RE: Fair Pint 'encouraged' by EU meet on beer tie

It is interesting to see how tied tenants under the pubco cosh have taken different approaches toward dealing with their problems and how their efforts, whether by design or chance, are creating a corral of criticism of the tied model as it has been roundly abused by property companies.

With a combination of different sorts of direct action through JFL and Pub Revolution working with unions Unite and GMB and Fair Pint apparently taking a serious political and legislative stance working with consumer interest groups CAMRA and professional bodies FSB tenants are quite obviously for the first time in history making headway against short termist, feudal land barons who are prepared to slash and burn rather than see their model become genuinely sustainable.

Why more benevolent pubcos, typically family and regional companies with genuine brewing interests and a real need for a nurturing tie as a sustainable practice fell for the glamourous returns returned by spivs to whom beer, property and people are just moveable units on spreadsheets, should be a mystery to all observers of the trade.

Tradition, quality, diversity, community, sustainability and people have been comprehensively put aside in pursuit of ever increasing profit - taking without putting back in is inevitably highly successful in the short term but neglect of the baseline always leads to failure in the long run. International fisheries are a sobering example of the sort of practice the pubcos have employed. Short term plunder to the detriment of long term survival.

The peasants are revolting, tenants are surrounding the pubcos, the rabble is closing. Soon there will be nowhere to hide behind dodgy figures and hollow upbeat market statments. More Admirals with be hitting the deck, going down the Swanee and heading for Davey Jones' locker