While it's possible to appreciate where you're coming from David, comments like that don't in any way reflect reality nor progress any form of meaningful debate. The German National Unity Party, one way or another, presided over the deaths of 40 million people or so. We are fortunate not to be experiencing anything like that in this country, although that cannot be said of people elswhere in the world less fortunate than we. And no one can be certain that Tories would have treated this trade ANY differently from these incumbents.

If you were to take a straightforward party political stance on what is, and what has been, happening to the pub trade it can be easily argued that Tory policies, no matter how unintended, put this trade exactly whre it is now: beaten, weak and on its knees with no unified voice to put forward a cogent argument as to why it should be protected.

The grave mistake this government is making now - in singling out the pub and associated catering and beer supply trades, and effectively punishing thousands of small businesses that sell booze, while giving all other small businesses a tax break, is purely a result of this industry NOT having a unified voice with which to stand its ground.

If the pub industry was a healthy, properly functioning part of our economy, as it has been presented by the pubcos - to their sole benefit - Darling et al would have a far better understanding of the culture they live in and preside over. The truth, sadly, is that we do not have a voice other than that of the BBPA and other such lackeys of the pubcos and they have failed singulary to gain the sympathetic ear of government because they do not care about the trade. They care only about their need to make obscene amounts of money out of the people who pull the pints and talk with the punters.