Publican manifesto: review smoking ban
Friday, April 16, 2010 Based on the results of a small online survey, The Publican has just published its own election manifesto. The paper reports that respondents were given seven issues to vote on what they think should be the priorities for any future government.
Scrapping the alcohol duty escalator received the most votes, closely followed by tighter controls on off-trade pricing. Change to the beer tie came third. "Repeal the blanket smoking ban” came fourth, followed by calls for a reduction in red tape.
The paper says it will write to the main political parties and will ask them to:
• Scrap the alcohol duty escalator
• Tackle irresponsible supermarket pricing
• Make the beer tie business model fairer
• Review the smoking ban in light of its impact on trade
• Cut red tape for pubs
Reader Comments (8)
I am continually staggered that publicans have the smoking ban so low down their agenda. They'll say that they know their business - but I know my habits - and those of my friends. We used to go to the pub and spend far too much money on a very regular basis. Now we hardly go - at all. I am actually saving a great deal of money. My beer consumption has plummeted - my smoking rate hasn't.
Let me bring publicans up to date on a couple of issues. Beer has ALWAYS been much cheaper in supermarkets. Smokers spend longer in pubs - and drink continously And while the pub tie maybe unfair - I don't doubt it - but you'll still have a better business if there were more customers. Frankly, publicans are their own worst enemies. They lobbied for a full smoking ban as they thought private clubs being allowed smoking would be unfair to them - so theys got the ban. Now they're going out of business. Just think of this scenario - they win the beer tax argument. Pubs still go out of busines as smokers still stay away. So they then say 'hey, can we have smoking back! By then it'll be too late. Publicans are fighting the wrong battle.
Hear,hear, Mark, I agree that the Pub Owners were most to blame with their inaction to the smoking ban.
They proved that they were just greedy bastards and didnt give a fig about their loyal customers.
They made a big miscalculation when they thought they would be inundated with a better class of customers if smoking was prohibited, when the dogs in the street knew that smokers are the ones that spend the money.
Their greed and miscalculation has come back to haunt them big time.
And here they are again, silent as the grave at the last chance saloon coming up to an election, when they should be out there with plackards and joining up with Forest and lobbying like mad for a repeal of the smoking ban to get bums back on seats, instead of messing about with the price of drink that wont make any bloody difference.
By the way, in what context did Dave Cameron, on last night's (yawn) debate mean, when he said "its like telling people who give up smoking that it will protect their health".
Has anyone figured out what message he was sending out or not!
I would lay most of the blame at the feet of tobacco control,DoH and MPs.
Publicans were not given the choice of no ban or some ban, they were given the choice of some ban or all ban.
A choice between fags or food is not a great option, especially when we remember that people who smoke also like to eat food.
Plenty of publicans predicted pub closures and plenty fell or wanted to fall for the level playing field argument. I would guess that there was a lot of bullying and arm twisting going on in the background.
The antis played what should be a poor hand well. It was and still is a massive bluff. And any amount of cheating by antis is justified in their minds because they have their virtual death count to think about. Sadly for them, the more people that stop smoking and the more people that are not exposed
to tobacco smoke the more people are killed and or harmed by tobacco. It must be all so depressing for them. By the time we are left with only one smoker in the world the death count and costs of smoking will be the end of the human race.
I agree with Mark. The cheap supermarket beer has impacted on the 'booze cruises' and if the government forces the retail price of drink back up smuggling and booze cruises will start again.
Smokers will pay the going rate for a pint but not if they have to stand outside in the rain to drink it.
At last! well done for bringing this point up, i said straight from the start that the breweries should be fighting the ban, but as you say, they didnt give a toss, so serves them right, i used to be a very regular pub goer, but hardly ever bother at all now,that is the sort of customer they have lost, the real ones, that went regularly, and spent a lot! i drink at home and smoke to my hearts content, i saw on the news, that snooker is in a slump, i wonder why? i used to play at least once a week, i dont go at all now, and our local club is closing down, another pleasure lost due to the ban! well done labour!
I hadnt realised until Colin mentioned it, but I've recently noticed that a lot of pool tables have mysteriously disappeared from pubs that had still attracted a fair crowed of punters since the smoking ban.
And a local pub that still has one lies empty or with a lone player more often than not.
Guess the Landlord doesent see the need to revert it back as there's no drinkers to fill it either.
The government can do all three of the above "scrapping the alcohol duty, tighter control on off trade pricing and change to the beer tie" but if they do not relax or ammend the smoking ban in pubs and clubs nothing will change as far as improving trade and getting more customers to use these places again.
At last,after years of suffering the wind and frost standing outside, we now have the chance to kick em in the ballots, the only place they will feel it. If you're not too sure who is to blame- The lib-dems sided wholly with labour,the tories mostly against. The only party committed to bringing back sanity (and ashtrays) to our pubs and clubs is UKIP.