Act now to stop Darling's axe

There's a large poster on the wall of the waiting room at Corfe Castle railway station in Dorset showing all the train lines in the Wessex area in the 1950s.

There was a multitude of lines, covering every town and many villages in the region. The train was seen as a vital public service, uniting communities.

Then came Dr Richard Beeching. In the early 1960s he chopped, axed and annihilated the railway system. Many lines disappeared. Towns and villages no longer had access to the railway network and many isolated communities withered and died.

One of the many internet entries for Dr Beeching calls him "Britain's most hated civil servant". It's astonishing today, 40 years later, that many people asked in newspaper interviews which figure from history they dislike most cite the late and unlamented doctor.

But now he has a rival. He is called Alistair Darling. His official title is Chancellor of the Exchequer but Butcher of the British Pub would be a more accurate description.

Like Beeching, Darling is determined to destroy a great British institution that gives employment to thousands and pleasure to millions. Thanks to his latest increase in duty, announced in the Budget last week, the number of pub closures — currently 40 a week — will accelerate.

In the past five years, 45,000 jobs in brewing and retailing have been lost. It's expected that a similar number will go during the next five years.

Do Darling and his puppet master Brown have no understanding of the mayhem and misery they are creating? They rush to bail out bankers, dole out largesse to car makers, but turn stony faces to the plight of the pub.

Pubs are vital hubs of their communities. Close a pub and more than a few jobs, a licensee's livelihood and people's pleasure disappear. The heart is ripped out of a community and we are all diminished by the loss of a favourite boozer.

The media obediently reported last week that a pint of beer would rise by a penny as a result of the duty increase. Lazy reporting — nothing new when pubs are involved. By the time your pint reaches the bar you can expect to pay as much as 10p more. The £3.50 pint is a grim reality.

Lord Sainsbury and Lady Tesco are rubbing their well-oiled palms in glee. They can hear the stampede of beer drinkers heading for their sliding doors. The supermarkets will tell their suppliers to absorb the duty increase or stop calling. Beer in the multiples will stay at giveaway prices and the senior managers will watch with pleasure as yet more pubs lock the doors and become derelict, sad reminders of a society that once believed in community and conviviality.

We cannot and must not sit back and watch the pub trade die. More than just pubs are at stake. Brewers who make draught beer — and most of Britain's small craft brewers make little else — will also start to go under unless action is taken to stop the rot. There is an alternative and it comes from the railways. Corfe Castle station is still open, even though Beeching closed the branch line that linked Swanage to Wareham. Railway enthusiasts have restored the line, using steam and diesel locomotives. They are not alone. Britain is dotted with scores of restored railways. Such is the enthusiasm in Swanage that after many years of sweat and fund-raising the final link has been restored from Corfe to Wareham. The Swanage line now joins the main network again. If I may be allowed to use the vernacular: up yours, Dr Beeching.

At the annual meeting of the Campaign for Real Ale earlier this month, Camra's chief executive Mike Benner argued forcefully that pubs should not be seen purely as profit-making centres. There have to be other ways of looking at how pubs can be run as centres of their communities, he said.

The alternatives exist. Take the example of the Old Crown in Hesket Newmarket in Cumbria. The pub is the last in the village. It has its own small brewery. When the owners of the brewery announced they wanted to retire, the villagers clubbed together, formed a co-operative and took over the brewery.

When the pub was threatened with closure, a second co-op was set up. Today both pub and brewery are successful and thriving businesses. Of course they are expected to make a profit, but that is not the only driving force behind them. The owners believe first and foremost that both pub and brewery should be saved to serve their community.

The Old Crown is not alone. Up and down the country there are now several pubs that have been saved for posterity by being taken over by local people. It's not easy. It requires hard work, long hours and awesome dedication. Some have failed, but the challenge is worth the effort.

Axe the Tax is a great slogan. It has touched many people and stresses how successive duty increases have hammered the pub and boosted the supermarket.

Now we need new initiatives, new ideas to save the pub. One answer lies in the waiting room at Corfe Castle station.

Full steam ahead!