Opinion: Coming together to deal with the devil

"Try to think as the other person thinks" - Michael Corleone: The Godfather - Part II​

The government is big on dealing with a single message from the industry. That is the line we have been fed constantly in the past few years in relation to the Budget.

After every increase in duty, Whitehall has criticised the lack of a single voice presented to Downing Street on the issue. All it sees is industry in-fighting. On versus off-trade, beer versus wine, wine versus spirits — everyone versus cider…

Finally the industry has come together by agreeing a 'Memorandum of Interests', which has been signed by the Wine & SpiritsTrade Association, the British Beer & Pub Association, the Association of Cider Makers and the Scotch Whisky Association among others. As one, they will lobby the Treasury on duty.

But why, we should be asking ourselves, does the government want us to speak with one single voice?

The main aim of this new conglomerate is to attack the duty escalator. Let us say it is successful in getting it dropped. Will the industry be happy? Absolutely not.

Brewers will grumble about their lot compared with everyone else. Spirits will look at the amazingly lenient duty rate applied to cider and wonder why it is not brought in line. Etc, etc. etc…

The government wants an easy life. This is what it does with all complicated lobbying issues. It wants it neatly packaged into one little box, so it can more easily deal with or dismiss it. It can't be doing with numerous interest groups. Frankly, it has no inclination to deal with complications.

That the whole industry is coming together is laudable. But we are dealing with the devil. And the devil has its own agenda.