Quote:
Originally Posted by Acrylic-bob
Of course the breweries must shoulder a great deal of the responsibility for the current pricing structure, but not all of it by any means. The breweries did not set the punitively high tax rates or the equally punitive business rates. the breweries did not insist on the implementation of Health and Safety legislation, nor did they implore government and local government to quadruple the beurocracy surrounding the granting of a licence. Supermarkets and franchised off licences and newsagencies are able to negotiate with the breweries for bulk sales at discount prices. these prices are unavailable to the average landlord because the volume of sales is not there anymore.
Unless and until the playing field is level pubs and clubs will always loose out to the supermarkets' philosophy of 'pile it high and sell it cheap' (or at cost ).
To my mind the use by the supermarkets of alcohol as a loss leader is morally reprehensible and has disastrous social consequences. And this is a situation entirely brought about by the introduction of the twenty four hour licence.
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Even Accy Asda doesn't sell booze 24 hours which rather makes a mockery of that argument.
You still can't come back to me and explain why a tied house pays almost twice as much per barrel of beer than a free house does. How is that Labour's fault? Wake up Bob, take off the political blinkers and see the world how it really is for a change. It's like the old classic about obesity being the government's fault because of packaging regulations not being strict enough.
All governments have their faults but blaming everything on them is the lazy option.