The Demise of the British Pub

silverclaws

Senior Retro Guru
The British pub, the local, that institution so close to the working man's heart for centuries, what has become of it ?

It's dying and in some places dead.

Even one of my locals has decided to treat it's regular customers with absolute contempt tonight by shutting early and telling no one whilst they sat there. Yeah, this post is fuelled by anger at a night ruined by a pub that has just lost my business. No matter to me, there are three others to choose from, but I was where I was this evening through seven years of tradition a once weekly round up with my mates.

You see I have the sort of mind that needs boundaries so I know where I stand to be comfortable and in control of a situation that situation being me and my enjoyment, but I notice now the traditional bells to call last orders and time in many pubs is no more, replaced with the secretive cashing up when it suits them.

Now I blame the last government for this and their desire for the continental cafe culture they believed they could instill in Britons of all people, hey, we are Brits we have always done our own thing, but what has resulted is the pub trade starting to die, as no one knows where they stand anymore, traditional customers are moving away, a long standing British tradition pretty much dead.

Sure the smoking ban took it's toll, but way back in time the traditional British pub was more civilised and had 'Smoke Rooms' which later were knocked through to make a pub bigger to make the space look more empty now seeing as many a customer has given up , but in modern times we are less civilised, we send the leper smoker outside in the wind and rain.

And now we have the war on the so called 'binge drinker', the latest buzz word the shysters in government are using to clamp down further on what little remains to enjoy in the forms of leisure in our society, what is happening to our drinking institutions, what is at work if it is not temperance ideology ?

For sure the logical solution is to return to the licensing laws we had before, which worked for decades, the 'continental' experiment over as it is a failure, for we are not continentals, we are Britons and we need to know where we stand, so we may enjoy what we have in terms of leisure allowed to us.

Any thoughts ?
 
£3.50 a pint doesn't help forced on them by taxation. The big brewers making all their pubs clones of each other? I do like a pint of ale and ideally would like to do that in a pub but just don't have the time very often. Work is very full time, ferrying the kids to various activities, trying to fit in around 50 miles a week and lose a bit of weight.

I drive a fair few miles in different parts and there do seem to be a lot of boarded up pubs around.
 
silverclaws":2nm268pp said:
Even one of my locals has decided to treat it's regular customers with absolute contempt tonight by shutting early and telling no one whilst they sat there.....Any thoughts ?

They knew you were coming :LOL:
 
warpedboy2":3137ma2t said:
tintin40":3137ma2t said:
I'd be happy to see all pubs go bust.

As long as you are OK..... :roll:

Yes. That's how it is now. Since 1979 i'm all right jack.

Plus having lived near pubs. It's a nightmare.
 
I think cheap supermarket booze has had a massive effect too.

How can we rationalise £3.50 a pint when its 75p a can in your lounge? Seems supermarket beer has got cheaper (loss leader?) while pub beer only goes up.

The "real ale" and "gastro pub" resurgence is propping up the industry which is no bad thing, you can only get fresh real ale in a pub, equally the standard of cheap pub food is much better now than 16 years ago.

Times change - equally there was a time when there were no pubs at all. That time will come again and something else will replace our social need.
 
Times have changed and culture has evolved, good pubs that serve decent pints and food are thriving where i live, whilst the corner boozer with poor product and service is dying on its arse; their customers choose to get a four pack from the supermarket for just more than a pint costs.
 
was8v":d5ep8yh0 said:
I think cheap supermarket booze has had a massive effect too.

How can we rationalise £3.50 a pint when its 75p a can in your lounge? Seems supermarket beer has got cheaper (loss leader?) while pub beer only goes up.

Depends on the booze. £3.50 for a hand-pulled pint of proper ale in a good pub beats a 75p can of cheap & nasty fizz and a night in front of ITV1 hands down.

David
 
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