Kmflett's Blog

Pete Brown’s regular Sunday Times beer column this week covers what he acknowledges is the divisive subject of Wetherspoons. If you want to read it you’ll need to avail yourself of a print or on-line edition. After all Pete is not a registered charity!

However one comment he makes is I think worth highlighting. Referring to a North London Spoons he notes

‘Spoons was also the only pub where the posties, teachers and students drank and perhaps more tellingly the only place where you saw people of colour in any numbers that reflected their part in the community’

As someone who drank in the first Wetherspoons (ex-Marlers) in Colney Hatch Lane in Muswell Hill in 1979 and have continued to stop by Spoons from time to time ever since I’d echo that. I’m not sure its what Tim Martin set out to achieve, although Spoons would not have taken off in its original north-east London base if he hadn’t but in times like these its important.

G&T and fine red wine drinker Farage may do photo-shoots in or around Spoons. Meanwhile those who drink in Spoons represent a Britain very different from the one he wants.

The Ambridge Socialist

26^th April

Brian disinherits Adam

The Ambridge Socialist is no great fan of Adam, since he at the very least backed Brexit without any particularly obvious reason why. Brian having promised he would inherit Home Farm has now disinherited him. As Marx noted of the ruling class- a band of warring brothers. On that Adam has flown out to Hungary to consult Debbie…

First Bert and now Den

We are learning more about the backstory of the Horrobins by the week. Firstly proletarian hero Bert reappeared. Now Den has made an appearance as he is getting married to Sophie. Where all this is leading requires detailed dialectical investigation

Kirsty is pregnant

Kirsty has choices although Erik can be consulted if he is interested.

The Archers and temperance

It’s a recurring theme but Chris likes a beer as does Rex although possibly not quite so much. Alice is teetotal, also a perfectly reasonable and understandable choice. Is there any chance that Draught Bass will appear as a guest beer in The Bull?

The new cricket season

The Ambridge cricket season starts on 26^th April and after intervention by Alice both Chris and Rex will be in charge of what is now The Bull cricket team

Changing times

Helen has ditched Dane and since he hasn’t been heard recently possible buried him under the patio at Grey Gables. Meanwhile Miranda has moved into Home Farm and Brian hasn’t.

Spurs and the business of football

I’m a lifelong Spurs fan who lives a few minutes from the ground. Spurs face their first relegation since 1977 but the Financial  Times (18^th April) has another view and one I can well understand.

Namely that Spurs are in reality a state of the art stadium with a football club subsidiary.

In 2025 Spurs had revenue of £565 million the ninth highest in global football. The money comes from concerts and NFL games at White Hart Lane.

Haringey Council sends out text alerts to Tottenham residents and last weekend I was alerted that there was a big event at White Hart Lane. A Spurs game? Of course not. A boxing match.

In fact Spurs don’t spend as much on player wages as other ‘Big Six’ clubs. In 2023-24 Spurs  spent 43% of revenue on wages. Arsenal spent 53% and Liverpool 63%. The FT notes that historically player spending is correlated with strong performance.

Spurs the football team might still end up in the Championship in May sadly, there remains hope after beating Aston Villa but Spurs the business will still be doing very well come what may

World Penguin Day: No to Trump. For a Penguin Republic in the Falklands

PENGUIN LIBERATION FRONT

Neither Falklands or Malvinas but a Penguin Republic

25^th April

 For updates contact Keith Flett @keithbeard.bsky.social

MAKE THE FALKLANDS A PENGUIN REPUBLIC NOW

On World Penguin Day, the Penguin Liberation Front has renewed its call for a Penguin Republic in the Falklands.

The Falklands has over 400,000 penguins, as well as albatross, puffins and seals

We believe that the profits from penguin guano should no longer be expropriated but used to fund a functioning Penguin Republic in the Falklands Islands. In particular we are concerned that the far right Argentinian President Milie may try to sell the guano to the US President Donald Trump.

Humans will be welcome to remain but must recognise the majority democratic rule of penguins

Where we stand

We support the right of self-determination for penguins
We believe in peaceful co-existence between penguins, albatross and humans
The key element of the Falklands is not oil but guano.
We believe that penguins should receive the full benefits of guano production.

