James Wilmore: Hug a health lobbyist? I think you should...
"My father taught me many things here - he taught me in this room. He taught me - keep your friends close but your enemies closer" Michael Corleone, The Godfather Part II
Does the idea of the health lobby cosying up to the pub industry make you feel queasy? Well, maybe it shouldn't.
Next week Alcohol Concern's chief executive will sit down to speak at an event in Parliament, hosted by the Beer Group, entitled The Social Value of Community Pubs.
My initial reaction was one of bemusement.
Why would a group like this be wanting to extol the virtues of the pub - a place the evil drink is peddled by members of the "drinks industry" more interested in a fast buck, than people's health.
Well, this may have been their attitude a while back, but things seemed to have changed.
The "enemies of fun" finally seemed to have realised the "drinks industry" can't be taken as a whole. In short the chief spokesmen are realising, at last, pubs are part of the solution, and not the problem (although I hate that phrase).
Well Halle - bloody - lujah.
Whatsmore, even white-coated boffin Professor Ian Gilmore, who is wheeled out at every possible occasion to talk about the evils of alcohol, seems to have changed his tune. For a while now he has been pointing the finger at the supermarkets and off-licences, for their deep discounting of booze.
Pubs, in his eyes, are now the victims.
At risk of being labelled a hypocrite, it's only right to point out most of the health lobby are probably not anti-pub, and enjoy a pint or a glass of wine, as much as the next man or woman.
It's just that in the past the constant referral to the "drinks industry" has been far from helpful.
So, I think licensees should welcome this new attitude.
Yes, in some ways the health lobby are the enemy, with their Daily Mail-baiting pronouncements.
But it's clear to me that people like Alcohol Concern's Don Shenker and Ian Gilmore have the ear of Gordon Brown - much more than the pub trade. Last month's Budget is an obvious case in point.
And if Shenker et al can press upon GB the differences between responsible pubs, and irresponsible loss-leading off-trade deals, all the better.
Hug a health lobbyist? I think you should…
