Or better still, rather than allowing them to speechify, make them answer questions - ideally from the floor. That way we might actually get something more than platitudes, half-truths and outright nonsense...
I write following the recent British Beer & Pub Association’s annual conference, in which the apparent “pub minister” Kate Dearden was given the opportunity to be a keynote speaker.
For four minutes.
At the end of the day.
Following which, she scuttled from the premises like a Prime Minister in search of some kind of support.
And that was after telling everyone she was looking forward to hearing what had been discussed at the event.
Pretty sure she wouldn’t have heard much over the spinning wheels of her car screeching off outside.
That was also after she’d spent all of those four minutes telling us what a wonderful job her Government was doing to support the pub and bar industry.
Sadly, we weren’t allowed to ask any questions - such as: “Minister, if the Government is doing such a great job propping up the pub and bar industry, why are two pubs closing a week?”
Now I’m not having a pop at the organisers of the conference who would have felt getting a Government Minister was a feather in their cap. And in the past that would have been the case. I’m as guilty of that from our own past events.
Sadly, these days, that cap is now looking rather feather less and I think we need to knock the invites on the head. We have to stop giving these people a platform to spout nonsense, then think they’ve ticked a box, and “done their bit” for the hospitality sector.
I’ve heard various people say that Ms Dearden “gets the industry” and is a “supporter” - however, there wasn’t a huge amount of evidence of that during her four minutes in which she told the audience all the great ways the Government is helping the sector.
Spoiler alert Kate, none of those were particularly helpful as you might be able to tell by the number of businesses currently tanking.
Maybe if you took a look at the onerous taxation levels your colleagues have imposed on the sector, that might be more helpful.
Rather than allowing them to spew propaganda in future, let’s hold them to account and get them to answer the questions Ms Dearden was clearly keen to duck as she hightailed it out of the venue at high speed.