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How could anyone - particularly those with a punitive tied lease - NOT enjoy the 'free trade'? Matthew, I note you appear to allude to difficuties with the recession/credit crunch/potential double-dip - spare a thought for those who have to contend with it, AS WELL as having to pay DOUBLE THE PRICE for stock-in-trade. As for your village vs. urban environment analogy - I think even you may be suprised at the community culture in and around the Sun & Doves in the urban village of Camberwell. Good luck in your efforts Mark. Me? Simple conservative with a small 'c', chuckling at the prospect of a reactionary seeking to make a shareholder-backed buy-out of a part-nationalised capitalist project. Bloody well done!

Hardly relevant to the business of pubco inquiry - after all, almost EVERY MP made claims for something or another unrelated to what we might see as "the job". The Hon Member for Kirkcaldy & Cowdenbeath, for example. A salary of £194,250 plus expenses -and he has already 'paid back' three lots of 'duplicated' claims after it emerged he had submitted some bills twice AND made claims for utilities and services on the "wrong" properties (ffs - I had no salary, no expenses claim, three properties plus my home to worry about, and I never made that "mistake"). He also claimed for his Sky subscription - wouldn't same of us have liked to do that? But does any of that make him less suitable or competent to be Prime Minister? Compared to the Chairman of a Select Committee - I think so.

What an incisive view of my circumstances you think you have, Matthew. Economic problem NOT caused by landlord be it pubco, property company or brewer but by Government regulation? I don't think so! It was indeed a property company masquerading as a pub company - and the way in which THEY OPERATE their so-called "robust" business model. Not so much a question of the Tie per se, more the way in which they failed to invest (as contracted) in their properties. Common sense (and a measure of capitalist entrepreneurship can get around the tie - just by buying out and not getting caught). Sadly a combination of three differing trading styles, coupled with very poor (non-existent) trading information and Terms & Conditions which varied with each of the three assignments I held, made it virtually impossible to construct a cohesive business plan to take the business forward. All of that PLUS absolutely no meaningful input from the wonderful support services ie, BDM/BRM/Estates etc. Absolutely NOTHING to do with government regulation, I assure you. As for your suggestion that commercial landlords are more rapacious - I can further assure you, that as one who has experienced both - there is absolutely NO competition! And that is before the question of a linked supply even reaches the equation. My favourite pubco Enterprise, have constantly failed to answer why a house with a (then) poor recent history, benefited from a company-backed re-furb approaching £100k, for a rent of £400 pw (albeit 2 years behind schedule) and yet they were not prepared to spend a penny-piece on a premises producing £1000pw rent and a £4k beer bill - even though EHO insisted on some works over and above the Dilaps to which they did not attend. The former is now closed, having churned once a year since my departure, the other to let again, doing a quarter of the business I did. I lost six years of my life - they lost a competent operator. Is that good business?

I did. But then again, my so-called partner was Enterprise. 'nuff said.

Tony, you are not alone. Your missive virtually mirrors one I wrote to my then Operations Director back in 2003. My letter ran to three pages. His response barely reached three lines. Not only are these pubcos immoral and unethical in their dealings - they are downright ignorant, too. They know full well that our working pattern of 12hrs per day, 7 days per week - does not leave us time to follow-up on complaints and grievances - because, for us, there is always a bloody bigger one just around the corner!