The end is nigh - thankfully

[johnofgwent]

Is it? the Canadians are having stun grenades fired at them and don't think for a minute the Westminster party or wee krankie wouldn't do the same given half a chance. While calling any resistance far right and probably Russian.

I think the T@@@ in the bay would. He is in record as finding the illegal antics of Welsh independence Marxists "exciting"

[Sheepy]

Is it? 
Trudeau wins vote to extend emergencies act in bid to demolish 'Freedom Convoy' (msn.com)
I don't think so, the Neo Liberals want total and complete control. 

[Sheepy]

Is it?
Sturgeon to keep Covid rules indefinitely -Scotland under lock and key while England freed (msn.com)

Sounds more like wee Krankie wants to use it to tighten her grip over the Scots and tell them they are under complete control on behalf of the EU. While in the background the strings are being pulled by the WEF. 

[Barry]

Of course, they always had the fall back that it was the magic jab which scientifically is absolute cobblers.

Sajid needs those over 75 years old to have another magic jibbyjab, Sheepy.
It's not like there is any financial gain for anyone, is it. 
However, he did lose the battle with Rishi this morning, so the end really is very nigh.

[Sheepy]

I think Trudeau has mis-judged the Canadian people.  He thought they would roll over, but they won't.  As for dictator Boris, he judged that if he carried on, the backlash would be too much.  On this occasion, he was right.  He really really wanted to carry on his tyranny, but wisely backed down.

Well, I guess you should be thanking those who did something about it then rather than just lie down and take it. Of course, they always had the fall back that it was the magic jab which scientifically is absolute cobblers.

[Scott777]

Is it? the Canadians are having stun grenades fired at them and don't think for a minute the Westminster party or wee krankie wouldn't do the same given half a chance. While calling any resistance far right and probably Russian.

I think Trudeau has mis-judged the Canadian people.  He thought they would roll over, but they won't.  As for dictator Boris, he judged that if he carried on, the backlash would be too much.  On this occasion, he was right.  He really really wanted to carry on his tyranny, but wisely backed down.

[Sheepy]

Is it? the Canadians are having stun grenades fired at them and don't think for a minute the Westminster party or wee krankie wouldn't do the same given half a chance. While calling any resistance far right and probably Russian. 

[Streetwalker]

That is indeed the case. It would be a shame to lose most of our pubs. Too many have gone already. And yet pubs are so expensive these days, and with ever growing millions experiencing cost of living problems due to sky high rents and house prices, huge energy bills, and expensive fuel, the pub is very much going to become an unaffordable luxury for many more people. The mental health benefits of getting out and socialising do not have to take place in pubs, so even from that point of view they are non-essential.

A major problem is price.

When I first began to frequent pubs 40 years ago it was possible to have a great night out for a fiver, including enough pints to get you well tanked up, some money for the jukebox and two or three games of pool, maybe just a little for the gambling machine, and some kind of takeaway on the way home. To do the same now would wipe out 100 quid, about 20 times as much. And wages are definitely not 20 times higher for most of us, though competing essential costs like rent have doubled or tripled in real terms. So pubs have become much more expensive places in real terms, whilst real term disposable incomes after essential bills  have actually shrunk, because wage increases have fallen far short of increases in things like rent, house prices, fuel, and energy costs.

In such a climate, for pubs to survive two things need to happen. The cost of living needs to be properly addressed and reduced, increasing people's disposable income. And pubs themselves need to be cheaper. The government could help with the latter certainly by greatly reducing the tax on alcohol sold in pubs and piling it onto supermarket alcohol sales instead.

But the soaring cost of living is the biggie. For as long as many more people find themselves struggling just to survive, fewer and fewer of them will have the spare cash for a night out down the pub. Reality bites.

With the cost of heating Steve it will soon be cheaper to turn the heating off and go and sip on a few beers down the local by the fire 

I think other luxuries will go before the pub in the cost of living squeeze and though I take your point its not the be all of socialising its an introduction to it for the young and a habit for old grunters like us that would be hard to replace for the majority of our socialising 

[papasmurf]

But the soaring cost of living is the biggie. For as long as many more people find themselves struggling just to survive, fewer and fewer of them will have the spare cash for a night out down the pub. Reality bites.

