MyShout
It's about time we fought our corner before alcohol becomes a dirty word says Peter Linacre
I have a proposal. Let's go out and hire the best lobbyist man or woman we can get and begin to put our case.
When I say "we" I mean everyone in this country with a business interest in alcohol. That includes brand owners, spirit producers, wine importers, beer producers, pub owners and pub operators.
And by "our case" I mean that "alcohol is not the new devil but if we continue to say nothing then it soon will be".
Alastair Campbell might fit the bill. He seems to have a pretty good idea as to why we do not get our message across - which he put forcibly recently.
What is sad is that what he said is not news for
us - we all know we do not get our message
across.
We are fragmented, sectioned and we are not listened to by Government or the media.
We have loads of great trade associations doing a great job - but by any measure we are easy meat
for The Daily Mail or anyone who wants to have a target.
In the past our fragmentation was understandable, but on the issue of alcohol we are all in the same boat and we must do something.
There are lessons we can learn from other industries like tobacco and supermarkets - one reviled and one feared - but both use the power of the lobby and PR to make their case forcibly so that they do not give ground.
We have never done that. We are defensive and apologetic. That might have been appropriate as we went through licensing changes to address issues like smoking in public places, "binge drinking" and the rest. But if we do not make our case now we will be canon fodder.
This £28bn industry is under attack. We know it is the next on the list after smoking and fatty foods.
It is easy to attack us - and we never defend ourselves well or create a positive image of what
we do.
The Government can politely listen and do as they prefer because ours is a constituency without a clear voice.
Some might say that this is the role of the trade associations and other groups like Portman and its new creation Drink Aware.
While these bodies are essential, and any effort they make is important, they do not bring the entire vested-interest group together in a single, united, well-funded lobby.
We must take a leaf out of those industries which have been harried for decades.
Is the tobacco industry today noticeably weaker for all the litigation, threat of litigation, and abolition of advertising?
Time to reach out from beyond our own barriers and talk to the outside world about how positive and important our business is.
Time to hire the best. Maybe Alastair Campbell would like a new job?
