Tied tenants to lobby MPs today

http://www.thepublican.com/story.asp?storycode=63883

Many thanks to everyone who was able to come to the lobby day yesterday. Taking time out from work and getting all the way to London for just a day is a big effort and commitment which is much appreciated by everyone at the Fair Pint Campaign.

The lobby day is just a start and a lot more needs to be done over the next two months before government goes into summer recess...

If you're not happy with your business relationship with your pubco I cannot stress how important it is for you to meet your MP face to face and tell them what's really going on. They will be horrified to hear what happens.

For those who weren't able to come yesterday, please get your message across to your MP at a local surgery. MPs generally have three or four days a month set aside in their constituency specifically for meeting local people to hear their concerns about anything on their patch. Dates for these are listed on MPs website. If you don't know who your MP is you can find out by putting your postcode into this search engine: http://findyourmp.parliament.uk/

I'm sure many of you who did come yesterday will have been quite surprised at just how little your MP knew about the tie and the experience tied licensees have of pubcos' behaviour. This is only to be expected - how can anyone know about what is really happening to tied pubs unless they hear it from someone face to face? If you hear, or read these often shocking stories in a radio news report or in a magazine, they seem distant and don't have a lot of impact along side reports of deaths in wars and countries economies collapsing around the world. The impact of hearing it directly from the people it's happening to cannot be underestimated and you should just make the effort to go along and tell your MP - they will listen, they will be shocked, they will sympathise and will offer to help - you will see that your message has impressed your MP, that you're not entirely alone and that someone influential agrees with you that your circumstances are not fair, that you are being treated shamefully by your landlord and that something MUST be done about it.