Sunday 7 Feb 2010: Government announces appointment of a Minister for Pubs. Housing Minister John Healey, apparently a pub fan, will work across portfolios and report at Cabinet level. He will lead a task force of 5 ministers.
Monday 8 Feb 2010: Healey confirms his new role will be in addition to his Housing role at DCLG, and says he aims to bring proposals forward within a few weeks. These could include a plea to HM Treasury to postpone any additional duty rise on beer, and a look at planning laws to make it harder to apply for change of use or demolish when a pub closes.
Thursday 11 Feb 2010: A Housing Minister sparks fury by remarking during a Radio 5 Live interview that, in some cases, repossession of the family home can be the "best thing". Guess which minister opened his mouth and inserted his foot..? Yep. Homeowners and political opponents call for an apology and his resignation.
This gaff-prone administration don't seem to be able to get anything right.
Saturday, 13 February 2010
Thursday, 11 February 2010
Beer Evangelism: Little Acorns?
Giddy from my huge lunchtime scoop, I headed off to the Battersea Beer Festival. I've been every year since 1995, I think, and even though the past couple of years had started to make me feel this fest was dying on its arse through not enough beer and a venue that couldn't cope, I was meeting an old workmate for a few halves and some beery chat.
DP pitched up, we settled into some Hook Norton Double Stout and reminisced about London Drinker, Twickenham and some workplace beery episodes. Then he asked me if I remembered his mate Craig. Not clearly I didn't, so he proceeded to remind me of Craig's first beer fest, at this very venue a few years ago, where, being a lager drinker, he couldn't find anything he could drink. DP recalls I took him to the Foreign Beer Bar and 'nursed' him (DP's words) through some beers he could get down.
Craig was heading our way, but these days with no apparent misgivings about his choice of bevvy. Rather, he had become a bit of a real-ale monster. And so it proved. He found us sipping Otley 08, but was himself keeping his powder dry by working through sessionable strength stuff, but the list was no longer in some strange version of English, and he was set for an evening out enjoying a diverse beer list.
It made me think of Pete Brown's musing on the fruitlessness of painting beer as the new wine. A couple of years ago I had a time, a place, and a drinker who was out of his comfort zone. A bit of enthusiasm, knowledge and trust and now he's enjoying good beer.
I admit I grinned.
DP pitched up, we settled into some Hook Norton Double Stout and reminisced about London Drinker, Twickenham and some workplace beery episodes. Then he asked me if I remembered his mate Craig. Not clearly I didn't, so he proceeded to remind me of Craig's first beer fest, at this very venue a few years ago, where, being a lager drinker, he couldn't find anything he could drink. DP recalls I took him to the Foreign Beer Bar and 'nursed' him (DP's words) through some beers he could get down.
Craig was heading our way, but these days with no apparent misgivings about his choice of bevvy. Rather, he had become a bit of a real-ale monster. And so it proved. He found us sipping Otley 08, but was himself keeping his powder dry by working through sessionable strength stuff, but the list was no longer in some strange version of English, and he was set for an evening out enjoying a diverse beer list.
It made me think of Pete Brown's musing on the fruitlessness of painting beer as the new wine. A couple of years ago I had a time, a place, and a drinker who was out of his comfort zone. A bit of enthusiasm, knowledge and trust and now he's enjoying good beer.
I admit I grinned.
Home Office Commissions 'Alcohol Attitudes' Survey
How do I know? I was telephoned while in the midst of serious broadcasting research last night (watching a repeat of Doctor Who), by somebody from Continental Research. Would I mind answering some questions? Not at all, I said, fire away.
The survey points up all of the current hot-button topics: supermarket and off-trade pricing; crime and anti-social behaviour; health. They asked a range of questions on minimum pricing, the most interesting being, what did I think should happen to the extra revenue raised from such a move. They were also interested in awareness of any initiatives in England on minimum pricing.
Interestingly, they asked whether I thought the media had sensationalised its reporting of alcohol-related news. I replied that I thought there were sometimes some problems with the data they were given to report.
I rang Continental Research this morning to find out more about the survey. It was only recently commissioned, and they are asking 1,200 randomly-selected people. Right now, they say, their client is not looking to develop the findings into a second stage, so I'll be watching to see when they are published.
The survey points up all of the current hot-button topics: supermarket and off-trade pricing; crime and anti-social behaviour; health. They asked a range of questions on minimum pricing, the most interesting being, what did I think should happen to the extra revenue raised from such a move. They were also interested in awareness of any initiatives in England on minimum pricing.
Interestingly, they asked whether I thought the media had sensationalised its reporting of alcohol-related news. I replied that I thought there were sometimes some problems with the data they were given to report.
I rang Continental Research this morning to find out more about the survey. It was only recently commissioned, and they are asking 1,200 randomly-selected people. Right now, they say, their client is not looking to develop the findings into a second stage, so I'll be watching to see when they are published.
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