Trade needs to build from a new base

Summer's here and the livin' is easy — oh, that it were and that it was. Seems like we will now forego another summer — but at least the apple harvest will be good!

The summer holidays tend to bring with them, reverting to school days, a review of the past year and the anticipation of things to come.

It's two years since the financial squalls turned into a major typhoon and blew through many aspects of received wisdom, but suddenly stock markets are now anticipating the next upswing.

If they are right then the underlying presumption about a better outlook for earnings will eventually feed through to our sector — all other things being equal. But as we know all things are never equal in our sector.

The Labour government is clearly on its way out, but will hang on until next June. There is no indication that the most anti-pub administration we have ever had is likely to change its spots until it is thrown out. So that means VAT resumes on

1 January 2010 and the excise duty escalator will also be imposed with the rampant decline of the sector continuing. It is difficult to see why anyone with any connection to the pub trade would vote Labour next year, but perhaps all stops now need to be pulled out to ensure that the next government does not make matters any worse.

The Conservatives used to be a friend of the sector — but in the past couple of decades seem to have lost their instincts. And, of course, the Beer Orders of 1989, brought in by Mrs Thatcher, formed the base from which the unintended effect of pubco power has arisen.

Now is the time for the sector to build a new base with an incoming Conservative government. To present a clear message as to the overwhelmingly positive aspects of our sector, from employment to social cohesion.

Hopefully we can look forward to a more pro-business administration that is pro the pub, pro profit-making and anti-bureaucratic. If that can be achieved it will be a major benefit to the sector and for the improvement in earnings — when they come.

We need some real friends among the Conservatives who understand the issues and are prepared to bring about change.

It's a good time to invite your prospective MP to your pub and give them a warm welcome. There should be plenty of time — what with no sunshine to keep him or her outside!