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Tuesday, 9th February 2010

Protect pubs campaign launched in Wigan

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Published Date:
19 November 2008
A campaign to protect Britain's pubs is to be launched in Wigan.
The United Kingdom Independence Party (UKIP) chose the town as venue for the launch of its Save The British Pub campaign and will roll it out nationwide if the event is a success.

The party is preparing for a public meeting at Newtown Labour Club
on December 10.
It wants a change in the law to allow smoking rooms and also wants the Government to change taxes on drinks. It chose Wigan because it believes there is great support for pubs in the town.

The campaign comes as the third Standish pub closed in as many weeks. Many traditional pubs are now boarded up across the borough.
Wigan UKIP chairman Alan Freeman will chair the meeting and guest speaker will be anti-smoking ban landlord Nick Hogan.

UKIP have also invited Wigan MP Neil Turner to debate on the evening, although his office have said that with Parliament sitting that day he is unlikely to attend.

Mr Freeman said: "With Christmas and the New Year festivities just around the corner, now is the ideal time to launch. People who maybe haven't been out for a while, go out for a drink and are reminded how important pubs and clubs are in community life.

"I can't think of anything more wrong than the site of 70, 80 and 90-year-olds having to stand outside in the cold because they happen to like a smoke.
"No wonder some have given up going out altogether, and are now suffering the consequences by being lonely and isolated. I go to Labour clubs and social clubs myself, and am very worried about what is going to happen to many of them.

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  • Last Updated: 19 November 2008 5:05 PM
  • Source: Wigan Evening Post
  • Location: Wigan
 
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philfromwigan,

wigan 20/11/2008 08:54:14
I,m a non smoker, but I agree with the comments hat there should be a room or a place set aside for smokers it is unfair to be made to go outside, in the cold and rain, but the best way to save the pubs, and clubs is to slash the price of a pint, years ago, if the beer went up it was by one or two pence at a time, now they think nothing of raising it five or ten pence, or even more, the greedy b******s And even more so the greedier Rachman type breweries with their outrageous rent demands from the landlords, carry on the way you are, and the great British pub will die a death. In years to come, I,ll be saying to my grandchildren "ee when I was a lad you could go out and get a pint for 2 quid" now you need to pay in instalments.
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celedrialjoy,

wigan 20/11/2008 09:06:24
Hear hear;
At last someone from a political party that has the guts to be unpolitically correct. I see as usual niel turner is running away from any form of confrontation suprise suprise!
Keep the good work up (UKIP) Although I was under the impression that this party was strongly affilliated to NEW- labour.
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Bill Burrows,

Wigan 20/11/2008 15:56:13
Turner will never go anywhere near Newtown on the night of the meeting. He did as he was told in Parliament and voted down smoking in pubs. He's always been a coward when it comes to giving answers to the public on why he fails to support the majority views of the public instead of the minority opinions of New Labour. The smoking ban was a huge blunder as most New Labour initiatives.
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english charlie,

20/11/2008 19:48:43
Providing the pub or club have the correct signage, all ashtrays removed and the punters are told that smoking is illegal when anybody lights up, the licencee has done his duty and shouldn't be prosecuted. Only the smoker can be fined, but I believe he has the right to silence.
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paganlass,

BJO12345 20/11/2008 20:23:51
If this story is true then I applaud UKIP for taking notice of the consensus of opinion amongst ex pub goers.
Smokers do not appreciate being forced to stand outside a pub and are not bothering to go out.
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DaveA,

Room101 20/11/2008 20:44:43
Common sense whatever next? Well done UKIP I wish you well and Labour go into hiding.
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Seasider,

U.K 20/11/2008 22:58:51
I do not go to pubs anymore purely because of the Smoking ban !, The casual drinker wouldn,t mind paying £2.50 or £3.00 for a pint as they would only drink two or three, which is less than a tenner !, too much emphasis is made of alcohol pub prices keeping pubgoers away ,only bingedrinkers would complain ?the Smoking ban is definately the main cause !
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Merlin90,

21/11/2008 00:21:41
To be treated as a second class person whilst visiting a pub isn't my idea of an ideal establishment. There's no-way I'd stand outside a pub for a smoke, result? I simply don't visit them any more. I could put up with inflated prices - to a point. Much talk is about unfair competition from supermarkets, well lower prices at supermarkets have been around for a long time, nothing new there. Even if supermarket prices were raised, it would still not get me back into a pub. I sympathise with the licenced trade, but, they simply sat back and allowed this smoking ban to come into effect.

I'll never, ever, vote Labour again. They lied in their last election manifesto.
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Benedict,

21/11/2008 09:34:54
Surely these pub closures have more to do with the cheap price of ale in supermarkets and people going out less due to the economic climate than the smoking ban. Was surprised to see the Dog & Partridge closed. Always thought it did really well that pub.
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Dilbert,

Wigan 21/11/2008 12:12:16
I agree - let smokers have their own room - then lock the door.

Smoking was banned for a lot of sensible reasons. If you want to smoke, do it at home.

The only pubs that are failing are the grotty, stinking holes that deserve to. How many decent, clean and inviting pubs are closed because of the ban?

That's not a rhetorical question by the way - I'd love to know the answer.
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