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Fair Pint slammed for 'guerilla tactics' on duty

Ughh. Yawn. I can feel boredom induced catatonia coming on.

BBPA is desperate to get out of the firing line of blame for getting nowhere with its rabble rousing but utterly misplaced campaign so they're flailing around saying 'it wasn't me it was Jenning's that stuck the chewing gum under the desk top Sir'.

The timing of Axe the Tax was totally wrong. To have had any teeth BBPA should have been lobbying like crazy two years ago when the duty escalator was being devised and before it was implemented - when niche players like whisky reps were doing good work on behalf of their own industries. But that wasn't part of BBPA's agenda then because BBPA actually, at base, simply DOES NOT REPRESENT THE TRADE IT PURPORTS TO. No, BBPA solely represents pubcos and, to a lesser extent, brewers. Because there is a lack of wider representation in its core membership its focus is blurred in areas affecting the wider industry.

It's been said before by Fair Pint - no one would have a problem about the escalator being dropped - because NO ONE would seriously object to any tax NOT being implemented - but once the duty escalator agenda was set and put into action it was pretty much pointless putting enormous energy into trying to force any government to reverse a high profile strand of a long term tax agenda on alcohol. And besides, it's less than 1p this time round so get real.

BBPA's real weakness is that it is a conceptually flawed organisation. It is disingenuous in that it appears to represent the 'common man' while patently behind the scenes it represents the Tom Brown School day's side of the trade - otherwise described as the 'pink shirts and cuff links brigade'.

Axe The Tax could have been more accurately named 'Shutting The Stable Door After The Horse Has Bolted Campaign' and it would not have got people's hopes up so much.

But then whattahell? BBPA's real agenda is not to reduce the tax burden,. No BBPA's real agenda is to divert attention away from the real problem which is the fundamentally flawed structure of their paymasters' business model.

ON THE OTHER HAND.

We should be proud that a well funded long standing stable outfit like BBPA should get such an itch in its breeches about how a "small number of individuals" (all working voluntarily in their spare time by the way) can have such a profound impact in what BBPA imperiously takes to be its own private playground.

Fair Pint is being accused of using "self-interested guerilla tactics" because BBPA has proved itself to be so ineffective.

The fact is Fair Pint has done nothing other than act honourably, honestly and openly in its affairs from the outset, a brief year ago, and this is Fair Pint's strength and why it's been taken seriously by so many people whose agenda is to see genuine progress in the ossified and out-moded trade that BBPA represents.