Even Winston Smith's Britain, impoverished and brutalized though it was, had pubs. George Orwell, peering into a distopic future he feared could only too easily come to pass, never dreamt of a publess future.
Well, dream on. The neighborhood pub's become an endangered species. The linked telescreen report cites a variety of reasons (most of them stem from various sorts meddling by the Servants Of The People) -- and mentions calls for the Government to bail 'em out. Glass of Victory gin, anyone?
We still have lots of nice pubs here. And the best hops in three parsecs. When you coming back?
ReplyDeleteA bailout for pubs? I like that idea better than a bailout for GM.
ReplyDeleteTam had the phrase exactly right: "The place where Great Britain used to be."
It saddens me to think that veterans fought and died to preserve what it has now become.
I can tell you in two words why most British pubs are having a massive downturn:
ReplyDelete"Smoking Ban".
What's the point of a pint without a fag (shut it you lot, you know what I mean)? That's what pubs are for. You're trudging home after a hard day, you belly up to the bar for a pint, a smoke, and a relax before heading back. I hardly go to the pub at all these days, because standing in the pouring rain trying to keep it off both beer and smoke is just depressing.
Bail out? Why not just stop telling people what they can and can't do?