Family Motto: Spero meliora. (Loosely translated as, "I hope for better things")
And if you don't like bad language, then bugger off.
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I usually post several times a day about differing subjects. Do scroll down
Alcohol concern and the powers that be would like us to have a minimum price for units of alcohol.
A unit is calculated as:
One imperialpint (568 ml) of beer at 4% ABV contains:
Just to make it clear.
Now the healthists cretins in the anti-fun lobby are trying to instigate a price of 50p per unit. Of course this is egged on by the pub trade who insist that supermarket booze is undercutting their trade.
Well mister pub owner, who charged me EIGHT times the unit cost, at lunchtime today, how do you justify that?
Of course the smoking ban that you rolled over and let happen, really had no affect did it? After all your pub is full of non smokers now, isn’t it?
This smoker normally drinks at home because of the ban on smoking in public places. Apart from it being cheaper I find the pubs are now soulless eating establishments devoid of character. The real characters are the ones outside having a laugh and a fag.
A few days ago I posted up a poll trying to gauge the response to smoking rooms in public houses. Below is produced the results as of last night. Now ASH (Action on Smoking and Health) would have you believe the opposite. When the smoking ban was introduced in 2007 they gaily came out with the statistic that 80% favoured this draconian law. My simple poll would beg to disagree.
My stats show that almost the exact opposite is the prevailing view. When you add “Most certainly”, “Maybe”, and “No I prefer to get pissed at home”, you arrive at a figure of 81%. The “No”, and “I hate smokers so I would boycott the pub”, just muster 17%.
Governments seem to have the prevailing view that they know best. I say bollocks to that. It’s my life and I’ll do what I want with it. I refuse to be a statist clone that religiously eats his “five a day”, eschews alcohol, and cycles everywhere to save the world from “Global warming” or whatever the new mantra is now. (FFS, don’t get me started on cyclists on a Sunday morning in rural Kent).
Incidentally I came across the best smoking shelter situated on the Kent coastline this weekend. Most of the time it was eighty percent enclosed, but with the provision that the windows could be ejected within seconds. Mind you I doubt whether the smoking inspector would have lived after being tossed off the white cliffs even if he had objected.
If I had my way, and was in Government I would stop the government funding of Neo Puritan organisations such as ASH and Alcohol Concern, and tell them to take a running jump.
So the Anti smokers thought they would be able to populate pubs full of non smokers?
Didn’t see that coming did they?
Mind you where I live we all buy our drink from the Supermarket (Cos it’s cheaper) and drink in each other’s homes in comfort, enjoying each other’s company.
In a strongly-worded report, the Business Select Committee criticised the large pub companies which run most of the country's pubs, so-called pubcos, saying self-regulation had failed.
The committee said that after being given a number of chances to change the way it runs the business, pubcos should now be subjected to statutory regulation.
That statutory regulation you want to bring in? Look at the last one you brought in. The smoking ban. Have you not thought that, that in itself, has done the most damage to the hospitality industry?
Almost three years after the introduction of smoking bans in the three countries, Scotland had lost 7.1% of its pub estate (467 pubs), Wales 7.3% (274), and England 7.6% (4,148). Scotland, which introduced a smoking ban a year earlier lost a further 4% of its pub estate in the fourth year after the ban, mirroring a similar decline in Ireland (11%) which banned smoking in pubs in 2004. Total pub losses in England, Scotland and Wales since the introduction of smoking bans in all three countries are in excess of 5,500. According to CR Consulting’s report, which was commissioned by the Save Our Pubs & Clubs campaign, “While there is significant variation in the trajectories of pub closures before the ban, there is an almost total correlation between the three countries after the ban. “This indicates that they are affected by a strong common factor ‐ the smoking ban. The correlation is in fact so close that the trend line for the three countries is identical.”
I would suggest that you MPs and your so called select committees butt out and do what you do best. The only problem is the only thing I think you have any expertise in, is fiddling your expenses and being professional liars.
I used to go to a local pub every Sunday before the smoking ban and had to fight my way to the bar. Now I rarely go once every three months. last Sunday I went. There were only five others in the pub, one of which was the barman. The other three were with me.
