Title – Get another round in, lads – we’ve got some pubs to save
Source – The Sunday Times
Date – 25th January 2009
I’m not sure that Mr Clarkson has advanced our cause much with this latest article. Much as I welcome the rally cry to get people back into their local pub and support local business, his methods and reason for the current decline seem somewhat disjointed.
Firstly let us address the issue of smoking, I think whichever side of the fence you were on the war has been won and there will be no turning back. Maybe one day there will be a case won to have some kind of specialist smoking clubs or something similar if someone ever sees value in what would be an expensive legal battle; but the status-quo of no smoking is not something that is going to change, much as the fight to allow smoking back on planes or on the underground is hardly a cause celebre.
Much as people complained and the pub sector did lose business over it, the majority of people have accepted it and even most smokers grudgingly accept that their habit means they will be forced outside at regular intervals.
But his argument I am more at odds with is this notion that
Responsible Alcohol Retailing is somehow what is killing the sector. Two things are happening here, the first is that this is just Mr Clarkson being Mr Clarkson and sticking one finger up at the establishment, but I suspect like many people it is just a misunderstanding of the concept itself.Source – The Sunday Times
Date – 25th January 2009
I’m not sure that Mr Clarkson has advanced our cause much with this latest article. Much as I welcome the rally cry to get people back into their local pub and support local business, his methods and reason for the current decline seem somewhat disjointed.
Firstly let us address the issue of smoking, I think whichever side of the fence you were on the war has been won and there will be no turning back. Maybe one day there will be a case won to have some kind of specialist smoking clubs or something similar if someone ever sees value in what would be an expensive legal battle; but the status-quo of no smoking is not something that is going to change, much as the fight to allow smoking back on planes or on the underground is hardly a cause celebre.
Much as people complained and the pub sector did lose business over it, the majority of people have accepted it and even most smokers grudgingly accept that their habit means they will be forced outside at regular intervals.
But his argument I am more at odds with is this notion that
Responsible Alcohol Retailing is not as he makes out the ‘nanny state’ poking its nose in, well not yet anyway. People like me promoting ‘responsible alcohol retailing’ precisely because we don’t want more unworkable and expensive legislation. If we as an industry can work together to enforce voluntary codes of practice that are workable and flexible, it will provide the best solution for the Licensed Retail Sector and our customers.
As far as I can tell Mr Clarkson generally hates pubs, so maybe he is not an authority on them, but then again maybe his perception is also a valid one, because if the responsible alcohol retailing message is coming across as a patronising one, then it is the wrong message which is being sent. I firmly believe that those that are getting the message right, are giving themselves a competitive advantage. After all by his own admission one of the reasons he hates pubs so much is the ‘fighting’, responsible alcohol retailing goes a long way to reducing the incidence of violence. I guarantee that if he did go into a pub, had to push past a couple of drunks to get to the bar, compete with a 17 year old to be served and constantly look over his shoulder wondering where the next argument / fight was going to start; he would be the first out of the door.
No one is suggesting that alcohol retailers police the total consumption of individuals and the number of units they consume through their life and any attempt in the future to do such an impossible thing is something to be resisted. The question is; should we be told what we are consuming and a recommended daily allowance? I say yes, because without that information how can we make an informed choice, be that choice to moderate consumption or in Mr Clarkson’s case to ignore it. I believe that freedom of choice is important, but to choose we have to be informed.
It’s a fine line between informing and dictating. Don’t confuse your ability to retail alcohol responsibly and create an environment that increases customer numbers and decreases the costs associated with alcohol related disorder and the ‘nanny state’ or a patronising message. They are not the same.
Mr Clarkson you spend your life test driving cars, telling us how they handle and what speed they go and how safe they are. You give us the information to choose and your recommendations make a real difference to car sales. Is your message on car safety when you perform a crash test, the ‘nanny state’ telling us how fast we can drive a certain model of car or a useful source of information to allow us to choose the car for ourselves based on a number of factors, but keeping us informed of its limitations?
At Beyond The Blue we run a number of courses for those working in the Licensed Retail Sector including The National Certificate for Licensees Drug Awareness (NCLDA). Our bespoke Drug Awareness (DA) courses, which examine illegal drugs, their effects and the drug litter synonymous with their use are designed to reflect the nature of our clients working environment. Our Conflict Management and Resolution (CMR) course compliments these courses to help employees deal with Workplace Violence and drug related behaviour.
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