Opinion: Barrrr, Darling!

The fourth series of Blackadder got great comic mileage out of a character simply because his name was Darling. If only such mirth could be found in the man of the same name heading up our economy.

The eight per cent rise is likely to have a deadly serious impact on pubs' drinks prices, and Darling's motivations just don't add up.

As a punitive measure to reduce binge-drinking, it punishes all alcohol retailers for the crimes of the few. Pubs are, as Darling was repeatedly told, a controlled environment in which prices are already high enough to discourage dangerous consumption. Meanwhile, the real culprits, supermarkets, absorb the hikes and go on fuelling the problem.

The rise is also inspired by the need to swell government coffers with additional revenue. But alcohol sales are already tumbling. Surely if it gets more expensive, people will buy even less and the revenue will go down accordingly.

This theory is known as price elasticity, and the British Beer and Pub Association, backed up by research, warned the government about it as early as January.

So what's the answer? While some would argue the sector needed more of a unified voice when it came to presenting its case to government, the Treasury cannot have missed the on-trade's points on the impact this budget would have.

We can only conclude the Chancellor has it in for pubs and is unlikely to be swayed.The one thing every licensee can do to make that extra 3p a pint worth it to customers is have its drinks range operating at the top of its game.

Perfect your offer, perhaps while muttering, Blackadder style, "Barrrr, Darling".