An interesting article in today’s Irish News:
Communities Minister Gordon Lyons failed to consider testimony that the majority of pubs in Northern Ireland are “Catholic-owned” ahead of largely rejecting reforms of the licensing system, it is argued in legal filings. Historical figures drawn up by the main trade industry group stated 80% of pubs are owned by people from a Catholic background, which should have formed part of an equality assessment by the minister and his department, according to the legal papers. The high percentage highlights how the system is grounded in “archaic” rules and laws dating back more than 100 years to a time when pubs were among the few businesses allowing Catholics ease of entry and one more likely avoided by those from the Protestant community, campaigners for reform argue. But advocates for reform more broadly say the barriers to entry for younger entrepreneurs, those from a minority background and anyone wanting to open a smaller craft brew premises, wine bar or independent music venue are “insurmountable” due to the high costs and ability of any existing business in the area, whatever the size or different customer demographic, to object. Boyd Sleator, a co-founder of Free the Night, added also that the group investigated the 473 listed pub companies in the north and found the average age of the directors was 53. The investigation found just two directors in their 20s.
It’s always impressive how we can make a tribal issue out of anything in Northern Ireland, so this is an interesting spin on things. I assume it’s less about pubs being Catholic-owned, and more of a line of attack on the utterly stupid surrender principle that we have. A drinks licence costs about £150,000, and most of them are being bought for off licences. There is absolutely no chance for new entrants to enter the market. It’s a complete racket.
When I travel around Europe, most cities have lots of little bars, cafes, and restaurants. You can buy alcohol in all sorts of places, and the sky does not fall in. In fact, they seem to have a more healthy approach to alcohol than we do. Get rid of all this Puritan nonsense around alcohol and just open up the rules so anyone can serve alcohol in any venue. Okay, maybe not children’s soft play areas. On second thoughts, yes, we definitely need a bar in children’s soft play areas, as any parent who has ever had to endure them can testify.
The Irish News also reported yesterday that the average price of a pint in Belfast is now £6. This is a bargain, as I was charged £7.50 for a pint in Belfast last week. Belfast now has the highest drink prices in the UK or Ireland. I was in London a while back, and even London is far cheaper than Belfast. It would drive you to drink (if you could afford it).
I help to manage Slugger by taking care of the site as well as running our live events. My background is in business, marketing and IT. My politics tend towards middle-of-the-road pragmatism; I am not a member of any political party. When not stuck in front of a screen, I am a parkrun Run Director.
Discover more from Slugger O’Toole
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.
We are reader supported. Donate to keep Slugger lit!
For over 20 years, Slugger has been an independent place for debate and new ideas. We have published over 40,000 posts and over one and a half million comments on the site. Each month we have over 70,000 readers. All this we have accomplished with only volunteers we have never had any paid staff.
Slugger does not receive any funding, and we respect our readers, so we will never run intrusive ads or sponsored posts. Instead, we are reader-supported. Help us keep Slugger independent by becoming a friend of Slugger. While we run a tight ship and no one gets paid to write, we need money to help us cover our costs.
If you like what we do, we are asking you to consider giving a monthly donation of any amount, or you can give a one-off donation. Any amount is appreciated.