I wholeheartedly agree. What I find special about pubs is that the people you meet there are simply those who happen to live in your community. You do not need to share any interests, belong to the same age group, or have a similar income (after all, buying a pint is cheaper than attending most other events). And, pubs are typically distributed more densely than other social clubs, so the people you meet there are genuinely your neighbours. Long live the pubs!
This holds true for all places of social interaction, though. Social, cultural or sports clubs have ever fewer members which means fewer people feel a sense of community. "Bowling Alone" by Robert Putnam is an excellent book, making this argument for the US case.
What are your thoughts on the (subsidised) Parliamentary pubs? A bit strange and baffling to many that they’re a thing in your workplace, and they seem to drive a lot of inappropriate behaviour…
I've spent a LOT of time at parliament - I co founded the Fair Pint Campaign in 2006 which launched at Westminster in May 2008, we were publicans with tied pub leases owned by the Big Pubcos, hedge fund backed, offshore based, asset stripping corporate sociopaths that profiteer on the value of hundreds of years of OUR social capital tied up in The Public House as our unique secular social construct by running them into the ground and selling them for alternative use to pay down interest on capital debt they will never repay in full. Our campaign led to the Pubs Code coming into place in 2016 - a whole other world of conversation from your asking about the bars in parliament.
I spent a lot of time in HoC bars and only very rarely saw inappropriate behaviour and when I did it was always the same one or two MPs who clearly had a personality problem...
The prices were not particularly cheap either - and for hospitality providing service to thousands of people 24 hours a day the bars and restaurants there seem to me to make a lot of sense.
yes, mates and debates are basic to democracy. Being alone at home makes you prey to all sorts of nonsense - and there's no-one to say 'dont be daft'
THIS "there's no-one to say 'don't be daft'" is SUCH a simple truth but it is MASSIVE and accurate
If you’re telling me going to the pub will protect democracy, I’ll do my bit 🫡
I wholeheartedly agree. What I find special about pubs is that the people you meet there are simply those who happen to live in your community. You do not need to share any interests, belong to the same age group, or have a similar income (after all, buying a pint is cheaper than attending most other events). And, pubs are typically distributed more densely than other social clubs, so the people you meet there are genuinely your neighbours. Long live the pubs!
This holds true for all places of social interaction, though. Social, cultural or sports clubs have ever fewer members which means fewer people feel a sense of community. "Bowling Alone" by Robert Putnam is an excellent book, making this argument for the US case.
What are your thoughts on the (subsidised) Parliamentary pubs? A bit strange and baffling to many that they’re a thing in your workplace, and they seem to drive a lot of inappropriate behaviour…
I've spent a LOT of time at parliament - I co founded the Fair Pint Campaign in 2006 which launched at Westminster in May 2008, we were publicans with tied pub leases owned by the Big Pubcos, hedge fund backed, offshore based, asset stripping corporate sociopaths that profiteer on the value of hundreds of years of OUR social capital tied up in The Public House as our unique secular social construct by running them into the ground and selling them for alternative use to pay down interest on capital debt they will never repay in full. Our campaign led to the Pubs Code coming into place in 2016 - a whole other world of conversation from your asking about the bars in parliament.
I spent a lot of time in HoC bars and only very rarely saw inappropriate behaviour and when I did it was always the same one or two MPs who clearly had a personality problem...
The prices were not particularly cheap either - and for hospitality providing service to thousands of people 24 hours a day the bars and restaurants there seem to me to make a lot of sense.