A round with The Publican

What made the news in The Publican this week 10 years ago, five years ago and last year.

1995​

• Independent brewers, unhappy with spiralling beer duty and illegal imports, launch a blistering attack on paymaster-general David Heathcoat Amory during a meeting at Young's Brewery in South London
• Publicans are urged to keep up the pressure for longer hours after Prime Minister John Major announces the "absurd" Sunday licensing laws in England and Wales are to be scrapped
• The National Association of Licensed House Managers stems the decline of its membership with a recruitment drive, picking up 33 new members during a three-day initiative.

2000​

• Licensees across the country face bankruptcy after millennium revellers shun pubs in favour of house parties and outdoor events
• Figures show a rise of more than 10 per cent in the amount of beer smuggled into the UK from mainland Europe during 1999
• Newcastle Brown Ale is rebranded as Newcastle Brown after supplier Scottish Courage said it believed the word "ale" could act as a "barrier to trial".

2004​

• Police officers call for a curb on the number of pubs and a ban on drinks promotions to stem the rise of drink-related violence
• Anthony Fuller, chairman of the Independent Family Brewers of Britain, launches a scathing attack on beer writer Roger Protz after he accuses the organisation of "smug complacency"
• Pub values rose by more than six per cent in 2003, reports Christie & Co, slower than in 2002. The property agent says a benign economy and a hot summer meant licensees were under no pressure to sell.