The Budget & ‘Wet Led’ Pubs. The Tories plebophobia or As Soon As This Pub Closes..
Its almost 20 years since Alex Glasgow, probably most commonly associated with When the Boat Comes In died, but a song he wrote for the Alan Plater play Close the Coalhouse Door seems relevant today.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alex_Glasgow
Hospitality including pubs have been very badly hit by the pandemic with many closed for extended periods. This was mostly unavoidable, although not helped by anti-alcohol campaigners who continue to hope they stay closed for ever.
Rishi Sunak’s Budget on 3rd March recognised this to an extent. Measures like a modest extension to the furlough, reduction in business rates, grants and loans to allow businesses to recover and cuts in VAT (although not on alcohol- here also duty continues to be frozen rather than cut despite long running CAMRA efforts).
Broadly all this comes in the better than nothing category except for one area-‘wet led’ pubs- those that rely entirely or mainly on the sale of alcohol and don’t sell much in the way of food. They won’t benefit from the VAT cut (again) and nor is there any recognition that they have had to close for much longer than some other places.
One begins to suspect a certain class prejudice against a certain kind of pub- the community boozer often- which caters for all rather than just subsets of people. A correspondent in the Morning Star (not me) recently termed this as ‘plebophobia’.
After all what are people doing in these pubs? Not having a nice meal and a chat about things perhaps. Are they organising and plotting subversive activities? After all amongst a range of other things pubs have a reputation for such things and the authorities have had concerns about that since at least the French Revolution in the 1790s.
Even so Alex Glasgow’s message (last line aside) still seems relevant
As Soon As This Pub Closes
I could have done it yesterday if I hadn’t a cold,
But since I’ve put this pint away I’ve never felt so bold.
So as soon as this pub closes, as soon as this pub closes,
As soon as this pub closes, the revolution starts
I’ll shoot the aristocracy and confiscate their brass,
Create a fine democracy that’s truly working class.
As soon as this pub closes, as soon as this pub closes,
As soon as this pub closes, I’ll raise the banner high
I’ll fight the nasty racialists and scrap the colour bar,
And all fascist dictatorships and every commissar.
As soon as this pub closes, as soon as this pub closes,
As soon as this pub closes, I’ll man the barricades
So raise your glasses, everyone, for everything is planned,
And each and every mother’s son will see the Promised Land.
As soon as this pub closes, as soon as this pub closes,
As soon as this pub closes … I think I’m going to be sick
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