be equally showing fairness and not demonstrating ignorance.
Till then, carry on you deluded selfish sod!
(A free point and a smoke to anyone who can guess which topic today has got my goat up)
see above firefox, these things and the right to do them do directly affect the health and lives of thousands of people daily
I think one of the main reasons that pubs are going downhill is that most young people are skint. Maybe five years ago in my home town you could have walked into pretty much any pub and it would have been packed, now there would be maybe 20-30 in most placeson a frdiay or saturday night, the most popular bar in the town reckon they’re not lifting 20% of what they were a few years back. A trip up to belfast would see quite a few busy places, but I am sure that some venues have felt the pinch.
I think that the government could have just made bars choose to be smoking or non smoking by offering different licenses at different costs. I find the All or nothing fascist stance of people like firefox (and Im not picking on you firefox because you are by no means in a serious minority on the matter), to be not only uncalled for but completely over the top, as there is no compomise with them.
A)People in this country have a choice as to where they work, its not stalinist russia, but yet they are so often used as an excuse by the non smokers.
B)There is such a thing as Air Conditioning, and IMO all smoking pubs should be forced to have decent air conditioning systems which should be subject to checks by the council when checking their kitchens etc.
C)If there were smoking bars and non smoking bars, non smokers still wouldnt be happy, because they then complain, "What if Im out with a crowd of people who smoke, and they want to go to a smoking bar?". Well if you hate smokers so much then don’t hang about with them.I saw a news report on the television about a woman who went up to two lads smoking on an outdoor train platform and told them if they didnt stop smoking she would call the police. The two lads threw her onto the tracks and she broke her arm. Now whilst the general gist of the report was this poor innocent woman (who I could muster zero sympathy for), and these mindless thugs, I couldn’t help but feel that the administration of this country is serving to produce a thriving culture of arrogant snivelling tossers.
Complete tosh Onthesteal and I’m astounded at your ignorance in not seeing the unfairness in removing choice!
Anyway, you should not have a car as you are damaging my environment and I am having to breathe your car fumes and have done ever since you selfishly chose to drive at the expense of my health – where’s the bloody fairness in that?
And what about my rights to health treatment that are being damaged by fat people’s selfishness in giving themsleves health problems which drain the health service of resources which could ultimately cost me if iIever need healthcare!
If you’re happy for me to remove your right to drink freely, which is a right that adversely affects other people’s health and lives every day, if you’re happy for me to remove your right to drive, which is a right that adversely affects other people’s health and their lives every day and if you’re happy for me to remove your right to eat what you want as it could affect other people’s health and their lives every day then i believe we will be equally showing fairness and not demonstrating ignorance.
Till then, carry on you deluded selfish sod!
(A free point and a smoke to anyone who can guess which topic today has got my goat up)
Well, occasionally deluded (when on the subject Arsenal FC)
Soddomy?…well yes, again, occasionally.
Selfish? Hoo hoo!!… the irony.The smokers arguement is a very weak one in all honesty and the desperation in your posts smacks of clutching at straws.
Unlike yours, my goat certainly isn’t ‘up’, but something else may be going in that direction a little later….something that quite possibly, if the doctors are correct, i’ll be paying for you to achieve in later life
Now why should I pay for that?
Unlike yours, my goat certainly isn’t ‘up’, but something else may be going in that direction a little later….something that quite possibly, if the doctors are correct, i’ll be paying for you to achieve in later life
Now why should I pay for that?
On the steal, I think if your honest you’ll probably find that smokers are subsidising any work you ever get on the NHS. If it wasnt for smokers there either wouldnt be an NHS or the non smokers would have a hefty tax rise. Thats the simple reality of the matter.
Selfish people can’t be honest Bulwark, it’s against the grain of their psyche.
Fascist – that’s the word I was looking for, thanks.
Unlike yours, my goat certainly isn’t ‘up’, but something else may be going in that direction a little later….something that quite possibly, if the doctors are correct, i’ll be paying for you to achieve in later life
Now why should I pay for that?
On the steal, I think if your honest you’ll probably find that smokers are subsidising any work you ever get on the NHS. If it wasnt for smokers there either wouldnt be an NHS or the non smokers would have a hefty tax rise. Thats the simple reality of the matter.
The simple reality of the matter is that the ruling is one very small and rare step in the right direction by this goverment. Maybe we’ll get to grips with the social services next…but I suppose the ‘justice for evil parents’ mob might well pose as stiff opposition
The anti-smoking brigade should be levied for a tax that helps out those whose livelihoods have been taken away by the ban. Rightly or wrongly, 40 odd pubs a week are shutting down. The government could have had smoking/no-smoking pubs, but based on sketchy evidence that second hand smoke kills you they decided to ban it everywhere.
There’s a H&S nazi who works in our factory whose sole aim in life is to report people and try and get them the sack for nipping off for a sly smoke. This same individual runs a business from work, repairing other people’s cars. I know he doesn’t declare or pay tax on any of this income .. should I report him to the inland revenue? Or would that make me as odious as him?
I would be very tempted, Dave.
You could , of course, have a word with him and educate him on the situation.
Colin
Having a word with him would be giving him a choice, something non-smokers are not keen on.
Whilst Colin’s suggestion might educate him, he would probably prefer to have his own standards applied to him by you, so you should report him to the HMRC (they changed their name) see here : https://www.taxevasionhotline.co.uk/
Of course he’ll be avoiding proper NI contributions too and probably be committing some sort of VAT frauds as well, though they’ll link all that up.
Interesting how he thinks he’s doing the right thing, supporting the removal of choice for millions whose way of life and tax contributions have kept the NHS and country going whilst choosing himself to avoid paying what he should be and forcing me to breathe carbon monoxide from his car – fascist!
Don’t forget to report him to the employer as well, if he’s doing it from work he’ll be using work resources to do so which is theft and breaching the element of trust between employer and employee is worse than common theft anyway, but that’s typical of these people, they’ve already proven they’re happy to steal your rights, choice and the livelihoods of others just to suit their own selfish choice.
Hope I’m managing to keep this calm and balanced?
and she was told by the Area Manager ‘if she didn’t like it she could do one.’
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