Hamish Champ: The Power of Blog

My word, didn't my colleague Adam Withrington's blog on Fair Pint cause a right old kerfuffle last week?

Now you might have agreed with his views on the anti-beer tie group, but judging by our online postbag it seemed the rest of the world and his wife - along with her two sisters, one of whom now lives in a nice semi in Pudsey, West Yorkshire, while the other one point blank refuses to move anywhere outside the M25 - took umbrage.

I came in for similar levels of opprobrium when I posted something about what I saw as belligerent smokers and pubs (c'mon, you remember that​ one!).

Opinions can divide and they can just as easily bring people together. "I'm just giving you my opinion" is a phrase we've all heard at one time or another, often when it's the very last​ thing we want to hear, actually, thank you very much.

Thinking about it, expressing an opinion is something we Brits do with aplomb. And we do so best, if you want my opinion, in the pub.

The whole issue of opinion-making is one bedevilled with contradictions, however.

It was the 18th Century French writer and philosopher Voltaire (real name Francois Marie-Arouet, Voltaire merely being his rather snappy nom de plume​) who summed up the greatest contradiction of all, namely that while he might disapprove of what you had to say, he'd defend "to the death" your right to say it.

That said, I reckon some opinions have no place being expressed outside of people's living rooms, if they must be expressed at all. Racist and homophobic comments are rightly two no-go areas, for example.

But then again what one person thinks are abhorrent and spiteful opinions can be another's reasoned take on the world, however bonkers it may seem to the rest of us. It's certainly tricky.

Still, opinions are part and parcel of what we are. And on such a harmonious note I'd like to offer an opportunity to every publican.com​ reader to express their opinion on one specific topic.

Of course I'll quite understand if you're too busy trying to run your pub to the best of your ability, keeping your customers happy and so on.

But if you've sorted the back bar, tapped and spiled your barrels, got the menus all printed up and served Terry with his usual, in no more than 50 words why not tell us what you think the pub industry will look like in five year's time. And why.

Think about what will impact your business the most, good and bad. What will be the most positive aspect your business will have been able to exploit in that time?

Sadly there will no prizes for what some might term the 'best opinion'. Just the warm glow that comes from taking part in a nationwide interactive chat about where things might be heading.

I look forward to reading your views...