CAMRA's critics should aim at the real enemies

I'm greatly disturbed that a disconcertingly large number of people in our business seem to have declared open day on the Campaign for Real Ale (CAMRA). Recently I've clocked an unusually high number of verbal assaults on the 40-year-old campaign from a wide spectrum of our trade — breweries, hosts, journos and bloggers all seem to be enjoying putting the boot in.

I am not suggesting for a moment that the expression of anti-CAMRA sentiments is a kind of lèse majesté, but what I do find unappealing is CAMRA-knocking by individuals and companies to boost their own publicity. It makes a big and easy target, covering a lot of different areas and a diversity of people.

As a result you only have to say something against the campaign to get yourself or your organisation in print.

Heaven knows that's easy enough to do as the organisation does seem to have more than its fair share of beer-jihadist crazies, some of whom I could happily strangle myself, but we should think before we knock.

This is because the very fact that we have such a diverse UK beer industry today is due almost entirely to the efforts of CAMRA. Just look at the figures. When the campaign started there were 150 breweries in the UK owned by fewer than a 100 companies. Now there are 760, most of which are independent, offering British drinkers, according to my friend Ben McFarland, 4,000 different beers.

In its 40 years of existence CAMRA has created the environment in which this real revolution has become possible. Indeed foreign beer importers like Budvar UK should thank CAMRA for helping to create the beer lovers that have made our success in the UK possible.

It has often been observed that there is no more stubbornly rebellious business than our own, with one interest pitching against another and with too many organisations competing for the same ground, while the real enemies are ignored.

CAMRA national chairman Colin Valentine reminded us of the main ones recently: over legislation and taxation, and neo-prohibitionists disguised as a health lobby. It would be nice to think that when the CAMRA-inspired celebration of our industry, the Great British Beer Festival, goes on in a few weeks' time we might all use it to show a united front to our real enemies — instead of taking every opportunity to knock our own.