THE GUV'NOR

Peter Eveleigh

Licensees must unite in a trade group, says the

Riverside Inn, Bradford-on-Avon, Wiltshire

Did I read or hear the other day that the trade union Unison had all but secured a U-turn for their teacher colleagues to take a more pro-active stance with disruptive students?

Didn't I also read in the MA the "disappointed" (sloping shouldered) reply from the Home Office to the letter from Peter Furness-Smith of McMullen Brewery (MA, 12 April 2007) on the lack of police and Crown Prosecution Service support for bar staff just trying to do their jobs.

Yet at the same time we have part of the Yorkshire police force trying to target under-age drinkers and still another force funding an initiative to introduce polycarbonate "glass" against veiled threats to review premises' licence conditions. And the sting operations will go on this summer.

Where is the voice of the coal-face operator or licensee in all this? With very few exceptions, I'll warrant they are hunkered down in the office trying to keep businesses on target against the more immediate issues of diminishing market share, planning for the smoking ban, contending with overhead cost increases and the raft of other problems eroding our businesses.

So what is the core purpose of this rant? Much to the fore is the issue of getting involved.

Apathy is dangerous in these high-speed, interactive days of the internet, and can only damage business viability.

Just look at what vociferous minority pressure groups have achieved in recent years.

By the very nature of the licensed on-trade, we have no cohesive trade association willing to stand up for our businesses with an unambiguous lobbying voice.

The trade press do a valiant job in the face of such apathy, but, while willing, they hardly have the voice of the Unisons of this world.