We demand

Britain and Argentina must recognise the Falklands as a Penguin Republic
All Falkland Island penguins in captivity are returned to the Falkland Islands
Keir Starmer sign a concord with an appropriate King Penguin in Guano
A special commemorative penguin postage stamp is produced

Penguin Liberation Front Convenor Keith Flett said it is time lessons were learnt over the Falklands. Penguins are the majority occupants and this must be recognised. Trump is not getting his hands on the guano.

Eric Hobsbawm on the FA Cup

The Marxist historian Eric Hobsbawm wrote about the link between a working class identity and culture and the rise of professional football. Hobsbawm himself was certainly a football fan and was suspected of being an Arsenal fan.

In the Invention of Tradition (jointly with Terence Ranger) Hobsbawm argued that the history of football cup finals tells the historian more about the development of an urban working class culture than more conventional sources.

In the Making of the Working Class 1870-1914 (a nod and a critique of E P Thompson as Hobsbawm notes) he argues that an increasing secular tendency saw working class support for unions and the Labour Party but it was also characterised by fish and chip shops and cup finals.

Where that culture is on the last weekend of April 2026 which sees the FA Cup semi-finals played is perhaps worth discussion. Is the culture and spirit of the early FA Cup finals now to be found not just in the big money games but in the lower leagues?

The Brewdog debts: drinks & hospitality

When Brewdog failed at the beginning of March it left £550m debts split roughly equally between the brewery and the bars and retail.

The Administrators Allix have posted a long list of debtors on the Companies House site. Most will get less than a penny in the pound back

Cave (beer distributors) £66,142

Sandford Orchards (cider) £73,522

Cloudwater £15,522

Molson Coors £98,386

Heineken £7,914

H Weston (cider) £20,400

Tennents £128, 327

Vault City £ 27,724

Buxton £247

Donzoko £594

Muntons (Malt) £960,617

Given the reputational issues one wonders why Vault City and Cloudwater traded with Brewdog when I doubt they were short of potential bartops. Buxton and Donzoko can be more easily understood on that basis.

As for Heineken and Molsons, who knows. The Administrator lists but does not give details!

Could Brewdog have been done differently? My piece for Culture Matters

BrewDog: Origins of the crisis and how a socialist approach could have made a difference – Culture Matters

PENGUIN LIBERATION FRONT

Neither Falklands or Malvinas but a Penguin Republic

25th April

 For updates contact Keith Flett @keithbeard.bsky.social

TRUMP IN THE GUANO. FALKLAND ISLANDS MUST BE A PENGUIN REPUBLIC

As the US disputes who runs the Falkland Islands, the Penguin Liberation Front has renewed its call for a Penguin Republic in the Falklands.

The Falklands has over 400,000 penguins, as well as albatross, puffins and seals

We believe that the profits from penguin guano should no longer be expropriated but used to fund a functioning Penguin Republic in the Falklands Islands. In particular we are concerned that the far right Argentinian President may try to sell the guano to the US if Donald Trump.

Humans will be welcome to remain but must recognise the majority democratic rule of penguins

Where we stand

We support the right of self-determination for penguins
We believe in peaceful co-existence between penguins, albatross and humans
The key element of the Falklands is not oil but guano.
We believe that penguins should receive the full benefits of guano production.

We demand

The Britain and Argentina recognise the Falklands as a Penguin Republic
All Falkland Island penguins in captivity are returned to the Falkland Islands
Donald Trump sign a concord with an appropriate King Penguin in Guano
That a special commemorative penguin postage stamp is produced

Penguin Liberation Front Convenor Keith Flett said it is time lessons were learnt over the Falklands. Penguins are the majority occupants and this must be recognised even by Trump.

With Tilray now in charge of Brewdog USA as well as in the UK a relaunch has been announced.

It comes framed by up to the moment management speak. There is to be a ‘renewed focus on flavor, disruption, momentum’.

Fortunately there will be beer involved with Elvis Juice at 6.3% taking the lead under the slogan ‘juiced up, lifted up’. Hazy Jane 7.2% and Baby Jane 3.2% will also feature along with Brewdog IPA 6.3%.

Punk IPA does not get a look in possibly because it is too much associated with the James Watt era and neither does Wingman which pre-Tilray Brewdog were promoting as a core brand.

Brewdog USA is ‘accelerating innovation and pushing the boundaries of what beer and beyond beer can be’.

So, that’s all good then.

Could a socialist approach have saved Brewdog? My analysis for Culture Matters

BrewDog: Origins of the crisis and how a socialist approach could have made a difference – Culture Matters