There will no doubt be a plethora of comment concerning the proposal to introduce minimum pricing and I don’t propose to add much to it. Except to say I am in favour and believe it will result in overall social benefit. It is important for the proponents of minimum pricing to rebut the arguments put forward by such bodies as the British Retail Consortium that this will penalise the “responsible drinker.” Highest estimates indicate that it will cost such a person approx £20, this is the price of a cheap concert ticket or modest three-course meal. That’s all I wish to say about minimum pricing instead I wish to make a plea for us to support the British pub.
Following
the budget the price of alcohol will rise above the level of inflation. Due to their economies of scale the large
supermarkets will absorb these. However
the pub will be forced to pass on these rises to the consumer or work on
increasingly narrow profit margins. I
have recently published a review paper (Foster and Ferguson 2012) that pointed
out the trend towards more drinking in our homes was long standing but now
accelerating. Home drinking is driven by
cost, convenience and a perception alcohol is associated with rewarding a days
work or childcare and intrinsic to relaxation and winding-down. However arguably the most telling section of
the paper was a Mintel internet survey (Mintel 2010) of adults showing 92 (11%)
of those surveyed agreed that higher prices in supermarkets would not make them
use pubs and bars more often.
Home
drinking has clearly become a lifestyle choice for many people-does this
matter? A pub is much more than a place
that sells alcohol or provides work. In
many places it is a social glue. I come
from the south west of England and have seen many villages that previously had
a vibrant pub that has closed and have become virtual dormitories as a result. Most thriving rural communities have a public
house, post office and small supermarket (often the same place), once one of
these goes the others swiftly follow and quality of life is diminished. Some readers may feel this is the price of
progress and are quite happy to buy virtually all their shopping under one roof
but there are those left behind not able to exercise this option. Many rural areas are low wage economies with
at best unreliable public transport. Using
a pub cannot of itself ensure that an area retains its social coherence but
losing may result in an isolated increasingly atomised area.
So
how about if rather than bulk buying wine or beer on discount next time we
embark on our weekly shop to accompany a la liga match or DVD box set, we made
a conscious decision to spend that money and socialise in a public house. Most pubs are well-run pleasant environments
selling a selection of wines, beers and spirits and a licensee who has to
achieve a balance between letting their customers enjoy themselves whilst
ensuring safety for all. It is not in
their interests to let standards slip. A
pub that provides only alcohol is now unlikely to survive. In the pubs that I use there are regular
activities such as music events, movies, quiz nights and games such as dominos
and cards to name but a few. If you wish
to you can watch Lionel Messi slalom through another hapless defence. There is a return back to providing some of
the social activities that used to characterise them in the 1970/80s but the
environments are far more welcoming to men, women and at times children and the
products being sold of a far higher quality.
If
we cease to become social beings, we care less about others or the environment
in which we operate and we are all the poorer for it. So let’s chose to spend some of our
disposable income in a pub rather than at home.
It takes a little effort but it is worth it.
Foster JH and Ferguson C. (2012) Home Drinking: A key
challenge for Public Health. Alcohol and
Alcoholism, DOI 10.1093/alcalc/ags020
Mintel.
(2010) Alcohol purchasing in supermarkets-UK. URL:http://oxygen.mintel.com/sinatra/oxygen/display/id=481064.
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