The Publican's 30th Birthday: John Grogan

John Grogan, MP and chairman of the All-Party Parliamentary Beer Group, helps mark The Publican Newspaper's 30th Birthday.

• What were you doing 30 years ago?​

I was still at school. My relationship with pubs still largely consisted of sitting outside with a shandy and a packet of crisps whilst my parents were inside!

What has been the biggest change in the pub industry in the past 30 years?​

Food, both in terms of improved quality and availability

Which individual has had the biggest impact on the pub trade in the past 30 years?​

Margaret Thatcher as the Prime Minister who introduced the Beer Orders in 1989

What are the biggest challenges facing the industry over the next 30 years?​

Forging an effective partnership with government, local authorities and police to deal with problem drinking and alcohol-related violence, and adjusting to non-smoking

When did you first read a copy of The Publican?​

1992

Do you have a message for us on our 30th birthday?​

I can only quote the famous words of Samuel Johnson:

"There is nothing that has yet been contrived by man by which so much happiness is produced as a good tavern or inn."