Pub prices got too dear for me a long time before the pandemic.

[srb7677]

There is also the very big chance of use it or lose it . Hundreds even thousands  of pubs close every year

That is indeed the case. It would be a shame to lose most of our pubs. Too many have gone already. And yet pubs are so expensive these days, and with ever growing millions experiencing cost of living problems due to sky high rents and house prices, huge energy bills, and expensive fuel, the pub is very much going to become an unaffordable luxury for many more people. The mental health benefits of getting out and socialising do not have to take place in pubs, so even from that point of view they are non-essential.

A major problem is price. 

When I first began to frequent pubs 40 years ago it was possible to have a great night out for a fiver, including enough pints to get you well tanked up, some money for the jukebox and two or three games of pool, maybe just a little for the gambling machine, and some kind of takeaway on the way home. To do the same now would wipe out 100 quid, about 20 times as much. And wages are definitely not 20 times higher for most of us, though competing essential costs like rent have doubled or tripled in real terms. So pubs have become much more expensive places in real terms, whilst real term disposable incomes after essential bills  have actually shrunk, because wage increases have fallen far short of increases in things like rent, house prices, fuel, and energy costs. 

In such a climate, for pubs to survive two things need to happen. The cost of living needs to be properly addressed and reduced, increasing people's disposable income. And pubs themselves need to be cheaper. The government could help with the latter certainly by greatly reducing the tax on alcohol sold in pubs and piling it onto supermarket alcohol sales instead.

But the soaring cost of living is the biggie. For as long as many more people find themselves struggling just to survive, fewer and fewer of them will have the spare cash for a night out down the pub. Reality bites.

[Streetwalker]

There is a big potential problem with rustled lamb, it could be not fit for consumption due to recent treatments for various diseases.

The only place you get rustled meat from in Croydon is from Waitrose 

[papasmurf]

Well there is nothing like picking up a leg of lamb for a tenner 

There is a big potential problem with rustled lamb, it could be not fit for consumption due to recent treatments for various diseases.

[Streetwalker]

I don't buy contraband, I am retired however I do not need to go to a pub for socialising and having a laugh.
My wife and I had  good weekend away at the end of January.  Secure location, rules for entry a negative Covid test within 36 hours of arrival.  Beer/Cider £3 a pint. Excellent cheap food.  ( The current and ex Marine Commandos club attending all seemed to be nearly seven feet tall.) Other than that a cross section of humanity, I would not normally meet.
Several such weekends away already arranged. One of them has free first aid certification course so my wife can keep up to date.

Well there is nothing like picking up a leg of lamb for a tenner or a new pair of boots half price on a Friday night but every one to their own .

Glad you got out and had a good time . My local could do with one of those first aid courses ......It would save calling the ambulance .

[papasmurf]

Just getting out of the house , socialising and having a laugh ,maybe getting contacts for jobs and even buying some contraband mean quite frankly you can't afford not to .

I don't buy contraband, I am retired however I do not need to go to a pub for socialising and having a laugh. 
My wife and I had  good weekend away at the end of January.  Secure location, rules for entry a negative Covid test within 36 hours of arrival.  Beer/Cider £3 a pint. Excellent cheap food.  ( The current and ex Marine Commandos club attending all seemed to be nearly seven feet tall.) Other than that a cross section of humanity, I would not normally meet.
Several such weekends away already arranged. One of them has free first aid certification course so my wife can keep up to date.

[Streetwalker]

The way beer prices in pubs are going up I can't afford to go to a pub anyway.

The price of beer is secondary to ones mental health . Just getting out of the house , socialising and having a laugh ,maybe getting contacts for jobs and even buying some contraband mean quite frankly you cant afford not to .

There is also the very big chance of use it or loose it . Hundreds even thousands  of pubs close every year .They will never come back once they are gone and I see it as my personal responsibility to do all  I can to protect as many of them as possible for future generations to enjoy