Honouring Scotland's licensees
Thursday, October 21, 2010 It's been a mad month: Birmingham, Bangalore and, yesterday, Brussels. Tonight I'm in Glasgow for the annual SLTN Awards that honour "the best venues and individuals Scotland’s licensed trade has to offer". Must dash. I've a train to catch.
Simon Clark
Currently sharing a coach with David Dimbleby. I assume he's en route to wherever Question Time is being broadcast tonight. I don't know what he's eating but I've just had a very nice cottage pie washed down with a (small) bottle of shiraz.
Update: The Question Time web page reports that "David Dimbleby is joined in Middlesbrough by Philip Hammond MP, John Denham MP, Caroline Lucas MP, General Sir Richard Dannatt, George Pascoe-Watson and Polly Toynbee". So that's where he's going.
Update: Love the east coast of Scotland from the Borders up to Edinburgh via Dunbar, North Berwick and Haddington. Sun shining. What's not to like?
Reader Comments (5)
Not a patch on the West coast!
Bet that much time on QTwill be spent on defence cuts, Middlesbrough being an area of such deprivation that the army offers the only hope of employment to many.
Wonder why they didn't ask local MP, Sir Stuart Bell to be on - not like him to miss the chance of being on telly. Perhaps he couldn't get out of Paris.....
I expect La Toynbee and Middlesbrough to settle for a relationship of mutual dislike..
Why?
"What's not to like"? Scotland hates smokers. It's why I'll never go there.
My question was aimed at Simon. Why was he attending an awards ceremony for the very people who so actively supported the smoking ban.
Eddie, the Scottish Licensed Trade Association (in particular its chief executive Paul Waterson) fought every inch of the way to stop a comprehensive smoking ban being introduced in Scotland. I don't believe they could have done any more than they did. It was good to see Paul at last night's event because he is one of the good guys in all this.
While we continue to fight for amendments to the ban it is important that we support those pubs and clubs that go the extra mile to accommodate smokers in as much comfort as possible.
It is also important to keep the smoking issue alive and in the minds of the hospitality industry. Last night I spoke to a number of people in the hospitality industry in Scotland and was able to do just that. Refusing to engage and operating in a bubble surrounded by like-minded people and preaching only to the converted will get us nowhere.
Finally what better way to counteract the denormalisation of smoking than by supporting/publicising an award for "best smoking facilities" and having Tess Daly make a light-hearted comment about people having "nipped out for a fag"?