The following article first appeared in The Mercury Newspaper, Yorkshire. Reproduced with kind permission.
We at f2c sincerely hope that all you licensees took full advantage of the festive season to fill your tills to capacity - and then some more! A very Happy New Year to you all.
As you are all probably aware, 52 pubs a week are now closing in Britain due to the smoke ban; this will now accelerate as we approach the ‘barren times’ in the pub cycle. Some of you may have had a ‘boom-time’ fortnight, some of you may have survived pleasantly but there is one group of pub orientated people who are severely struggling because of the smoking ban. Musicians.
Christmas time is no longer a time of earning good money and feeling festive for them. They cannot earn the money they used to, before the smoking ban came in, as the pubs cannot afford to pay the rates anymore!
As with all cities there are plenty of excellent entertainers to select from for a nights entertainment in an attempt to draw more customers through the doors but things are changing for our ‘muso’s’ - and not for the better. Here in Leicester there stood a ‘muso’s pub, near the city centre, named The Charlotte. Every night young musicians started on their hopeful road to glory by performing at the pub, yes the likes of Showaddwaddy, through to Kasabian, all started there. But since the smoking ban it has died the death of many a hostelry as the punters spent more time outside smoking than inside. Bands stopped appearing, customer base dwindled, pub closed a few months ago. A part of musical history gone forever.
Our entertainers, of all varieties, are now struggling to find venues willing to pay them for a few hours work at night. We have the weird scenario of one entertainer offering two nights for the price of one! He has not been booked to appear anywhere this Christmas/New Year as the pubs that do invite entertainment are all struggling to make ends meet. The shame of it is that he is a damn good singer who, 3 years ago, would be booked 5 or 6 nights per week throughout most of the year! He is one of many.
The fact that he is not appearing this year (anywhere) speaks volumes for the desperation this ridiculous smoking ban has caused. You see folks, it is not only the pubs/clubs that suffer due to the dearth of smokers attending pubs anymore, it is all the subsidiary businesses that go with it. Musicians, draymen, slot machine repairers etc are all joining the ranks of the unemployed! This spiteful, divisive and socially devastating ban is causing havoc everywhere.
This is why all licensees need to unite to fight this badly implemented law for “people power” is all the people have left to fight with as governments march on oblivious to what is actually going on around them. The CIU have not aligned themselves with f2c for nothing for they realise the immense danger our hospitality sector faces. The CIU, as have f2c, always demanded CHOICE, for choice is the only democratic way forward and the only salvation for thousand of struggling pubs and clubs.
The only New Year’s resolution you need to make is to join the fight with freedom2choose (.info) before it is too late.
Phil Johnson
Freedom2choose.info
F2C Press Office
