No smoke without fire...

I read a shocking statistic today. EIGHT pubs are closing EVERY DAY in the U.K., as opposed to six per week prior to July 2007. There are the usual rants amongst our supposed superiors that the credit crunch has made people think twice about going out and spending their hard earned, but coincidentally, July 2007 saw the introduction of the much criticized smoking ban.

As a smoker, I was open minded. Like most, I thought a blanket ban was unnecessary, and that landlords should be given the choice. When Wetherspoons, a major chain of pubs decided to pre-empt the ban, trade fell sharply.
Now however, the very notion of a "British pub" is under threat. Few seem to be doing well, with pubs unable to offer any outside space seemingly hardest hit. In my village, on the outside of Leeds, there were five pubs pre-ban. Now, there are three.

In the last recession, the one place people sought salvation was in their local pub. Now? What incentive is there, when standing outside in the freezing cold without the social interaction that always made pubs what they were has now all but disappeared outside of the summer months.
The smokers that did go have not been replaced by the hordes of non-smokers that the government promised.

But do I sympathise with the publicans? Not really, as it happens. The one pub that I do frequent is thriving - they'd had enough, so now allow anyone to smoke as they wish.
It has clearly worked.

If more actually stood up to our useless government and the sham that is the smoking ban (anyone remember "passive smoking"?! It's been conveniently forgotten since being discredited), they'd at least stand a fighting chance.
If they still want to believe the ridiculous arguments that supermarkets are cheaper (they always were) and that it's the recession that's killed trade (it never did in the past), then go to the wall.

After ploughing everything you have into The Plough, I really don't think lying down and just accepting fate is going to help this time.
Enough simply is enough.

Anyway, I'm off for a drink, if I can actually find some room amongst my fellow smokers. The secret's out, and it seems more are following...