Make the politicians listen

With 5 May just two weeks away now, there's not much time left for licensees to extract maximum value from their votes. But as these things come round only every four or five years, it's vital our politicians are made to pay attention for once to the issues that dog the pub trade. Especially as the problems we face are so often of the politicians' own making.

Problem Number One to confront is the mess over transferring licensing to local authorities. This switch, which no-one running a pub requested, is beyond recall and is probably not worth arguing about now. But as the chaos grows, what is worth getting stroppy about is why no one at the Government's end has been honest about the costs and bureaucracy the move entails. When it comes to issues of trust, how can you trust a party that knew from the start the system would be far more expensive and bureaucratic, yet lied through the teeth of successive ministers to state the opposite? And how can you trust a party that embarked upon a massive legal overhaul without a proper sense of the resources or time that would be required?

Point Two to make is that a Government that came to power on a business-friendly ticket has done sod all to make life for small businesses any easier. Running a pub now is far harder than it was four years ago, thanks to the extra taxes licensees pay and collect on the Government's behalf. And although there's always talk of reducing red tape, nothing is ever done to help. If the Government is serious about cutting paperwork for small business, why doesn't it listen to the trade associations, which have a long list of suggestions?

And thirdly, why has Government been so slow to help the trade tackle binge drinking and under-age sales? Why, for instance, have the police walked away from their role of late-night patrolling, and intervention in the pubs that create trouble? If, as the police say, they're under-resourced, why hasn't Government tackled the problems more urgently?

There are undoubtedly many other issues that anger and disappoint licensees ­ so take the time to put them to the politicians. Ask them into your pub. Tell your customers to make these points.

Politicians ignore the trade most of the time. Make it a priority now.

how can you trust a party that has lied through the teeth of successive ministers?