tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6722137562852954269.post3744035445306238703..comments2024-03-28T09:35:43.919+00:00Comments on Paul's Beer & Travel Blog: Changing times; changing habitsPaul Baileyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09678639237696546268noreply@blogger.comBlogger6125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6722137562852954269.post-66568585710171807362017-04-08T17:00:52.725+01:002017-04-08T17:00:52.725+01:00Well, plenty of pubs have evolved into supermarket...Well, plenty of pubs have evolved into supermarkets or blocks of flats :P<br /><br />It's rather like Spinal Tap - "our appeal is becoming more selective".Curmudgeonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02558747878308766840noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6722137562852954269.post-28238551592369577972017-04-08T14:50:35.491+01:002017-04-08T14:50:35.491+01:00Despite their falling numbers, and despite the lar...Despite their falling numbers, and despite the large number which have closed due to changes in society, those pubs which remain, and which are trading successfully, are by and large those which have evolved to reflect the aforementioned changes.<br /><br />What’s pollyannish about that?<br />Paul Baileyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09678639237696546268noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6722137562852954269.post-87810249184250605302017-04-08T07:23:24.762+01:002017-04-08T07:23:24.762+01:00I'm not missing any point. The point is that c...I'm not missing any point. The point is that changes in society have occurred and they have contributed to a massive decline in the demand for pubs. A lot fewer people now go to pubs, on a lot fewer occasions. To just say "pubs have continued to evolve" is hopelessly Pollyannaish.Curmudgeonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02558747878308766840noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6722137562852954269.post-42080665954998717452017-04-07T20:43:25.314+01:002017-04-07T20:43:25.314+01:00Nev, I agree that here’s nothing worse than contri...Nev, I agree that here’s nothing worse than contrived “team-building” exercises. Fortunately my company doesn’t go in for this sort of thing; possibly because we are Japanese-owned. <br /><br />Spending time away at an exhibition, with five of my colleagues, as I did a fortnight ago, was a much better way of getting know people outside of the immediate work environment. It was certainly far more productive than any idiotic “raft-building” game. We all got on extremely well, given our diverse backgrounds, and it was good fun and good company, socialising over a meal and a few beers in the evenings.<br /><br />Mudge, as I said on your blog, I wasn’t misinterpreting your nostalgia for anger, but I think you are missing the point about the changes society has undergone in recent times. Pubs continue to evolve and mirror the changes which are taking place in the outside world. <br /><br />I am sure that my long-dead grandfather, himself a dedicated pub-man, would be horrified at the changes which took place from the 1970’s onwards, when partitions between a pub’s various bars were torn down, keg beer and lager became more prevalent and unwanted distractions such as gaming machines and TV first put in an appearance. There are many other things he would not have approved of either.<br /><br />Pub going habits had changed, even within his lifetime, as I remember my grandmother telling me how horrified she was during her courting days, when she discovered that my grandfather liked a drink. The first time she was persuaded to step inside a pub, was like entering a forbidden world for her, given her strict Welsh-Chapel upbringing.<br /><br />She of course, became a dedicated pub-goer, but only in the company of her husband.<br />Paul Baileyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09678639237696546268noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6722137562852954269.post-45631142907586061352017-04-07T10:38:42.127+01:002017-04-07T10:38:42.127+01:00It's not the first time than someone has inter...It's not the first time than someone has interpreted nostalgia as anger on my blog. It's a fact of life that one of the causes of pub decline has been that the range of occasions when people will consider a visit to a pub has narrowed. It may be regrettable, but there's not really a lot you can do about it.<br /><br />Yes, of course well-run pubs can still be successful within an overall declining market if they have the right offer and location. But it's still a declining market. My fear is that, within a generation, pubs as we currently understand them will become very much a niche interest. In many areas, perhaps they are already.<br /><br />Even now, many people have a rose-tinted view of pubs that rarely corresponds with the reality.Curmudgeonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02558747878308766840noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6722137562852954269.post-51205176573431629322017-04-06T13:43:44.622+01:002017-04-06T13:43:44.622+01:00It's true that drinking habits do change as we...It's true that drinking habits do change as we pass through life's stages, but probably less for me than for you because I have no children. <br /><br />I was an active in my trade union for many years, and quite often reps went for a drink together after meetings. This is not bad, as you get to know your union colleagues very well and it's a lot more enjoyable - and successful - than attending a contrived team-building exercise. RedNevhttp://rednev-rearm.blogspot.co.uk/noreply@blogger.com