Just get out into the real world outside the Westminster bubble and speak to real people. Get away from your sycophants, and your lackeys in the MSM (a certain Nick Robinson from the BBC springs to mind) if you want to find out why pubs and clubs are closing at an alarming rate.
God give me strength. I truly hate the cunts. My MP hasn’t the decency to even acknowledge my correspondence. Yes you, John Stanley, you waste of space.
Guy Fawkes had the right idea. Roll on November the fifth. (or should that be filth)
These are, of course, renowned the world over as places to get to know the local people. To ensure a pleasant evening's drinking, follow these tips:
Select your pub carefully. The best pubs are those in the inner cities, around some of the least salubrious housing. The people here cannot afford to go out, so pubs in these districts are full of upper-crust Englishmen who travel here in their Bentley cars to get away from the hustle and bustle of country pubs.
Mix with the locals. These "toffs" often put on a coarse accent after a glass or two of beer; do not be intimidated, they are resting their throats after talking "posh" all day. They will be glad to play Eton college word-games: "Get Up, That's My Seat", "You look a puff-to-me!" and "Is-she-for sale?" Call out one of these games to any large chap, and have fun.
Order your drinks carefully. Bartenders are notoriously dishonest (indeed, they are proud of this tradition, and enjoy having their "leg pulled"). If you order a spirit drink, they will pour a little into your glass; insist on it being topped up to the brim. When tasting your first sip of beer, exclaim that there must be water in it. They will admire you for your candour, and will offer to buy you a drink "on the house". Pubs that sell "real ale" are attempting to emulate Budweiser beer; let the landlord know where he is going wrong. He will be very grateful for advice from an American.
"Darts" is a common pub game. Your opponent will throw darts at the circular board - your object is to pull them out faster than he can throw them. If you see a game in progress, reserve your place by rubbing out all the numbers on the blackboard.
It is common to find pool tables in pubs. Beware, they are not playing to American rules! To join a game of pool already in progress, simply pick up one of the cues provided, walk to the table, and quickly cue the black ball into the nearest pocket. You are now in the game. The object is to pot all your balls as quickly as possible without disturbing the white. Don't be disheartened if you miss a shot; quickly move on to the next. You score extra points for "blocking" your opponent's attempts to shoot, using your hands.
Remember that free snacks, such as crisps and peanuts, are kept behind the bar to retain freshness. For goodness' sake, don't let them "rip you off" by demanding money!
At about 11 o'clock, it is traditional for the barpeople to call the game of "time", leave their posts and wander around the pub, shouting at people. Do not be alarmed - they may sound like they want you to leave, but in fact the reverse is the case. English pubs close after dawn, and the staff are shouting to stimulate drinkers to continue spending their money. The object of this game is to remain where you are! To ensure you don't get thirsty during this period, buy a few rounds just before 11 o'clock (it's a slow time for the staff, so use this opportunity to chat). Drink slowly. You'll have ample opportunity to catch up when the barman returns to his post.
When you do leave the pub, you are likely to find a small crowd of happy revellers outside, singing traditional songs as they await their chauffeurs. This is known as "chucking-out time" The ladies in these crowds are sad and lonely; why not ask the male chaperones if their lady friends would like to come back to your hotel? Offer to make them very happy. The men will probably ask you to discuss the pedigree of their charges in the privacy of the pub car park.
Give me a hand here folks, should I choose option 1 or option 2? I'm still fit, a qualified Marine Engineer, computer literate, and a really nice person to know. (I might be stretching the last bit a little.)
(1) Retirement is the point where a person stops employment completely.
(2) A person may also semi-retire and keep some sort of retirement job, out of choice rather than necessity. This usually happens upon reaching a determined age, when physical conditions don't allow the person to work any more (by illness or accident), or even for personal choice (usually in the presence of an adequate pension or personal savings). The retirement with a pension is considered a right of the worker in many societies, and hard ideological, social, cultural and political battles have been fought over whether this is a right. In many western countries this right is mentioned in national constitutions.
To be honest, I haven't a clue what to do with the rest of my life. I was brought up with the work ethic and have followed it for 44 years, so to stop now will be like losing a loved one. On the other hand should I make use of the time to spend my life getting pissed every day in the pub, and run the risk of the pub closing down as I drive the other customers away with my boring sea stories.
