Robert Sayles: Fair Pint and the battle for hearts and minds

By Robert Sayles Robert

- Last updated on GMT

Related tags Fair pint Clothing Pint

Watching the cut and thrust of debate on the blogs over the last few days I have been struck by the seemingly intransigent positions adopted many of...

Watching the cut and thrust of debate on the blogs over the last few days I have been struck by the seemingly intransigent positions adopted many of the participants.

Propaganda wars are always fought with passion and intensity; there is frequently a great deal at stake after all. Manipulation of perception is an integral part of any process required to win support, as those who watch 'Question Time' in the House of Commons will know only too well.

Such proceedings are frequently much more about deriding the arguments of the opposition, and much less about putting forward any constructive proposals of your own.

Judging by some of the comments on the blogs this week, Fair Pint appear to have had their credentials thoroughly vetted. Some have suggested that they are merely being manipulated by politicians in the run up to the election, and that they will be discarded once the ballots have been counted in May.

Others point to the fact that the number of tenants who have signed up to Fair Pint is relatively modest. This in turn leads them to conclude that the group represents a 'disillusioned minority' and that the remainder of us therefore must be content with our lot.

Such a view is manipulative, as it attempts to polarise thinking into two camps, 'pro' and 'anti'. This is a very simplistic approach, used by Tony Blair on more than one occasion if memory serves me correctly, and one which does not acknowledge that issues are rarely that clear cut, i.e. black and white. There are frequently several shades of grey in a mix, particularly one of this complexity.

The fact that a publican does not subscribe to Fair Pint should not lead us to deduce that he/she is not supportive of what they are trying to achieve. Similarly, the fact that an individual chooses not to go to Westminster should not lead us to conclude that that person doesn't acknowledge the need for such action.

I can fully understand why people feel they have little option but to join groups such as Fair Pint. Many have concluded that they have little to lose and in many cases they might well be right. After all, what is the alternative? It's not like we have any organisation of our own we can turn to in times of need!

What I do find difficult to understand however is the almost contemptuous dismissal of such people by a small minority who appear to resent the fact that certain aspects of the business model are being questioned.

If reform ultimately comes then are we not all likely to be beneficiaries? My stance is that I am not going to criticise people who are willing to invest time and demonstrate a level of commitment that I quite frankly am not prepared to give. Regardless of the outcome, they are to be commended not derided.

The sceptics might be correct when they assert that little if anything will be achieved; the jury is very much out on that one. All I would say is that such a belief is, in itself, a damning indictment of our industry!

The counter argument is that Fair Pint is making a difference. Our industry is now under the spotlight like never before, problems facing pubs have not only been put on the agenda, but brought to the attention of a wider audience, something I suspect some of the pubcos at least, were keen to avoid at all costs.

The net result is that people are starting to look a lot closer, starting to ask pertinent questions; whilst some of us welcome that level of scrutiny, others clearly do not.

Do you think that if our industry had been left to its own devices any of this would have actually taken place? Of course not!

I say this because it has become increasing apparent that we are part of an industry that is devoid of regulation, where pub companies, in the absence of a regulatory authority, are accountable to nobody and have, up until now at least, had a free hand to do pretty much as they please.

I am sure some of you at least will recall the story of the King who was sold a magic suit of clothes by two swindlers. Upon obtaining an audience with the king they informed him that "to a wise man this is beautiful raiment but to a fool it is absolutely invisible." The King not wishing to appear a fool sang:

"Isn't it grand! Isn't it fine! Look at the cut, the style, the line!
The suit of clothes is all together
But all together it's all together
The most remarkable suit of clothes that I have ever seen.
These eyes of mine at once determined
The sleeves are velvet, the cape is ermine
The hose are blue and the doublet is a lovely shade of green."

There are it seems, some of you out there who continue to gasp in admiration as the King walks by and I find myself listening to the "oohs" and "aahs" with growing bewilderment.

The King does not need to be told that he is sporting the finest garments money can buy; he has become far too accustomed to hearing this for far too long. Rather, he has to be told in no uncertain terms that he needs to put some clothes on before he gets arrested for indecency!

Somebody thankfully has shown the fortitude to ring the police and tell them that we have a pervert in the building. Whether they will bother sending somebody around I don't know, but the person who made the call has, I suspect, the appreciation of the overwhelming majority.

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