New Labour Logic - Add costs to a struggling industry.

If you had an industry in need of help, that was taxed to the hilt, over regulated and pleading with government for help what would you do? Well in New Labour's case unlike the banks who get bailout after bailout the pub trade get higher costs and more regulation.

Brilliant logic from the champagne swilling socialists there. link

The mandatory code of conduct for alcohol retailers - set to cost community pubs £1,100 per year — could hasten pub closure rates.

That was the message delivered to the Government by All-Party Parliamentary Beer Group chairman John Grogan during a debate on the controversial proposal in Parliament yesterday evening.

It comes as figures released by the British Beer and Pub Association show pub closure rates have increased from five to six per day.

Under Government plans, pubs and other alcohol retailers would have to abide by strict codes on retailing, with compulsory staff training and the use of smaller glasses among the measures.

Grogan said if the code was too “onerous”, it could cost £1,100 a year for “a well run community pub that causes no problems to anyone”.

He added that “there is a danger that..the rate of pub closures could rapidly increase”.

Fellow Labour MP David Kidney urged Smith to be “cautious” when imposing the code on pubs — “to ensure that she does not put another nail in the coffin of well run and orderly public houses, which are already so financially fragile at the present time.”

But there is always a fool who loses the plot and it is harder to find a better example of both a fool and an out of touch MP than Keith Vaz:

And former minister Keith Vaz said: “The problem is not the pubs; it is the supermarkets.

“Why are the Government letting the supermarkets off the hook? It is their provision of cheap alcohol that allows people to get tanked up before they go out on a Saturday evening.

“There is no code to control that provision, which is why we have a problem. It is the loss leaders in the supermarkets that are really causing the problem.”

No Keith thats not the problem, the problem is this regulation yet another un-needed rule to be imposed by New Labour. It is also the levels of tax that the health nazi's who love to nanny us have imposed on beers and the pleasure of working folk in the 12 years of your communist rule.

Smith said: “The vast majority of those who operate responsibly will not be troubled by the changes.

Well yes they will, you see higher taxes and that is what this amounts to have to be paid. So who pays them, well in the first instance the business but the customer ultimately through higher prices at the bar.

“We need to ensure that we have the right powers in place to tackle the irresponsible minority, but without creating difficulties for responsible premises, whether on-licence or off-licence.”

But she hit out at cheap drinks deals in the on-trade, highlighting promotions such as all-you-can-drink and free drinks for women.

“Frankly, that is an invitation to binge drinking, and it is not good enough.”

An here we see the problem with Labour. The reason that pubs offer promotions, free drinks etc is not to do with binge drinking a spurious argument at best. More to do with paying the ever rising business rates and nanny state taxes imposed by New Labour.

Binge drinking if you will call it that is a choice of the individual to get into that state, not the problem of the bar owner. Again Jacqui Smith shows she is an out of touch champagne swilling socialist.

A consultation on the details of the mandatory code is set to be released in February or March.

Association of Licensed Multiple Retailers chief executive Nick Bish welcomed Grogans comments.

“We welcome John Grogan’s highlighting of the potential cost of the new code. Our industry is well aware of the harm that overzealous, untargeted and excessive regulation can do to business. - well said that man.

“As the current recession deepens the Government needs to be aware that the burden of red tape currently shouldered by our industry risks doing far more harm than any good.

"We are now entering a dangerous new phase of this downturn, as even the most innovative and successful operators’ efforts to attract new custom risk being stifled due to the excessive regulation that they have to deal with on a day-to-day basis.

"Every penny spent on increased compliance costs is money which is not re-invested. That re-investment is vital to help safeguard jobs at a time when businesses are at their most vulnerable.”

All New Labour MP's are thieving lying scum, hiding their expense, expense paid for from our taxes. Part of a nomenklatura supporting a leader out of touch with reality.

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