|
The Thoughts of Chairman Mick
Is Russia going back to being a totalitarian state? It certainly seems that way after a third and final reading of a new Bill. Not only will it ban the sale of beer near schools and kindergartens, but will also outlaw drinking in public places, such as parks, stadiums and public transport. A few months ago, new legislation stopped beer commercials being shown between 7-10pm. Even sillier, next year there will even be a ban on using people or animals in ads. And no, this isn't the April edition!
Still with the Russians, the Baltika brewery opened its first pub/restaurant in Glasgow last month. Is this the first in a new trend of Russian theme pubs? By the way, Baltika are also planning to export to Iraq next year. Wouldn't Belgium's Bush Beer be more appropriate?
Those of you who have been following my Miles Templeman saga (Whitbread, Bulmer, Eldridge Pope and now Director General of the Institute of Directors) and his record of closures and sell-offs, may be interested in the latest exciting episode. Having been a nonexecutive director of Shepherd Neame for the last couple of years, he will become chairman next October. Anyone looking for a brewery in Kent?
Scottish Courage are putting a responsible drinking message onto cans and bottles, with Fosters, Kronenberg 1664 and Strongbow also being made available in plastic bottles. As they are all keg, perhaps the message should read "Drink something else"!
Constellation Europe, the current name for Matthew Clark (Taunton, Gaymers etc) now have a section called the Gaymers Cider Company to deal specifically with cider matters. The fact that Gaymers was traditionally made in Norfolk, not in the West Country seems to have been conveniently forgotten. It will probably be based around premium drinks and new products. It's a pity they don't also look at old products - like real cider.
With Scotland now talking about banning smoking in public places, which will obviously include pubs, the ban in Ireland has apparently seen a big drop in takings. The Vintners Federation of Ireland claims that business in rural pubs has dropped on average by an alarming 25%, while pubs in Dublin have also been hit by an average of 16%. Bars in New York have also seen a drop in trade since their smoking ban. It is also reported that since Ireland's smoking ban started last March, 23million fewer pints have been drunk - a 6% decrease - and figures are likely to be down 9-10% for the year. Pubs with nowhere to have facilities outside for smokers are down 30%. It is obvious that non-smokers who may go to pubs more often now that they are smokefree will not make up this deficit.
Now while all this is due mainly to the effects of passive smoking on staff, there is still widely conflicting evidence on this issue. Only a few days ago, I saw on television a report about research which the Government has not published. It claims that the normal chances of getting cancer are 10 in 100,000, and if you passively smoke it increases to 12 in 100,000, virtually no difference. Let's have some conclusive evidence before we go completely over the top!
And finally, reports in the press suggest that Chris Evans may have put in a bid for the Sir Richard Steele pub in Belsize Park. If he gets it, will he give it a red thatch? He could always buy Leyton Orient instead, after all, we play in red and could do with his money.
Mick Lewis
Reproduced from the Full Pint, Issue 28.
|
