Friday 20 February 2009

Conservatives - Save the Great British Pub (Jeremy Hunt).

From the Conservative Party:

With nearly 6 pubs closing every day of the week, and local pubs under threat, we believe that the Government should be doing more to save the Great British pub.

With nearly 6 pubs closing every day of the week, and local pubs under threat, we believe that the Government should be doing more to save the Great British pub.

33% of the price of every pint goes in Beer Tax to the Chancellor. Now the Government plans to increase beer tax further.

The Conservatives have called on the Government to help save our pubs and safeguard jobs by:

1.Cutting taxes on lower alcohol drinks such as beer and raising taxes on problem drinks like high strength ciders and alcopops in order to use the tax system to target binge drinking whilst ensuring that responsible drinkers and the traditional British pub are not unfairly penalised

2. Enforcing existing laws to deal firmly with irresponsible drinkers & premises

3. Trusting adults to make informed choices, not punish them for the actions of an irresponsible minority

4. Supporting the British pub as a vital part of local communities

Jeremy Hunt, Shadow Culture Secretary said:
"We all have our favourite local pub but up and down the country people have been losing theirs. Not only are they a critical part of our heritage but they are often hubs for local communities helping social groups, sports clubs and often even the village shop.

"For too long the Government has tried to tackle binge drinking by punishing responsible drinkers and landlords. With massive tax hikes and heavy handed regulation all Labour will succeed in doing is closing down more pubs. This has to stop. We should be proud of our brewers and proud of our pub industry and do what we can to support it which is why today we are launching this campaign."
You can sign a petition to save our pubs HERE.

6 comments:

Catosays said...

He's on a loser when a pub charges £5.70 for two pints of Fosters lager. This is in the country...not a
town.

Bardirect said...

Why does he appear to be drinking a pint of fucking irish? (fine drink though that is when in Dublin, Killarney, or similar) What's wrong with a proper bottle of stout or even a pint of mild?

Cate Munro said...

Hear Hear! Another great British institution that's heading down the preverbial lav into oblivion! It's a disgrace. Labour are systematically dismantling the fibre of British culture, and they need stopping before it's too late.

Anonymous said...

Typical Labour legislation. Save Pub workers from perceived dangers of passive smoking but cost many of them their jobs.

Anonymous said...

Thanks for the tip-off Steve, and I've signed the petition accordingly. One of the main attractions for me when I first came to England was the pubs, and I've stayed for over 50 years. Long may the pubs not just survive but prosper.

JP said...

So many things I cherish are disappearing before my eyes. There's even a threat to the UK itself from the EU and "nationalists"!

But at least I can drown my sorrows in a pint of my beloved real ale in my wonderful, friendly local. Or can I?! Does 4-6% count as low strength (low tax) or high strength (high tax)? I only have a couple of pints per week (or at least that's what I tell my wife) so it doesn't make a huge difference to me. But others will mind and if the pub closes my willingness to pay more won't help me!