Hyndburn MP backs campaign highlighting plight of the pub industry

9:07am Monday 4th March 2013 in News

AN MP is backing a campaign to highlight the plight of the pub industry.

Hyndburn and Haslingden MP Graham Jones has pledged his support to the Message in a Barrel campaign – calling on the Government to cut beer duty.

The campaign has seen messages of support to Britain’s ailing pubs placed in a hand-crafted oak barrel. It was delivered to the treasury by MPs and representatives of the British Beer & Pub Association, CAMRA (Campaign for Real Ale) and SIBA (Society of Independent Brewers). The campaign is hoping to affect the level of beer duty in the budget.

Mr Jones said: “Beer duty has risen by 42 per cent since March 2008. This has contributed to falling beer sales in pubs and pub closures in recent years. “I hope the Chancellor takes note. Further tax hikes will close more pubs and cost more jobs.”

Brigid Simmonds, chief executive of the British Beer and Pub Association, which organised the barrel event, said: “I want to thank Graham Jones for championing beer and pubs.Beer tax hikes are not raising revenues for the Government, and with a duty freeze we can create local jobs.”

Comments(12)

happycyclist says...
9:40am Mon 4 Mar 13

Too late. Labour, the 'party of the working class' stuck the boot into a traditional working class culture, and it stayed down.

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frank says...
10:14am Mon 4 Mar 13

beer is seen as working class, so out of touch millionaires are always going to give it a hammering, just like everything else the working class rely on and can't afford to buy.

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woolywords says...
11:05am Mon 4 Mar 13

This proposal has a snowball in Hells chance of succeeding, as long as a certain few perceive that drinking is the curse of the working classes. They cannot be seen to be trumpeting how evil drink is, such as when they lambaste supermarkets for selling cheap alcohol, and then go on to cut the duty.
Sadly the VAT increases, the rise in duty and fuel costs have all taken their toll on the price of beer in a pub and yet the Government has done absolutely nothing to ease the situation.
Apart from me, has anyone else noticed how the price of beer has shot up, even in the supermarkets, when compared the the price of wine?
Will this seen the return of the good old fashioned wino to our streets, I wonder?

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JohnR1 says...
11:28am Mon 4 Mar 13

The demise of the Pubs is all part of the scheme controlled by the upper echelons to discourage the minions from congregating in order to stop them discussing the way we are being royally screwed from all directions.

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mavrick says...
11:41am Mon 4 Mar 13

When you see the problems caused by people who can not and should not consume alcohol, You would want to make alcohol so expensive people couldn't afford it. Then it becomes a drugs problem, So where do you draw the line? The cost of NHS treatment should be paid for by the establishments selling the alcohol. I wonder how much beer would go up in price then. Of course that is the bit we do see on the streets and T.V But we don't see the domestic violence that goes with it, or the abuse and the fear children have to endure as a result of a drunken parent. I am afraid I have little sympathy for the pub and the brewers. They cause the problem so let them help pay for the problem.

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jack daniels says...
12:00pm Mon 4 Mar 13

mavrick wrote:
When you see the problems caused by people who can not and should not consume alcohol, You would want to make alcohol so expensive people couldn't afford it. Then it becomes a drugs problem, So where do you draw the line? The cost of NHS treatment should be paid for by the establishments selling the alcohol. I wonder how much beer would go up in price then. Of course that is the bit we do see on the streets and T.V But we don't see the domestic violence that goes with it, or the abuse and the fear children have to endure as a result of a drunken parent. I am afraid I have little sympathy for the pub and the brewers. They cause the problem so let them help pay for the problem.
that's unfair Mavrick.

The problem is the flaws in humanity and our society, NOT alcohol use, and the majority shouldn't be tarred with the broad sweeping brush you have used here.

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jack daniels says...
12:04pm Mon 4 Mar 13

woolywords wrote:
This proposal has a snowball in Hells chance of succeeding, as long as a certain few perceive that drinking is the curse of the working classes. They cannot be seen to be trumpeting how evil drink is, such as when they lambaste supermarkets for selling cheap alcohol, and then go on to cut the duty. Sadly the VAT increases, the rise in duty and fuel costs have all taken their toll on the price of beer in a pub and yet the Government has done absolutely nothing to ease the situation. Apart from me, has anyone else noticed how the price of beer has shot up, even in the supermarkets, when compared the the price of wine? Will this seen the return of the good old fashioned wino to our streets, I wonder?
The greed of the supermarkets knows no bounds.

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2 for 5p says...
12:31pm Mon 4 Mar 13

Depends on the way the wind is blowing on that paticlular day.
MP are constantly telling us that they support minimum prices on alcohol, a policy that would see the price of beer skyrocket.
Then you get the same hypecits a week or two later saying that beer duty should be cut.

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Caspar the ghost says...
12:47pm Mon 4 Mar 13

Graham Jones puts his snout out of the trough when he thinks it will get him some popularity. he has no idea what has been happening to the way society has been altered by the socialist classes. Demonising tobbacco, now it's alcohol, next sweets, and then fatty foods. Too much governmental control by small people who believe that they know whats best for the rest of the world.

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workaholic says...
3:02pm Mon 4 Mar 13

'Work is the curse of the drinking classes! '

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woolywords says...
4:43pm Mon 4 Mar 13

workaholic wrote:
'Work is the curse of the drinking classes! '
Am surprised at your choice of quote, as I would have thought that you of all people would have exclaimed..
What contemptible scoundrel stole the cork from my lunch?

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bill_bob_thornton says...
9:46pm Fri 8 Mar 13

Maybe people just don't want to drink as much anymore... Why promote something which affects your health graham???

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